Tortured Genius? Maybe. Genius Performance? Absolutely.

Rating: 8/10 (3 July 2016)

I'll start off by saying I've never really enjoyed the Beach Boys' bubble gum music. I prefer Dylan and Neil Young. With that said, this movie was actually very good. The score, writing and costumes were all top notch. John Cusack was decent, but I never believed he was anything other than John Cusack. He was much better in "Maps to the Stars." The same can be said of Paul Giamatti. Elizabeth Banks seemed a little stiff. Oh, wait...a very good movie can't consist of standard acting, good writing, good costumes and music that really isn't my thing...can it? Let me give you two words - P a u l D a n o. How in the hell was this genius performance overlooked by the Oscars? Dano was perfectly cast by Barden and Schnee and dominated this movie from beginning to end. Ethan Hawke was given a gift-Oscar-nod by getting involved in the "Boyhood" snowball. That movie was nothing more than a gimmick. Dano appeared on the scene in '01 as a skinny, confused, lonely, little rich kid in "L.I.E," garnering him an Indy Spirit Award. Since then, he's had awesome showings in "There Will Be Blood," "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Youth." If you want to see a little slice of history (no matter how much creative license may have been taken,) and a perfect acting performance, watch "Love and Mercy." Rating: With Dano's performance, 8 out of 10; without Dano's performance, 6.