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Love and Mercy Poster

Love & Mercy | Bill Pohlad | June 19, 2015


I have been waiting years for a Brian Wilson biopic, specifically one about Brian and not The Beach Boys. We get that will, Love & Mercy, which tells the superb story of the brilliant, but tragic mind, of the Beach Boys front man. Directed by Bill Polhad, it’s the film that us fans of Brian Wilson deserve.

Polhad’s film moves in a non-linear pattern where the younger Brian of the past is portrayed by Paul Dano, taking place during his creative peak where he solely produces Pet Sounds, arguably one of the greatest albums of all time. This is where we also witness the undoing of his mental health.

The direction of past Brian is tastefully done by Polhad, mixing the colorful, psychedelic atmosphere of the 60s with a pseudo-documentary feel. The scenes of Brian orchestrating the big band and experimenting with the then avant-garde sounds gave me goosebumps, as it was the behind the scenes of Pet Sounds that I have always craved to see. When Brian has his whole family in and anoints his younger brother to perform lead vocals in“God Only Knows” I was reduced to tears. As a life long fan of the band, I couldn’t have seen it portrayed better on the big screen.

Love & Mercy Still 1

Paul Dano does Mr. Wilson absolute justice with his portrayal. This one was done with love and devotion, with Dano’s physique ballooning to equal Wilson’s during the time period. I was pleasantly surprised with how good Dano’s voice is, and how oddly similar it is to Wilson’s. One thing is mimicry where you know its just imitation, but Dano still sounds like Dano, with a hint of that Wilson tenderness. It’s Dano’s most impressive performance to date and worthy of the Academy’s notice.

Let me revert the conversation to future Brian, played by John Cusack. To me, Cusack has always been an actor who undermines his own talent. Choosing roles in movies that are generally horrible but once in a decade you get movies from him like Say Anything, Grosse Point Blank and High Fidelity. Cusack hits a career apex here as the elder Brian Wilson. His performance is a revelation, portraying a man who has been ravaged by years of drug abuse, mental and physical abuse, and the pain of longing to just be loved. If Dano can be considered the cheerful creative mind of Wilson, Cusack is the old and battered soul. Cusack’s physical delivery, the unstable, rhythmic speech, the restless movements of the fingers, were all done with great nuance. The only real drawback is the fact that he looks nothing like Brian Wilson. It’s a physical hindrance that he can’t do anything about, but you can admire Polhad for taking the liberties of making such a casting decision.

The lead roles in Love & Mercy are of the highest class, but let us not forget the supporting roles. Elizabeth Banks continues her winning streak, still red hot after directing the box office smash, Pitch Perfect 2. Banks plays Melinda Ledbetter, a middle-aged woman who truly has affection for Brian. With this role, Banks dives into another level of acting that we haven’t seen from her before, straying away from her usual comedic range. The on screen chemistry between Banks and Cusack felt natural. Wilson’s instability meets with Melinda’s genuine tenderness and they compliment each other’s roles.

Then there’s Paul Giamatti as Brian’s overbearing psychiatrist, Eugene Landy. Giamatti’s role as Landy was tailor made for him. Giamatti, known for playing either the beloved every-day man, or the robust, patience-sapped antagonist, hits the latter with relative ease. Before Wilson emancipated himself from Landy in 1992, Landy was his legal guardian and literally controlled every facet of the musician’s life. His portrayal is done with great accuracy as an angry, manipulative control freak, and bound to keep Wilson in chains until the very end.

I give a lot of credit to Bill Polhad for making such an audacious movie. He went with a completely unorthodox approach about directing a film about a very unorthodox man. Love & Mercy is an incredible biopic about one of the greatest musicians of all time and the cast’s performance magnify Brian Wilson’s integrity.

Rating: 8.9/10


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