DIRECTOR: Bill Pohlad STARRING: John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti, Jake Abel, Kenny Wormald, Graham Rogers, Joanna Going, Bill Camp, Brett Davern, Nick Gehlfuss, Erin Darke, Max Schneider USA 2015
8
Love & Mercy is the biopic of the genius and iconic musician Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. It all may seem wonderful like his music, but this film is not so easy to digest because it goes to deeper and stranger places of Wilson’s life, which wasn’t always an easy one.
This film portraits two phases of his life: in the 60’s, when Beach Boys were on the rise but Wilson was struggling with emerging psychosis as he attempted to craft his masterpiece; in the 80’s, when he was completely broken and sick and was under the control of the therapist Dr. Eugene Landy. Dano and Cusack, who play the role as Wilson in the 60’s and 80’s respectively, are efficient to show how fragile but graceful was and is Wilson as a musician, but mostly as a human being. It’s just a in-depth film of his life during and after the critical success that Beach Boys achieved.
After watching this movie, you’ll be singing-along all the Beach Boys classics and probably respect a little more the legend that Brian Wilson is.