Big Screen: Love & Mercy

My mom mentioned that she loved Love & Mercy, so, when I saw it on demand I decided to watch it and it is incredibly interesting (I'm sure even moreso for someone who grew up at the same time as Brian Wilson and loved the Beach Boys as much as my mom did).

It tells the story of Brian Wilson, I'm sure you've heard of him. He's one of the more famous members of the Beach Boys, he was the brilliant mind behind many of their songs, and he was a famously talented song writer and producer who was innovative and pushed boundaries. What you might not know about him is that he had mental illness and was completely taken advantage of by several people in his circle later in his life.

I loved seeing John Cusack as the older Brian Wilson and Paul Dano as the younger. Even though they look nothing alike, they both did a wonderful job and I totally bought it. Watching Paul Dano's slide into mental illness was like a dream. He was utterly convincing. And Cusack as a broken, hopeful person later in life was so vulnerable--you just wanted to root for him. Elizabeth Banks, always an all star comedian, didn't hit the sweet spot for me throughout the whole move, but there were moments when I loved her--particularly toward the second half of the movie. When she saw injustice and felt love and just went for it. Paul Giamatti plays the villain, and he did it so convincingly. He was sleazy and self-interested and always ready with an answer, you could just feel the ick oozing off of him.

Love & Mercy got some Oscar buzz when it first came out, and it's almost Oscar announcement time, so it's a great time to watch this movie and make your own decisions about what deserves the nomination!

You can rent Love & Mercy from Amazon for $0.99, pretty great deal if you ask me.




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