Love & Mercy

[sjankis630]

I went to see this movie - Love & Mercy - this morning. It is the story of the famous Beach Boy Brian Wilson from around the mid to late 60s to sometime in the 80s.
Right off the bat I will say that I liked the movie- but didn't love it. The movie is more about the trials and tribulations of Wilson and all of the issues he had mentally from what the movie would have you to believe is an early age. The other Beach Boys have very little about them here.
The director does a nice job showing Brian Wilson's work method in crafting some of his most famous songs in studio and I think I really enjoyed the 1960s parts the best.
Here I should mention that Brian Wilson is played by two actors - Paul Dano (during the 60s) and John Cusack (during the 80s)
Elizabeth Banks does a nice job playing his girlfriend from the 80s and later 2nd wife.
Let me just say that one of the things that really bugged me was that John Cusack looked nothing like Brian Wilson during the movie.
Dano looked a lot like him - they made up his hair and style to match that of a 60s Brian Wilson, but everytime Cusack came on screen I was temporarily taken out of the movie because he bore no resemblance.
I know there are plenty of roles where the actor doesn't really look like their famous character but usually they at least try to make the actor look like the person with makeup.
John Cusack - HAD NO SUCH MAKEUP - and was essentially just playing Wilson while looking exactly like Cusack.
I mean nothing - he didn't even change his hair!
It bugged me everytime they flashed forward.
Well don't let me scare anyone away from the movie as it is definitely worth seeing.

[chitowngirl]

I saw this today. Loved it! While John Cusack looked like John Cusack, he had Brian's mannerisms down pat, I thought. Paul Dano looked like a young John Cusack, so it all worked for me. Watching his psychological breakdown was hard, so I can't imagine what it was like to live it.

[eclair]

I hadn't heard of this, so I thought we might just have a thread on love and mercy, sort of like good vibes or happy, happy, joy, joy.

Oh well. I find all things Beach Boys depressing and I don't like their music, so I'll give this a miss.

[scarlet]

Jun 6, 2015 20:17:51 GMT -4 chitowngirl said:

I saw this today. Loved it! While John Cusack looked like John Cusack, he had Brian's mannerisms down pat, I thought. Paul Dano looked like a young John Cusack, so it all worked for me. Watching his psychological breakdown was hard, so I can't imagine what it was like to live it.

Yeah, I also thought there was a definite thread between the way Dano and Cusack played the part--the way they both spoke and carried themselves I felt it was clear they were playing the same person at different times in his life.

I also give kudos to Elizabeth Banks, as everything I see her in is usually comedic or over-the-top, so this was a lovely, understated performance.

[carrier76]

My dad is a huge, Beach Boys/Brian Wilson superfan, so I grew up surrounded by the music, the stories, all of the resulting biopics. I can't wait to see this, but I probably will have to wait 'til it comes out on DVD. I have heard great things about Banks' performance.

[chonies]

I find the Beach Boys' story compelling and sad, and I didn't really get into their music beyond the radio hits until I was an adult. I would be interested in this movie in theory, but I have an allergy to John Cusack. ::conflicted::

[chitowngirl]

Just watching Brian Wilson's thought process in producing and "seeing" a song was mesmerizing.

And Paul Giamatti was very creepy as Brian Wilson's doctor.