Grip Strength

Rating: 10/10 (23 September 2018)

When the music plays, it actually sounds like a well-held-on-grip over brilliantly organized thoughts. It cannot be stressed enough how brilliant Paul Dano gives life into the sum of all thoughts and input to Brian Wilson's character. He brought out the clear contrast of Brian's complexity against those people around him. It cannot be done of course if not for the scary portrayal of Paul Giamatti of Dr. Eugene Landy and the vulnerability from John Cusack. When Paul Giamatti established his presence, it carried over throughout the film like he was some sort of gravity pulling on both the mind of older Brian (John Cusack) and in extension, the audience's. Even when he wasn't there, the bodyguards surrounding Brian almost didn't have their own individuality but only carriers of Giamatti's dictatorship. I'd also like to give credit to Elizabeth Banks's performance because despite the few lines to deliver for a key character, what they lacked in time and depth was given through her connection to John Cusack's. The two of them had chemistry but more than that, their partnership portrayed stability with each other.
The direction, screenplay, and editing was also flawless. The film is presented through the knitted episodes of Brian Wilson's life from his youth to the time of his meeting with Melinda Ledbetter and yet, the flow did not seem interrupted. It's simply amazing how the depth of the chaos, the stretch of the struggle, and the rise to recovery were all covered and tackled in the 2 hours of this film. Smooth was the storytelling and more than convincing was the acting. This movie does not disappoint.
For similar movies I recommend I Tonya, Walk the Line, and Dallas Buyers Club.