In the Head of a Genius

Rating: 9/10 (8 January 2016)

I'm trusting that this is an accurate portrayal of a tragic drift into psychosis. Brian Wilson who really is/was the Beach Boys heard voices. Some drove him to his knees; others helped him write some really great music. There's a place where he is asked by his brother if he thinks he is Mozart. Had he been writing in that time period, he may have been another Mozart. Rising out of the repression of his father, Brian never felt good enough. He sought approval from the worst of sources. He also made the boys so successful, with huge amounts of money coming in. But like the true artist, he finally found the sound stale and futureless. As his self esteem waned more and more, he fell under the control of an over bearing, ambitious doctor. This man not only misdiagnosed him, he put him on a regimen of dangerous drugs. During his later years, Brian (now played by John Cusack) meets a beautiful woman at a car dealership. He is buying a car and is immediately attracted to her. They begin a weird relationship as she hangs on to him when he is at his weirdest. He continues to be abused by his doctor and a whole series of events occur. There is an excellent flipping back and forth between the young and old Brian Wilson as we are made privy to what he dealt with because of his gifts. My favorite scenes were in the studio when he would insist on thirty or forty takes to get things just so. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang rolled their eyes and pounded their fists. Having grown up with these guys, this was an eye opener. Well done.