 |
| A lighthearted moment for the Beach Boys in the recording studio. |
To tell Wilson's complex life story, two excellent actors share the lead role throughout the film: Paul Dano channels the young Wilson perfectly, right down to his cherubic baby face and endearing onstage persona. It's hard to believe that while he was singing about California girls, sun and surfing, he was also suffering such inner turmoil. John Cusack plays the older Wilson, now visibly schizophrenic and made even more paranoid by too much medication doled out by an incredibly evil shrink (Paul Giamatti) who literally controls his every move. If this were a silent film, the audience would hiss every time he comes on the screen.
You should know in advance that Love & Mercy is no walk in the park. For much of the time it's tough going, with flashbacks to childhood beatings by Wilson's brutal father interspersed with him lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, tormented by the voices in his head. In between those dark scenes we get happier glimpses of the boy genius he truly was, writing beautiful and groundbreaking music and directing seasoned studio musicians with professionalism and aplomb well beyond his years.
Relief for Wilson finally comes in the form of a beautiful automobile saleswoman (Elizabeth Banks) who eventually grows to love him and ultimately takes legal action to rescue him from his living hell. Good thing, otherwise this story, and this film, would simply be too hard to bear. During the final credits Wilson is seen as he is today, alive and well, performing at a recent concert. That's when the tears really come.
No comments:
Post a Comment