Love & Mercy Review (2015)

Love & Mercy 

  Love & Mercy follows the life of musician Brian Wilson. As a fan of the The Beach Boys, I was super excited when I saw the trailer for this. One of the reasons I was excited was because Paul Dano is finally getting some more screen time. After Prisoners, I knew this kid had some acting chops and now after seeing Love & Mercy, I am officially sold. To say the acting in this film is amazing would be an understatement. Both John Cusack and Dano show extreme depth and transparency in their roles. All that said, the person that surprised me most was Paul Giamatti. Everyone knows the dude can act, but he usually plays very likable characters. This role was refreshingly different from his usual roles and he absolutely nailed it.

  Another great thing about this film was the music. It was really cool to see how the songs contrasted with Brian Wilson's life and where he was at mentally when he wrote them. Without being overtly sentimental, Love & Mercy tugs at the heart strings. I thoroughly enjoyed the unconventional storytelling and how they went back and forth between young Brian Wilson and older Brian Wilson. Despite the "good vibrations" of The Beach Boy's albums, Brian Wilson was a very troubled soul. I give Love & Mercy a 7 out of 10 stars. (Very Good)