A refreshingly different type of biopic

Rating: Null/10 (21 October 2015)

This film tells the story of a woman who falls in love with a very famous but mentally disturbed songwriter, Brian Wilson. A doctor is by his side twenty four seven, restricting and controlling every aspect of his life. She tries to make sense of the whole situation, and does the best she can to make the relationship work.
It is refreshing that the film is not a biopic of the band's music career, but mostly concentrates on Wilson's later life when he is on a very tight leash imposed by his doctor. This makes the film way more interesting than the regular musician biopic. John Cusack has lots of screen time, with the camera focusing on him more than Elizabeth Banks. However, I think it's Elizabeth Banks who is the star of this film. I think she's a very good actress, and she continues to shine in "Love & Mercy". She shows all the appropriate emotions and she's pivotal in the satisfying ending. Her character is full of love and mercy, sometimes I can't help but think she stays in the relationship out of pity - but that's portrayed not to be the case. I found the film gripping and very interesting. It shows that celebrity's life isn't all sunshine as people think. I enjoyed it a lot.