Review of Love & Mercy (2015) by Patrick L — 07 May 2016

"Love & Mercy is an engaging portrait of Beach Boys singer-songwriter Brian Wilson".

DVD Movie Review: Love & Mercy.

Date Viewed: September 21 2015.

Directed By Bill Pohlad.

Screenplay By Michael Alan Lerner and Oren Moverman.

Starring: John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti, Kenny Wormald, Jake Abel, Bill Camp, Graham Rogers, Brett Davern, Erin Darke and Joanna Going.

Rarely I have given praise to two actors for playing the same character but John Cusack and Paul Dano are both terrific as the elder and younger versions of Beach Boys lead singer Brian Wilson. Like all music biopics like this, the singer rises to fame, he has many struggles with his personal life and in the end, the singer triumphantly comes back from the darkness. Bill Pohlad's film "Love & Mercy" is much different from other biopics especially "Straight Outta Compton" which I still think is a better movie.

"Love & Mercy" follows two parallel storylines, one taking place in the 1960s where the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson were on the rise to fame, the other storyline takes place in the 1980s where a middle-aged Brian Wilson (John Cusack) has now become a damaged and confused man who has fallen from grace. Wilson is so heavily medicated, he no longer controls his financial assets or his life. His psychotherapist, Dr. Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti) now controls everything in his life. Even though Wilson has a housekeeper named Gloria (Diana Maria Riviera), she can't tell anybody about his condition. If Gloria does tell anybody, Landy will threaten deportation against her because she came into the U.S. illegally.

After looking at nice Cadillacs, Wilson meets a saleswoman named Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks). She goes on multiple dates with him and when she learns about his condition, Melinda is determined to save him from his sick condition and held Dr. Landy accountable for his crimes. Back in the glory days, Brian Wilson (Paul Dano) was a songwriter and recording artist for the Beach Boys. After making it to the top with hit singles, "Love & Mercy", "Caroline, No" and "Let's Go to Heaven In My Car", Brian Wilson suffers a panic attack and his behavior grows more strange.

Wilson goes to his studio intending on making "the greatest album ever made" but his grip on reality starts to take a toll on him. The Beach Boys have lost most of their momentum to other band groups, most of Wilson's Beach Boy brothers have left the group and Wilson lost his wife and children to drug addiction.

Director Bill Pohlad and screenwriters Michael Alan Lerner and Oren Moverman have not only done a great job of mixing past and present storylines into one compelling movie but they also made an engaging portrait of a famous but troubled singer. Paul Dano, one of our finest character actors is engrossing as the young Brian Wilson and John Cusack gives one of his best performances as the older Brian Wilson. Elizabeth Banks is also really good as the car saleswoman who falls for the troubled singer and Paul Giamatti in his second music biopic this year gives another fine performance as the psychotherapist.

For Beach Boy fanatics this movie would be a "FUN! FUN! FUN!" time.