Love and Mercy (2014) Review
The best music biopic you haven't seen
Premise - “In the late 1960s, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson stops touring, produces "Pet Sounds" and begins to lose his grip on reality. By the 1980s, Wilson (John Cusack, under the sway of a controlling therapist, finds a savior in Melinda Ledbetter.”
Director - Bill Pohlad
Writer - Oren Moverman & Michael A. Lerner
Noteworthy cast - John Cusack, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, & Elizabeth Banks
My thoughts - Bill Pohlad’s 2014 film Love & Mercy is a deeply human Brian Wilson biopic that goes well beyond the usual music movie formula.
Biopics are really hard to get right.
Music biopics are even tougher.
No matter the type, they often fail because they are hesitant to show their subjects as humans with flaws and real struggles, not just cinematic struggles that fit into the narrative structure of a film. “Love & Mercy” has no interest in being a conventional movie, it is only interested in telling Brian Wilson’s story. His whole story - the genius and the mental health struggles and the familial challenges he faced.
It is probably my favorite music biopic & not because it is a feel good move (it is very much the opposite) but because it feels authentically Brian.
The John Cusack & Paul Dano performances are so good that it reminds you just how many good movies used to come out. If this came out in the modern Oscar era, they would probably both easily be nominated. A shame that this one wasn’t more recognized in the awards race that year.
Rating - 4/5
How did it do at the box office? - Grossed $28.6 million ($12.5 million domestically) on an estimated $10 million budget
Did it win any Oscars? - Somehow received no nominations
Where to watch - Currently streaming on Cinemax & available for rent or purchase on VOD