The creative madness of Brian Wilson.

Rating: Null/10 (19 September 2015)

The title comes from one of his songs. I saw this in 2015 on DVD from the Redbox rental kiosk and then again in 2020 on Amazon Prime streaming. Often depressing, it is a really fine movie showing his struggles through the years.
Brian Williams is only 3 years older than I am, all of us who were teens and young adults back in the 1960s were exposed to Beach Boys songs, whether we were big fans or not. The sound is unique and this movie shows us why.
When we listen to a song we don't usually give any thought to what all went into it. I believe most of us figure, someone wrote it, a few musicians got together, and with the singers in the recording studio make 3 or 4 takes, pick the best one, and record it. And maybe some happen just like that.
But the really brilliant ones, like Brian Wilson in his 1960s prime, have a sound in their heads. They assemble just the right set of musicians, work with each to get exactly the right sound, maybe bring in some farm animals or police sirens. Whatever it takes to get that sound onto the recording. This movie shows us how he worked to get that.
The life of Brian Wilson is mostly tragic. He was emotionally and physically abused by his father, his brothers began to doubt his musical direction, he had a failed marriage, he was held captive by an unscrupulous physician. But he survived and even though he was 53 when he found his second wife he now has been married 20 years and has 5 more children. Brian Wilson has survived!
A thoroughly enjoyable move for those of us who like this type of movie. The director chose to use two different actors for the Brian role, John Cusack for his later years, mostly the 1980s, and Paul Dano for his 1960s years. Each does a fine job. Elizabeth Banks is good as Melinda Ledbetter, the Cadillac sales person who became Brian's wife in 1995, and who was instrumental in rescuing him from Dr. Landy.
Paul Giamatti is always reliable and he is good as the unscrupulous Dr. Landy. Dr. Eugene Landy