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As unconventional and unwieldy as the life and legacy it honors, Love & Mercy should prove moving for Brian Wilson fans while still satisfying neophytes.
All Critics (207) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (187) | Rotten (20)
It's an eloquent tribute to a great American innovator. Jul 9, 2015 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…
It's an eloquent tribute to a great American innovator.
Peter Bradshaw
We're shown so many symptoms that, regardless of which actor is playing the hero, there's little relief from the prevailing grimness, and less sense of a life in full. Jun 10, 2015 | Full Review…
We're shown so many symptoms that, regardless of which actor is playing the hero, there's little relief from the prevailing grimness, and less sense of a life in full.
Joe Morgenstern
When you consider all the ways that "Love & Mercy" could have gone terribly wrong, and how full of life it is in the end (and, yes, of love and mercy), I think the end product is almost miraculous. Jun 9, 2015 | Full Review…
When you consider all the ways that "Love & Mercy" could have gone terribly wrong, and how full of life it is in the end (and, yes, of love and mercy), I think the end product is almost miraculous.
Andrew O'Hehir
Unnerving as it is thrilling, as visually and aurally vivid as it is emotionally harrowing. Jun 5, 2015
Unnerving as it is thrilling, as visually and aurally vivid as it is emotionally harrowing.
Lisa Kennedy
Dano and Cusack never let us forget that Wilson is human before he is anything else - genius, icon, legend. Jun 5, 2015 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…
Dano and Cusack never let us forget that Wilson is human before he is anything else - genius, icon, legend.
Peter Rainer
The performances are universally great, and the subject matter is captivating. Jun 5, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…
The performances are universally great, and the subject matter is captivating.
Steve Tilley
Love & Mercy glides forward gracefully, flitting from side to side between the two time periods like a well handled hockey puck. Its shape doesn't resemble any biopic I've ever seen, and that's its strongest quality. Mar 13, 2019 | Rating: 8.5/10 | Full Review…
Love & Mercy glides forward gracefully, flitting from side to side between the two time periods like a well handled hockey puck. Its shape doesn't resemble any biopic I've ever seen, and that's its strongest quality.
Bernard Boo
Director Bill Pohlad intricately weaves together the two Brians into a seamless tale. Feb 4, 2019 | Full Review…
Director Bill Pohlad intricately weaves together the two Brians into a seamless tale.
Amanda Greever
What takes "Love and Mercy" into the territory of greatness is the two leads -- Dano and Cusack. Jan 22, 2019 | Rating: A | Full Review…
What takes "Love and Mercy" into the territory of greatness is the two leads -- Dano and Cusack.
Micheal Compton
Love & Mercy is always interesting, but it's only occasionally illuminating. Dec 13, 2018 | Rating: B | Full Review…
Love & Mercy is always interesting, but it's only occasionally illuminating.
Abbie Bernstein
My only beef would be the casting of Elizabeth Banks, who lacks a certain depth the role requires. Other than that, it's two hours of great music and great acting. Nov 13, 2018 | Rating: 8/10 | Full Review…
My only beef would be the casting of Elizabeth Banks, who lacks a certain depth the role requires. Other than that, it's two hours of great music and great acting.
Debbie Baldwin
Its deepest truth isn't the stuff of tell-all biography: the movie shows the kind of personal obsession and hard work that goes into a seemingly carefree pop masterpiece. Aug 29, 2018 | Full Review…
Its deepest truth isn't the stuff of tell-all biography: the movie shows the kind of personal obsession and hard work that goes into a seemingly carefree pop masterpiece.
Pat Padua
A look at the year or two that proved to be the most creative for Mr. Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, the reckless self-medication that accompanied those times (as well as ever-so-slight nods as to why he did), and what was left of the man when he emerged from the other side. It's okay but it's very clean, and certainly not the tale of a survivor that it hints that it might be.
Super Reviewer
"Love & Mercy" has some of the best acting I have seen from John Cusack, but there are script and direction weaknesses that make the story dull and incoherent at times. This story might have seen better told linearly.
"Love & Mercy" follows young and older Brian Wilson and his band, The Beach Boys. While we flash back and forth between the bands struggles and triumphs, and into the future where he is trying to find love and dealing with Schizophrenia, the film's deep vibes and meaningful visuals made me very emotional. Paul Dano is incredible in his portrayal of Brian Wilson and John Cusack plays his illness very well. Elizabeth Banks really felt like someone who had no idea how to handle this situation. In the end, "Love & Mercy" satisfies with brilliant writing, superb direction, and a story that is much more worth telling than I expected it to. I really loved watching this film and it displays amazing performances all around and celebrates their best music in style. This is not a film you should miss. Definitely worth it's praise.
Brian Wilson's records Pet Sounds and, in another story, falls in love with a car dealer. This film alternates between two stories of Brian Wilson's life, and both are compelling and incredibly well-acted. John Cusack and Paul Dano are at top form, and their performances are the highlights of this strong, interesting, and heartfelt film. Paul Giamatti plays older Wilson's psychiatrist cum legal guardian, who is scamming Wilson for his fortune and talent, and younger Wilson's Beach Boys brethren vie for control of the band, the artistic sense of which Wilson wants to take in new Beatles-imitation directions. For a while, I was so compelled by the pitch-perfect story-telling and wonderful performances that I considered whether Love and Mercy might be the best film of the year, better than Ex Machina, but no, sadly, Elizabeth Banks's role fall in to the "helping woman" cliche, and there are some objectiveless, wandering scenes that only Dano's talent makes interesting. Overall, God only know what would be a better Brian Wilson biopic.
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