Everybody grew up on the Beach Boys music. There is not a person of any age in this
country that doesn’t recognize several Beach Boys songs by just the first few
notes. That being the case, it is
important to understand that Love and Mercy is not about the Beach Boys. It is about Brian Wilson, the genius behind
the group. If you’re looking for a film
that celebrates the heyday of this phenomenal band by showing how they were
formed and playing lots of their songs in an obvious and predictable musical
biopic, this is not it.
This
movie highlights two parts of Brian Wilson’s life; a period in the 60’s in
which he is in the process of creating Pet Sounds, one of the greatest albums
ever made. The other is in the 80’s when
Brian was recovering from a long bout with depression and he is attempting to
get his life back on track. The
interesting thing about the film is that it is actually telling two different
stories at the same time. The narratives
run parallel to each other, switching back and forth from one to the
other. It is not a situation in which
the storylines are going to tie into each other or something like that. This is legitimately two totally different
stories being told, similar to something like Pulp Fiction. This format is very original and it
absolutely works. The stories are equally engrossing and it is a
toss-up at any given time which one is the most interesting.
I
cannot fully express in this review just how great the acting is in this
film. Every single actor in the movie
delivers a great performance. The
unknowns are great. More famous stars
like John Cusack and Paul Giamatti are great.
The real story however, are the performances of Paul Dano and Elizabeth
Banks. They are never in the movie at
the same time and each owns their portion of the film. Dano plays the young Brian Wilson. This is without a doubt the greatest
performance of his career and my personal favorite of the year so far. It is a thrill to watch this terrific young
actor portraying the genius Brian Wilson so masterfully. His performance is so real that it actually
feels like a documentary. The in-studio
scenes are so well filmed and expertly acted that it really feels like you are
watching a genius at work. Banks, on the
other hand, does her best work in the more subtle moments. Her facial expressions tell you all you need
to know about the way she feels about Brian and what dire straits they are
in. I am so happy to see these two long-underrated
performers getting these kind of roles and delivering Oscar worthy
performances.
If
there is one thing that is on par with the acting here it is the screenplay
written by Oren Moverman and Michael Lerner.
This is a slow-paced, dialogue driven character story. The dialogue, which was absolutely crucial to
the success of the film, is the best I have heard in a long time. The conversations between characters feel
remarkably real. The exposition is
delivered naturally and intelligently. This
is the best screenplay of the year to this point and I don’t foresee a better
one coming any time soon.
This is
not your average biopic. It is a totally
artistic film. It is slow with very
little action and is not going to appeal to the casual moviegoer. Don’t let the fact that it is about a real
person fool you. This is not Walk the
Line. I love that movie too. They are both great, but completely different
types of films.
This is,
beyond any doubt at all, the best movie of the year so far. In fact, this may be the best movie I have
ever seen in a theater, including The Dark Knight, Gravity, and Les
Miserable. With the exception of Gone with
the Wind, it is the best movie I have ever reviewed. In case you don’t get the point by now, Love
and Mercy is a great, powerful, and moving film. It was a pleasure to watch. I will never hear the Beach Boys the same way
again. The Movie Man gives it 5 out of 5
stars.
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