Love & Mercy (2014)

In the 1960s, Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson struggles with emerging psychosis as he attempts to craft his avant-garde pop masterpiece. In the 1980s, he is a broken, confused man under the 24-hour watch of shady therapist Dr. Eugene Landy.

Director:

Bill Pohlad

Writers:

Oren Moverman, Michael A. Lerner (as Michael Alan Lerner)

Stars:

John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 19 wins & 50 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Dano	...	Brian - Past
John Cusack	...	Brian - Future
Elizabeth Banks	...	Melinda Ledbetter
Paul Giamatti	...	Dr. Eugene Landy
Jake Abel	...	Mike Love
Kenny Wormald	...	Dennis Wilson
Brett Davern	...	Carl Wilson
Graham Rogers	...	Al Jardine
Erin Darke	...	Marilyn Wilson
Joanna Going	...	Audree Wilson
Bill Camp	...	Murry Wilson
Nick Gehlfuss	...	Bruce Johnston
Mark Linett	...	Chuck Britz
Johnny Sneed	...	Hal Blaine
Gary Griffin	...	Al De Lory

Storyline

Brian Wilson is the creative soul of the Beach Boys, but he paid a heavy price for his talent. That especially shows during his peak artistic years in the 1960s, as his inner demons and obsessions trying to please his abusive father drive him to a mental breakdown that would plague him for years. In the 1980s, with Brian barely functional under the domination of the unscrupulous Dr. Landy, Brian meets and falls in love with Melinda Ledbetter. As their relationship grows, she observes Brian's crippling subservience to the abusive psychotherapist with growing alarm. Ultimately, she must take action with a love willing to stand up to oppression she cannot ignore.

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Plot Keywords:

the beach boys | hearing voices | voices inside the head | mental illness | medical malpractice | 

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Taglines:

The Life, Love and Genius of Brian Wilson

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, drug content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 June 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ahava va'khesed

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$2,122,177 (USA) (5 June 2015)

Gross:

$12,547,189 (USA) (25 September 2015)

Company Credits

Production Co:

River Road Entertainment, Battle Mountain Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The studio scenes were improvised in a live, unrehearsed pseudo-documentary style with two 16mm handheld cameras. Dano, who once played in a band, was really directing the actors on how to play their instruments, who themselves were also real life musicians. While these scenes were mostly unscripted, Dano directly quoted some lines spoken by Wilson from the original session tapes.

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Goofs

In a scene which presumably takes place in 1967, Murry Wilson tells Brian that he has sold off the band's publishing company. In real life, Murry did not do this until 1969.

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Quotes

Brian Past: [after a panic attack] I don't know. It was like - weird. Like I was in a movie or something. Like there were things there that I could see all of a sudden. Strange things. And people talking...
Carl Wilson: [worried] You mean like voices? Voices in your head?
Brian Past: No.
[pauses sheepishly]
Brian Past: Well, kind of! Yeah, I guess.
[Carl and Dennis exchange tense looks]
Brian Past: Maybe -
[imitating Sonny the Cuckoo Bird]
Brian Past: I'm Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs! Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!

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Crazy Credits

First, there's concert footage of the recent Brian Wilson, himself, singing "Love & Mercy", and then at the very end there is audio of a brief recreated studio recording of Good Vibrations, with '60s Brian leading the dialogue.

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Connections

References 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

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Soundtracks

Surf's Up
Written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks
Performed by Paul Dano

User Reviews

This is the best music biopic since Immortal Beloved

It's almost impossible to portray the work involved in making a great song in a movie. Love and Mercy accomplishes that and so much more. It is an emotional juggernaut that every boomer should enjoy. Dano and Cusack nail the early and later Wilson. Elizabeth Banks holds the whole thing together with the "flash forwards" featuring her pitch-perfect performance.

The typical music biopic is a formula of rising star gets drugged out, falls from the pinnacle and either dies an early death or maybe makes a comeback after getting sober. This movie explains WHY all those things happened to Brian Wilson and does it with an unblinking eye. It treats the audience like they have brains.

This movie is not for the faint-hearted. It tells it like it was. Some very sad episodes, but an ending worth waiting for. Go see it.