Good Vibrations

Love & Mercy

To get a glimpse into another person’s life is one of the most intimate allowances that can be given. Looking into all the dark crevasses of someone’s world can reveal things that the viewer may not have wanted or expected to see. However, lately in Hollywood that is exactly what we have been given when it comes to the biography films (or bio pics) of late. Films like Walk the Line, Ray, and the upcoming Steve Jobs all give the audience an unfiltered glimpse into the lives of people that we may have admired or even idolized. Same was true last year when another bio pic about a beloved Beach Boy was released.

Love & Mercy tells the story of Beach Boy Brian Wilson. Though, the film presents his life in a different fashion. During parts of the film the audience is shown Wilson in the mid-60s played by Paul Dano (Prisoners). During this time the Beach Boys were at the height of their success and touring Asia. Wilson, however, declined to tour due to fear of flying and instead started working on a new album. Along with his work, Wilson started to have auditory hallucinations causing him to turn to drugs. The other parts of the film show Wilson during the 80’s while being played by John Cusack (High Fidelity). This part of Wilson’s life is at an all-time low. Being secluded from everyone Wilson knows by an overly zealous caretaker named Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti Straight Outta Compton). In the midst of this turmoil Wilson meets a car saleswoman named Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks Pitch Perfect). As their relationship blossoms, Ledbetter realizes that she must save Wilson from more than his inner demons.

I personally love these types of bio pics. The rawness of them is so intriguing to me because the filmmakers give the world a different picture than the actual media does. As great as people like Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, and even Martin Luther King, Jr. were, they were still human and recent movies have shown that. Love & Mercy is no different in that aspect. The audience is allowed access into what Wilson went through and the consequences of some of his choices. That access also showed people how Wilson came up with some of the unique music that was placed on the Pet Sounds album in 1966.

The two leading men that play Wilson were absolutely brilliant. Dano is so good sucking the audience into the world that Wilson was in during the 60s. Even though, like most rockers, Wilson falls into drugs Dano is still able to make Wilson likeable and even relatable. Cusack magically builds on the foundation that Dano creates at the same time. Cusack plays a Wilson that is beaten and almost broken by the guilt and burden that is hallucinations have caused him and the ones he loves. The child-like stance Cusack takes with the character makes Wilson even more sympathetic. While Giamatii was amazing as usual, the one other actor I was blown away with was Banks. Known mainly for her comedic performances, Banks portrays Ledbetter as a strong and determined woman that wants nothing more than to love and help Wilson. Banks stands her own amongst a more seasoned dramatic actor in Giamatii and that impressed me the most.

More known for his producer credits, Bill Pohlad (Wild) takes the director’s chair for only the second time in his Hollywood career. The fact that Pohlad only has directed only one movie before Love & Mercy had me astonished on how well he directed this film. While getting the most out of his actors, what impressed me the most was the style he used while Wilson was in the studio. During the scenes while Wilson is recording Pet Sounds, Pohlad made the film look more like a documentary so that we, the audience, can feel like we are there in the studio. This tactic I also liked for the fact that it gave me the same excitement that Wilson is experiencing during the scene.

Love & Mercy should be ranked as one of the best bio pics ever to be made. I loved the performances by the entire cast and the director did a magnificent job recreating a world that only a select few were privy to. To get a better understanding of the man behind the ‘California sound’ during the 60s, then I highly suggest this film.

The Verdict: Worth Your Time.