Numbers obtained from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes on September 12, 2015.
My rating IMDb Rotten Tomatoes
Critics Audience Critics Audience
9/10 80/100 7.6/10 90% 88%
Every time I tell someone I loved this movie, I get asked, first, “What is it about?”. After I explain is about Brian Wilson, the lead singer of the Beach Boys, the follow-up comment/question is “I didn’t know you liked Beach Boys”. But this is the great thing about this movie: you don’t have to like the Beach Boys to enjoy this story. You don’t even have to know their songs (which I think it’s impossible, because they have a number of famous hits) to be captivated by this story.
Love & Mercy takes place in two different time periods. One of them is the 1960s, when we see (i) the Beach Boys at the peak of their career and (ii) the first signs of Brian Wilson’s disease. For this part of the movie, Brian Wilson is played by Paul Dano who I first saw on Little Miss Sunshine, but also appeared in many movies, more recently 12 Years a Slave. Paul Dano is simply perfect in this role, capturing the nuances of someone who was on the verge of a mental breakdown, hearing voices in his head, while composing great songs.
The second period shown in the film is the 1980s, when we find a completely different Brian Wilson. For this phase, John Cusack has a tough task of playing a barely functional Brian Wilson. The singer is completely manipulated by Dr. Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti, always great), who overmedicates him in order to keep him dominated. He isn’t stopped by anyone, since he’s Wilson’s legal guardian. However, Brian Wilson gets involved with Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks), who wants to put an end to that.
So the movie alternates between both periods, which I think adds to the dramatic effect it wants to give us. As the scenes alternate, you can’t help but feel sad that his life had such a tragic turnout, despite its promising career beginning.
As I’ve already mentioned, everybody in the cast is great and I can’t forget to mention Diana Maria Riva, who plays Gloria, the housekeeper who watches, powerless, Dr. Landy destroying Brian Wilson. I also enjoyed the atmosphere of documentary that the movie has when we’re watching 1960s’ Brian Wilson recording the band’s new album. Finally, I loved the score by Atticus Ross (who also scored The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl, etc.), which beautifully connects the Beach Boys’ songs throughout the film.
Love & Mercy is one of my favorite movies of the year so far, and the story (and the songs) remained in my head way after I left the theater.
