Could have been great had they not cast Cusack

Rating: 5/10 (2 January 2020)

Good and interesting biopic, particularly the flashback/young Brian Wilson scenes, which looked like postcards come to life. Dano was really good and I thought the film did a decent job showing what its like to have a mental disorder where you're 'hear things' and how this is compounded when you're a musician. I could relate! Theres a scene with Dano on a car utterly engrossed in his own mind that really nailed what it's like to experience that--the expression on his face and the sounds of everything outside of your mind being muffled. Really well done.
Praises to Giametti's portrayal of Eugene Lundy. You know an actor nails a villain well when you walk away from the film despising the character AND the actor.
So why 5 stars? Cause John Cusack had no business being in this movie. He is completely and utterly miscast because he's a one trick pony when it comes to portraying the wounded, the pathetic, and/or the downtrodden particularly when they're mentally ill. The only character he was ever cast in that aligns with his ability to portray these qualities correctly was when was cast as Craig Schwartz in Being John Malkovich. The minute Cusack showed up I was cringing because I knew he was gonna 'Craig' it.
I couldn't stop seeing, hearing, or otherwise experiencing the Craig Schwartz character in Cusack's portrayal of Brian Wilson and it really dragged the film down. It was annoyingly distracting and I wish they would have cast someone else. The film might have been an 8 star for me then.