Brian Wilson’s Three Favorite Movies Couldn’t Be More Different

Rock legend Brian Wilson, one of the founding members of The Beach Boys, passed away on June 11, 2025, at the age of 82. Wilson was instantly praised by musicians and fans everywhere, who admired his career that stretched back to the early 1960s. Wilson, as many know, struggled with mental health all his life, eliciting an even deeper sympathy and understanding from his millions of devotees. The world lost a giant. Rock ‘n’ roll wouldn’t have been the same without him. 

While Wilson was a musical prodigy, when it came to movies, he was a little less well-versed. As part of The Beach Boys, he performed in a few whimsical, kid-friendly films like 1965’s “The Girls on the Beach” and the Disney flick “The Monkey’s Uncle” the same year. On film, Wilson was more frequently seen giving interviews for documentaries like 1994’s “Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey” and the Bruce Willis mockumentary “The Return of Bruno.” He was also in the 2018 doc “Echo in the Canyon,” about the music scene in Los Angeles’ Laurel Canyon throughout the years, although most of his doc appearances were in films made about him. 

When it came to his taste in movies, Wilson claimed to be largely ignorant of the medium. Wilson’s many fans are likely aware of the 2007 interview he gave to the Asbury Park Press (handily transcribed by Spin Magazine) wherein he was asked what films he had recently seen. Wilson admitted that he doesn’t get out to movies often, but did recently see the notorious Eddie Murphy bomb “Norbit.” In that film, Murphy played both a timid young man and his oppressive, abusive girlfriend. Wilson said that “Norbit” is a “fantastic movie. Very funny.” When asked what his favorite movie was, he replied that it was “Norbit.” 

Luckily, Wilson was able to amend that a few years later. 

Brian Robbins’ “Norbit,” for those lucky enough not to know about it, was one of the most notoriously bad films of the 2000s. It was hated by critics, earning it a 9% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 122 reviews. Many critics felt that it was mean-spirited and unfunny, and that Murphy’s multiple-character shtick had worn thin. It was nominated for seven Razzie Awards, but also one Oscar, for its excellent Rick Baker-invented makeup. It’s curious that Brian Wilson, when idly looking for a film to see in 2007, would zero in on “Norbit.” Although pickings were kind of slim the weekend “Norbit” was released, it opened opposite “Hannibal Rising.” There’s also the likelihood that he was just trolling the interviewer, because Wilson had the reputation of using his offbeat sense of humor to mess with people.

In 2015, though, Wilson was asked again — this time by Consequence — what his favorite movie was, and he more shrewdly mentioned a classic: he said that his favorite movie was Ben Sharpsteen’s and Hamilton Luske’s 1940 animated adaptation of “Pinocchio.” This is a logical choice as one of the songs in that film, “When You Wish Upon a Star,” served as the inspiration for Wilson’s song “Surfer Girl.” This is something he confirmed in the Consequence interview. 

Of course, an animated fantasy like “Pinocchio” is a far cry from the brazen, low-intelligence slapstick of “Norbit.” The 1940 film is still widely seen to this day, and its distributor, Disney, keeps its merch and home video editions in print. Its songs, by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington, are still sung in modern households. The film was even remade in live action and CGI by Robert Zemeckis in 2022, and Guillermo del Toro made his own version of the classic tale and won an Oscar for it. “Norbit” only remains notorious and has never undergone any kind of serious critical reappraisal. It remains as hated in 2025 as it was 18 years before. 

Well, hated by everyone except Brian Wilson. He liked it enough to call it one of his favorites, allegedly.

Wilson was able to add to his list of favorites a second time in 2015 when promoting the biopic “Love & Mercy,” released on June 5 of that year. In a Reddit AMA, Wilson was asked what his favorite movie was, and he seemed to be better prepared this time. He mentioned that his favorite movie was Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 horror movie “The Birds.” That film is about the denizens of a small bay in northern California who find that the local avians have, for unknown reasons, become crazed and will occasionally flock together to attack and kill humans. One may posit that the birds are attacking humans because of environmental reasons, or that humans are expressing some ineffable form of wickedness, but the film never gives any clear reason why the animals have become violent. 

On the Reddit AMA, Wilson was asked point blank, “What’s your favorite movie?” to which he wrote:

“‘The Birds’ by Alfred Hitchcock, because it had a sense of humor. Some guy’s car blew up and he got killed, and it made me laugh for some reason, running from the birds.” 

Wilson had a delightfully dark sense of humor. And there is certainly a level of absurdity to “The Birds” that Alfred Hitchcock was no doubt aware of. The director was not without a wicked sense of humor, and Wilson was likely just keying into that. Several fans immediately commented that Wilson’s response was perfect. 

Now comes the time for a brave theater owner to program “Norbit,” “Pinocchio,” and “The Birds” as a triple feature. A crass comedy, a children’s fairy tale, and a horror film about killer birds. The three films couldn’t be more different. Wilson, it seems, had pretty eclectic taste. Rest in peace, Mr. Wilson. The world is small without you.