Really fascinating to watch!

Rating: 9/10 (17 July 2015)

'LOVE & MERCY': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
A biopic about iconic singer-songwriter Brian Wilson, of the Beach Boys fame, centering on two different times in his life (in the 60s and 80s). The film stars Paul Dano and John Cusack (as the legendary musician) and it costars Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti, Kenny Wormald and Jake Abel. It was directed by Bill Pohlad, written by Oren Moverman and Michael A. Lerner and it features amazing score music by Atticus Ross. The movie has received nearly unanimous positive reviews (from critics) and Wilson, himself, says the film is "very factual". I really enjoyed the movie as well (and I don't usually like biopics).
The film begins in the 1960s, when Brian Wilson (Dano) first became a pop music sensation; then it flashes forward, about 20-years, to when Wilson had succumb to a battle with severe mental illness, and was legally bound to the obsessive guidance of a therapist, named Dr. Eugene Landy (Giamatti). The story goes back and forth, as we watch the young Wilson obsess over creating 'the greatest album ever made', and suffer from severe panic attacks. We also watch the older Wilson continue to fight mental illness, and overmedication, as he meets his second wife, a Cadillac saleswoman named Melinda Ledbetter (Banks). Ledbetter became determined to free Wilson, from the sadistic control of Landy.
The movie is really fascinating to watch, especially if you're a fan of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. Like I said, I've never been a big fan of biopics; but this movie is definitely done in a very unique and highly interesting way. Dano and Cusack are both fantastic, in the lead role (especially Dano), even though they look nothing alike (and Cusack looks nothing like Wilson). Banks and Giamatti are also equally as impressive; especially Banks (who has become one of my favorite actresses recently). Ledbetter is kind of (surprisingly) the hero of the movie. Pohlad's directing is great, and the script is outstanding; although I don't like biopics, I do love movies about mental illness. It's a very impressive film!
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