Review of Love & Mercy (2015) by Ola G — 16 Jul 2016

In the 1960s, young songwriter and recording savant Brian Wilson (Paul Dano) finds himself in the midst of extraordinary success after scoring numerous hit records with The Beach Boys. Following a panic attack, he resigns from concert touring and ventures into the studio intent on creating "the greatest album ever made", Pet Sounds. Meanwhile, his grip on reality slowly loosens as he attempts to cope with the overwhelming voices in his head. Later, in the 1980s, a middle-aged Wilson (John Cusack) is shown to be a broken, confused man under the pharmacological and legal thrall of his abusive therapist Dr. Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti). After meeting Wilson, Cadillac saleswoman Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks) is determined to save him from Landy's manipulation...

Normally not a fan of biopics as they can never really put you in what really happend and there´s always classic Hollywood twists to the reality to create more drama or emotional value. We get the story of The Beach Boys' founder Brian Wilsons´s rise to fame in the 1960's to his decline into mental illness, and his escape from the control of his therapist Dr. Eugene Landy in the 1980's in a very beliveable manner. Paul Dano is without no doubt the one that truly stands out in his performance as a younger Brian Wilson. He looks and acts as the real Brian Wilson. Dano handles the role with true passion and care, and his performance never feels forced or fake in any way. His spiral into deep depression is emotionally difficult to watch at times. John Cusack looks less like Wilson physically, but his performance may be even more complex as he is trying to rebuild his life after going through mental and physical anguish and Dr. Eugene Landy´s regime. Elizabeth Banks is a great counterpart to Cusack´s Wilson putting on her whole register as she tries to save the man she loves. Paul Giamatti is as always intense and slightly over the top, but yet frightening as the abusive and manipulative Landy. It seems that director Bill Pohlad has stayed true to what actually happend in Brian Wilson´s life and managed to stay away from exaggerations or make up events to make the film more intriguing. He manages as well to jump from the 60's to the 80's in a workable manner that doesn´t disrupt the film. The attention to details are of high standard from clothes, environments, studio settings to the infamous "Fire" session. Cinematographer Robert Yeoman, best known for creating the look of Wes Anderson's films, blends stylistic tone with realistic camera work, creating a magic sense of false nostalgia that is surreal yet inviting and intense. The film was well received at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival screening. Audiences rose for a standing ovation, while early reviews unanimously lauded the film. Among many music-related films shown at the Toronto Festival,The Wrap deemed Love & Mercy the "boldest" of the crop, while The Washington Post proclaimed that it had "stolen the show," comparing to its other films as "an unexpected, undisputed triumph." The film continued to receive a positive reception at further screenings. Several reviewers described Love & Mercy as distinctive from typical biopics. Dano, Banks, and Cusack's performances received praise, with some naming Cusack's portrayal one of his best performances to date, and Dano's as Oscar-worthy.Other highlights included the original score by Atticus Ross, cinematography by Robert Yeoman, and the film's depiction of the songwriting/recording process. Many publications awarded the film a perfect score, while reviews speculated that the movie would be a contender for the Academy Awards. The film was listed as one of the best movies of 2015 by TIME and by Rolling Stone who also deemed it "one of the best music biopics ever". Consequence of Sound said: "Not since Anton Corbijn's Control, his excellent 2007 retelling of the life and death of Ian Curtis and Joy Division, has a biopic felt so authentic and conditional of its own subject." NPR wrote in an analysis of recent music films: "Love & Mercy makes a fascinating leap by suggesting that the Beach Boys auteur constructed his inimitable soundscapes as a way of dealing with auditory hallucinations - making pop songs that go deep, in part, because they were designed to converse with the voices in his head." The Hollywood Reporter reviewed it favorably, calling it "a deeply satisfying pop biopic whose subject's bifurcated creative life lends itself to an unconventional structure ... [Cusack's] effectiveness [is] limited only by his lack of a physical resemblance to the songwriter. That will be a stumbling block for some fans, but those who can get beyond it will find a very fine film about a singular artist." The Guardian awarded the film three stars out of five, praising Cusack and Dano's performances, but criticizing the film's "neat" portrayal of Wilson's mental illness and other aspects of his life. IndieWire gave the film a B+ and wrote that, while Landy's character lacked depth, "It's fascinating to watch the songwriter dash frantically around the studio, orchestrating a dozen sounds into auditory unity that only he understands. No matter what else happens in the plot, Love & Mercy excels at placing the music front and center." An additional review by the publication wrote: "The film has plenty of love and mercy for its subject, but also some edginess, in what is a fascinating look at one of popular music's most important and influential songwriters." Maclean's took issue with the film's glorification of Wilson, claiming that it reduced from "biography" into "hagiography", yet maintains "the soundtrack is unimpeachable, and Pohlad offers a riveting look at how Wilson crafted such aural wonders as 'God Only Knows' and 'Good Vibrations'." "Love and Mercy" is by far one of the best biopics I have seen and it´s rich source material of musical genuis Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys is both a mesmerizing and a surreal experience with tension, drama and emotional hooks as the pillars with strong performances, strong direction, strong cinematography and a fantastic musical score as the framing. See it.