Love & Mercy

 

Love & Mercy 2014

• Director: Bill Pohlad
• Based on the book by Brian Wilson
• Cast: John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti, Jake Abel, Kenny Wormald, Brett Davern, Graham Rogers, Bill Camp
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• John Cusack – many
• Paul Dano – 12 Years a Slave, Prisoners, Looper, Taking Woodstock, There Will Be Blood, Little Miss Sunshine
• Elizabeth Banks – The Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect, Seabiscuit, Catch Me If You Can
• Paul Giamatti – 12 Years a Slave, The Last Station, Sideways, Cradle Will Rock, Saving Private Ryan, The Truman Show, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Donnie Brasco
• Jake Abel – I Am Number Four
• Bill Camp - Skin, Molly’s Game, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, 12 Years a Slave, Tamara Drewe, Public Enemies, Reservation Road
• Why? The subject
• Seen:  12 December 2023                 

        ‘Good Vibrations’ was the first Beach Boys song I liked, actively disliking all that California surfing T-bird stuff. I still do, and find it incomprehensible that Pet Sounds is even on Rolling Stone’s list of Best 500 Albums Ever, much less in second place. But Brian Wilson’s life is quite tragic and therefore a good subject for a bio film.

       Alternating between young Brian (Dano) and middle-aged Brian (Cusack) we follow his struggle with mental illness, fellow band members’ resistance to his new music, drug abuse, alcoholism, his dad’s physical and mental torture, his manipulative imprisoning psychiatrist.

       The film is disjointed but at moments the portrait of Wilson’s torment and genius is gripping. Both Dano and Cusack are terrific.

 3 ½ * of 5