Love and Mercy (2014)

Love and Mercy (2014)

Much more than simply a rock music biopic, Love and Mercy is a poetic portrayal of the genius that was Bryan Wilson, the fabled frontman of The Beach Boys

The Very Best

9.5

Movie

United States of America
English
Drama, History, Music
2014
BILL POHLAD
Bill Camp, Brett Davern, Carolyn Stotesbery
120 min

What it's about

In the late 1960s, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson stops touring, produces "Pet Sounds" and begins to lose his grip on reality. By the 1980s, under the sway of a controlling therapist, he finds a savior in Melinda Ledbetter.

The take

If you're a fan of the Beach Boys' legacy, or you want to find out more about Wilson, the person, this movie will give you what you need. It has been widely praised as being true to the facts – even by Bryan Wilson himself. But thanks, in part, to the incredible writing by Oscar-nominated Oren Moverman and the work of director Bill Pohlad, this is much more than a fact-based fictionalization of a famous musician's biography. It is a singularly convincing account of the artistic process and the effects of mental illness.

Love and Mercy tells the tale of two Bryan Wilsons: the first of a young and slightly square-looking musical pioneer in the 1960s, when Wilson was working on Pet Sounds, the Beach Boys' most ambitious and ground-breaking album. Paul Dano's performance here is nothing short of perfect. And, second, the tale of the tormented, middle-aged Bryan Wilson, played by John Cusack, during a time when he was under treatment for his deteriorating mental health in the late 1980s. The juxtaposition of these two very different people and the brilliant performances of Cusack and Dano will completely absorb you and change the way you look at things. A unique and beautiful film!

Comments

My top best movies.

Both Paul Dano and John Cusack do a wonderful job of capturing the crazy creative process of Brian Wilson. Great soundtrack too. Just an all-around great movie.

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