Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road

Different take on the interview process totally enjoyable ,music speaks for itself. Never tire of listening to his sounds. Seems like a special bond between the two of them.

The Beach Boys between 1962 and 1966 were the American Beatles but with better and far more complex harmonies and song structure yet the songs sounded simple and joyous. An act of genius and Brian Wilson was that genius. After giving the world the greatest popular song of all time - Good Vibrations - it all got to be a little too much for Brian. He continued to write songs sporadically but let his brothers and the other Beach Boys take over more and more. Us Americans see The Beach Boys as Our Beatles. And those of us Baby Boomers who grew up with them cannot give them enough praise. Yet the, sad for us, truth is The Beach Boys stopped progressing after 1966 except for some occasional good songs here and there. In the late 60's and 70's Brian sunk into overindulgence and an escape from reality, not emerging till much later to revisit his failed concept album from 1967 - Smile. Still, only of interest to fanatical fans. What saved The Beach Boys was actually the guy most hated by Beach Boys fans, Mike Love, who has toured various lineups of a Beach Boys band playing the hits up until this day. And he is barely mentioned in this doc. But it is the hits that matter and those hits were groundbreaking and transcendent. Brian Wilson will always be a symbol of the positive, the creator of angelic harmonies and sun drenched beach anthems of youth. Rightly so.

God bless Jason Fine for being a friend Brian can trust and for creating this peek into his life. I watched this on a trans-Atlantic flight and had plenty of time to pause, rewind, and repeat segments that piqued my interest. Overall I loved the pacing and details wrapped inside this documentary, and as a journalist myself, I could understand Fine's style of questioning. But after awhile it seemed that this was less of a conversation between two friends and more of a "mobile interview" for the cameras. Granted, that had to be done to create the documentary and cue things up for clips, but when Brian reveals that he's often scared and that Fine's voice helps calm him down, you want Fine to reciprocate by letting down his guard and being more compassionate. Nowhere was I waiting for this more than in the segment when Fine tells Brian that a mutual friend had died. Brian is at first shocked and, as the news sinks in, begins crying softly. Instead of pulling the car over, getting out, and asking Brian if he wants a hug so Brian can cry it out and process his emotions, the drive continues and the tone of the dialogue is as cold as if he had told him he'd found a quarter in the street. You feel Brian's pain as he is left grappling with the news on his own. It seemed to be the perfect place to forgot the roles of interviewer/subject and reveal some compassion for your friend. That's a feeling that lasts each time you see Brian -- you want to reach through the screen and give him a hug just to help alleviate his turmoil.. Aside from that indelible moment (and missed opportunity), Long Promised Road is a wonderful introduction into the life and mind of an extraordinarily resilient man. If there was a magic wand that could restore someone's mental health, Brian Wilson would be the perfect candidate. For all he's gone through and all he's given, he deserves it.

LONG PROMISED ROAD is a very intimate documentary on Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson. Taking it's title from an appropriately titled Beach Boys track, filmmaker Brent Wilson (no relation) provides a basic overview of Wilson's career and there is a decent amount of performance footage (most of it of fairly recent vintage). There are interviews with musicians like Don Was, Elton John and Jakob Dylan. Still, the focus here is clearly on Wilson's personal life. The Doc is structured around car trips with Wilson and Rolling Stone writer Jason Fine (Riding Around In Cars With Brian - as it were). The pair visit the past homes of the musician while chatting and listening to old songs. The most fascinating - and painful - portions concern Wilson's long history of mental illness which emerged just as the Beach Boys were ascendant. Parts are difficult to watch as Wilson opens up about how even the simplest things "scare" him. It got so bad that for a long period in the late 60s and into the 80s he was barely functional. A discredited therapist, Eugene Landy, held him almost under detention. Wilson was so disconnected that when the camera witnesses him listening to his late brother Dennis' 1970 solo album, it's supposedly for the very first time. With that backdrop, it's all the more amazing that Wilson continues to record and tour even if his releases only have met with sporadic success. Those expecting a more traditional music doc or one centered on The Beach Boys, may be disappointed. There are some nice bits of historical footage, and a good bit about the recording of Pet Sounds; But LONG PROMISED ROAD is about Brian Wilson, the man, more than as a musician. Uncomfortable at times, one can't help but appreciate what he has accomplished all the more.

One of the rare sincere, truthful, non-pathetic documentaries. Brian seems to be very nice person. He got over all that problems and yet adopted children. Some other famous junkies even abandon their own.

I've never been a fan of the Beach Boys but I can totally understand what a genius Wilson is. He's a unique individual for sure. This is a super doc on many levels. Don't miss it. It really great.

The Beach Boys are my favourite band. I own every Beach Boys' album, compilation, solo record etc. I have all the DVDs and documentaries too, of course, so I had to buy this. It's..... good. I mean, I can watch anything Brian/BB's related. I just feel there wasn't much new here. All the usual talking heads saying Brian is a genius. Most of the new stuff involving Brian is him being driven around L. A. listening to Beach Boy's songs (and sometimes the same song more than twice). It's quite sad, frankly speaking, seeing Brian so aged and out-of-shape, but- hey- it happens to all of us eventually. The most touching bits were when Brian found out that Jack Reilly had died years earlier, and the part where Brian listens to Dennis Wilson's album (it blows my mind that Brian had never heard it before!). Some of the best stuff was in the deleted scenes... Brian going back to his high school, talking about his mother. I don't think Mike Love got one mention throughout the entire documentary haha.

This was the first time I've heard about Brian's life. In the past I was such a huge Beach Boys fan that I didn't want to know what went on behind the scenes. This doco was amazing to watch. I loved it.

Whilst an interesting watch I did find some parts rather uncomfortable to watch. Brian has obviously given it his go ahead yet I still felt immense sadness at times for this old man sitting in a car recalling some emotional moments in his life. With is still playing on my mind a day after viewing I would have to say I think i I should have left the scab unpicked.