Since their heyday in the 1960s, the Beach Boys have been one of the most influential artists on the music scene. They’ve sold more than 100 million records across the world and been inducted into just about every music hall of fame they’re eligible for, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone magazine has ranked them as the 12th greatest musical artist of all time.
The band’s unmistakable blend of surf rock and psychedelia has amassed them a huge fan base. Unsurprisingly, a number of filmmakers have licensed the Beach Boys’ music to use in their movies.
“California Girls” In Rush Hour 2
Although the Rush Hour movies themselves aren’t great, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker’s electric chemistry made them more than watchable. In Rush Hour 2, Lee and Carter are seen singing the Beach Boys’ “California Girls” in the car.
The Beach Boys are inextricably tied to the Rush Hour franchise. “Surfin’ USA” appeared in the first movie and “California Girls” is revealed to be Lee’s ringtone in the third movie.
“Sail On, Sailor” In The Departed
In true Martin Scorsese fashion, crime thriller The Departed has an impeccable soundtrack, featuring such hits as the Roger Waters version of “Comfortably Numb” and Scorsese favorite “Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones.
The Beach Boys’ “Sail On, Sailor” plays during the scene in which Jack Nicholson’s eccentric mob boss character Frank Costello approaches some priests and gives them a note.
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” In Pirate Radio
Also known as The Boat That Rocked, Pirate Radio has an incredible soundtrack in its portrayal of a pirate radio station anchored out in the middle of the ocean. The Beach Boys’ “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” is the last song played on the pirate station as the boat goes down.
The movie also contains the Beach Boys’ holiday-themed hit “Little Saint Nick” for the scene set around Christmastime when Quentin tells Carl his mother is coming.
“I Get Around” In Fantastic Mr. Fox
There are a couple of Beach Boys songs featured in Wes Anderson’s stop-motion animated adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox.
When the farmers vanquish the animals from their home and Mr. Fox starts formulating a plan by taking stock of all his friends’ unused talents, “I Get Around” plays on the soundtrack.
“Let’s Go Away For Awhile” In Baby Driver
Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver has a soundtrack to die for. It’s sort of an action-packed jukebox musical in which the title character, a getaway driver, commits crimes to the rhythm of his favorite iPod playlists.
The Beach Boys’ “Let’s Go Away for Awhile” plays when Baby is sitting in the diner where his mom used to work and falls for a young waitress named Debora.
“Surfin’ Safari” In American Graffiti
George Lucas captured his youth in the cruising culture of Modesto in his coming-of-age comedy classic American Graffiti. The movie has an awesome soundtrack from the period in which it takes place, including the Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ Safari.”
“Surfin’ Safari” plays when John is driving and gets pulled over by the police. Another Beach Boys track, “All Summer Long,” plays over the film’s end credits.
“Good Vibrations” In Us
On the night that the Tethered come after their surface-level counterparts in Jordan Peele’s Us, Josh and Kitty are listening to the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” on their Alexa-style virtual assistant, Ophelia. Peele creates an unnerving juxtaposition between the whimsical tune of the song and the blood-soaked antics on-screen.
The song is swapped out for N.W.A.’s “F**k the Police” when Kitty says with her last breath, “Ophelia, call the police,” which the virtual assistant mishears.
“Feel Flows” In Almost Famous
Cameron Crowe filled Almost Famous, his dramedy about a teenage Rolling Stone writer on the road with a famed rock band, with classic songs. The Beach Boys’ “Feel Flows” plays backstage when William meets Penny Lane and the members of Stillwater for the first time.
When they first meet, Penny tells William he’s mysterious. The song also plays at the end of the movie over the montage of Polaroids.
“God Only Knows” In Boogie Nights
Paul Thomas Anderson set out to emulate the style of Goodfellas with his adult film industry drama Boogie Nights, which included giving the movie a soundtrack full of pop hits.
The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” plays over a montage of the characters going back to their regular daily lives: the Colonel sits in prison, Rollergirl takes an exam, Maurice opens a new nightclub, Amber shoots a commercial for Buck’s store, etc.
“Heroes And Villains” In Fantastic Mr. Fox
Although Wes Anderson used “Ol’ Man River” and “I Get Around” brilliantly, the most memorable use of a Beach Boys song in Fantastic Mr. Fox is “Heroes and Villains” in the opening scene.
Mrs. Fox tells Mr. Fox that she’s pregnant before they break into a squab farm and get trapped in a cage. As the gun-toting farmers approach, Mrs. Fox makes Mr. Fox promise that if they make it out alive, he’ll look for a more legitimate line of work.