Review of Love & Mercy (2015) by Zack E — 06 Jun 2015

It is two films put together really, but together, Love and Mercy tells the heartbreaking story of genius, brought to his knees by his own mind.

This story is Brian Wilson's, the leader of the iconic Beach Boys. Paul Dano plays young Brian, and John Cusack plays older Brian. The film is at its best when delves into how Wilson's mind works, and how it created many of the hits we think of today, like "God Only Knows" and "Good Vibrations.".

Both Dano and Cusack portray Wilson as a broken man, crumbling under the curse of his own genius. The supporting cast, including Elizabeth Banks, in an usually dramatic role as Melinda Ledbetter, Paul Giamatti, as the infuriating Dr. Eugene Landy, and Jake Abel as Mike Love, come to play as well, elevating Dano and Cusack.

The only real issue here is pacing. At two hours, the film shouldn't feel that long, but due to the parallel storytelling of two time periods in Wilson's life, the film consistently loses whatever steam it builds up. Individual chapters work, but the flow between them is what's missing.

Love and Mercy offers a different perspective on the musical biopic. It likely won't receive the acclaim of films like "Walk the Line" or "Ray," and that's a shame. The story here is just as good, and just as interesting, if not more so. Wouldn't it be nice if Love and Mercy could get around? But God only knows.