Love and Mercy (2014)
This is the story of Brian Wilson, lead singer of The Beach Boys, and his struggle with mental illness.
I enjoyed watching this movie, but to me, there were some major negatives that I can't get over.
First, the positives-
1. I love movies that are set somewhere between the 60's and 80's, and especially when they're based on true stories.
2. The music was awesome, and I do believe that I found a new appreciation for Wilson and the band.
3. The depiction of the horror of mental illness was pretty effective.
4. It was cool watching a bit of the creative process in and out of the studio.
My big issues-
1. The performances/casting. This is a movie that demands exceptional performances, and I think if done right, some would call it Oscar bait. I didn't see any. I like Elizabeth Banks as a comedic actress, and she was ok in this as the love interest. However, she's never proven that she can give a knockout performance, and she didn't give one here. I love love love Paul Giamatti, but in this movie I got the actor in a bad wig, instead of the character he was supposed to play. He was alright, but not nearly good enough. I have always liked John Cusack, but more as a likable actor, than one who is above average in skill. What I said about Giamatti in this movie, I could say about Cusack for his entire career-he's always playing John Cusack. I thought he was mediocre in this, and more importantly, miscast. I think Paul Dano is a brilliant young actor, and he was ok in this, but this is far from his best work. This is a role that demands Oscar caliber work, but it doesn't come close. The most bothersome part of this to me, is having Dano and Cusack play the same guy. As far as I'm concerned, it should have been Dano all the way. There have been plenty of performances in which an actor ages on screen. If that wasn't a viable option for whatever reason, shorten the time period the movie portrays. Worst case scenario, play the first half of the movie with Dano and the second half with Cusack. Constantly going back and forth between the two actors distracts from a moving story. If anything, Cusack could have played his father.
2. Failure to capture an era. As I've said, I adore movies set during this time period. Unfortunately, this movie looks virtually the same set during the 60's as it does during the 80's, or how it would look if it was set today. Ok, maybe the clothes are different, but any ahole can change their shirt. Not everyone is a fan of Boogie Nights, Goodfellas, American Hustle, etc., but just see how they look and feel. If the director of one of those 3 movies made this movie, it turns out f**king awesome! That's how the big boys do it, but this is how you do a made for TV movie with a name cast. Stylisticly, a movie like this should be a goldmine, but this movie failed miserably in this regard.
I'm being harsh on the movie in relation to how much I enjoyed it, but I think it's deserved.
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