It begins by detailing the formation of the band with brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine.

As the narrative progresses, the documentary delves into the creative process behind their iconic album Pet Sounds, highlighting the influence of Brian Wilson's musical vision and the band's friendly competition with the Beatles, which spurred both groups to new heights of musical innovation, in addition to Capitol Records' hesitance to promote the album in North America.

The last thing brushed upon is the series of lawsuits between Love and Wilson that occurred in the 1990s, and the film ends on a reunion between the surviving band members.

Its streaming release was preceded by advance screenings in select IMAX theaters on May 21, 2024, featuring a Q&A with the filmmakers and special guests broadcast live from its premiere in Los Angeles.

Writing for The New York Times, Nicolas Rapold spoke of the film's deviations from the timeline of when things really went down, saying that "the movie traces a fruitful competitive streak with the Beatles."

"[7] Robert Lloyd of Los Angeles Times described the film's depiction of the band as "a swift, compact telling, with surprisingly little in the way of music and whole swaths of recording history skated over, additionally noting that "The film checks out early in their ongoing, competitive careers, before the Beach Boys became Mike Love's band and Brian a solo artist, and surprisingly omits their 50th-anniversary reunion tour and final studio album, [...] That's Why God Made the Radio.

Speaking on the omissions, he suggested that "The film would need to be twice as long to cover them, and the second half would feel more like a particularly lurid soap opera than a music documentary.

"[10] In the same interview, Al Jardine compared the film's portrayal of the band's history to prior retellings, staying that "it's always a challenge because, first of all, there have been so many articles, books, movies, and I always try to find stuff that's never been seen before.

"[10] At the 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the film won the Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program (Single or Multi-Camera).