Underplayed Gems

Love and Mercy (2014)

Love and Mercy poster
Original title
Love & Mercy
Directed by
Bill Pohlad
Genre
drama film, musical film, biographical film
Country
United States
Runtime
2h 01m
Rated
PG-13
Rating
7.1 of 10 from 769 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

The film moves between two periods in the life of Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys leader. In the 1960s, a young Wilson composes the album Pet Sounds while struggling with hearing voices and pressure. In the 1980s, an older Wilson is controlled by a manipulative therapist, until he meets a woman who helps him break free.

bittersweetintrospectiveemotionally rawfragmentedtenderhauntingpoignantdreamliketense

What happens

Love & Mercy is a 2014 American biographical drama film directed by Bill Pohlad about the Beach Boys' co-founder and leader Brian Wilson and his struggles with mental illness during the 1960s and 1980s. It stars Paul Dano and John Cusack as the young and older Wilson, respectively, with Elizabeth Banks as his second wife Melinda Ledbetter and Paul Giamatti as his psychologist Dr. Eugene Landy. The title comes from Wilson's 1988 song of the same name. The film alternates between Wilson's production of the album Pet Sounds (1966) and his treatment under Landy's 24-hour therapy program in the late 1980s. Wilson called the film "very factual", despite containing parts that "weren't actually as factual". He had little involvement with its making, although Ledbetter was relied upon for the 1980s portions. The cast and crew maintained that nothing in the film was a "Hollywood" embellishment and that everything was intended to be as truthful as possible. Conversely, Landy's son Evan felt that his father was unfairly portrayed. Some minor inaccuracies were noted by critics, a number of which relate to the minimal coverage devoted to Wilson's family and collaborators. Ledbetter said that Landy's treatment of Wilson "was even worse" than the film portrays. Love & Mercy premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2014 and was released by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions on June 5, 2015. It grossed $28.6 million over a $10 million budget and received positive reviews from critics, with Dano's performance garnering significant praise. It was nominated for two Golden Globes: Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (Paul Dano) and Best Original Song ("One Kind of Love"). A soundtrack album that includes the original score by Atticus Ross was released on August 14, 2015. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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