Cube Critic: 'Love and Mercy'
June 05, 2015
Cube Critic Stephanie Curtis stops by The Current's Morning Show to talk to Jill Riley and Sean McPherson about the new Brian Wilson biopic starring John Cusack, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Dano and Paul Giamatti.
Directed by Bill Pohlad, Love and Mercy is the story of Brian Wilson, leader of the Beach Boys, who wrote more than a dozen Top 40 hits before suffering a nervous breakdown during the making of the Smile album. The film details Wilson's struggles with mental illness and with psychiatrist Eugene Landy. Wilson eventually perseveres as an artist, thanks in no small part to the support of his wife, Melinda.
"It's interesting because instead of the usual biopic, they did something different," Stephanie says.
Rather than having one actor try to play someone from age 20 to age 50, the filmmakers cast Paul Dano playing Brian Wilson during the 1960s, and then cast John Cusack playing the older Wilson. "They really try to show what it's like to be inside his head, with the swirling sounds and losing track of time, and how he tries to get those sounds out," Stephanie says.
Stephanie lauds the performances of Dano and Banks, but finds Cusack's performance falls a bit short. She also thinks the filmmakers might have been a little too careful with the story and its subject. "At the end, they're never quite honest about what happened and what's going on, and I'm kind of hungering for that," Stephanie says.
Appropriately for a film about music, Stephanie notes a lot of care was taken with the audio. "If you're in a theater with good sound, it must sound fantastic," Stephanie says. "They really tried to craft something beautiful here."
Listen to the complete review by clicking the audio player above.
Love and Mercy is rated PG-13 and is playing at theaters everywhere.