Love & Mercy

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2:30

Love & Mercy

PG-13

2015

2h 0m

Biography

Drama

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Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

214 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In the late 1960s, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson stops touring, produces "Pet Sounds" and begins to lose his grip on reality. By the 1980s, Wilson, under the sway of a controlling therapist, finds a savior in Melinda Ledbetter.

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Critics Consensus

As unconventional and unwieldy as the life and legacy it honors, Love & Mercy should prove moving for Brian Wilson fans while still satisfying neophytes.

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Max Weiss

Baltimore Magazine

06/10/2016

3/4

Love & Mercy is one of the most convincing depictions of the creative process and the effects of mental illness I've seen in a long time.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

05/28/2016

It is (among its many virtues) wonderfully not boilerplate.

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

07/12/2015

4/5

That so much of it rings true is a credit to the film-makers; that Wilson lived some (if not all) of it is a reminder of his matchless alchemical magic.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Jul 20

4/5

"Love and Mercy" diverts from the birth-to-death formula and gives us something meaty, fascinating, difficult, and worthwhile.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

11/18/2023

There's a lot of history packed in here... but director Bill Pohald is just as interested in exploring Wilson's creative process...

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

08/23/2022

4/5

“Love & Mercy” is a very inward-looking biopic. It is much more interested in showing the inner brilliance of Brian Wilson on a creative level as well as the mental and emotional turmoil that sends his life careening out of control.

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Marty H.

@Mimi1955 Feb 28

Wonderful movie!! Acting is perfect all the way around. One of the best biopic movies Ive seen.

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Nevin C

@nevincaulfield Nov 17

Top 3 best musical Biopics I’ve seen in the past 20 years. Snubbed by the Oscars. This is an overachievement of cinema.

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Scott M

@RT75128960 Aug 30

Biography about Brian Wilson that is just downright awful. The acting is embarrassing. Especially John Cusack. Paul Giamatti is good as usual but his character really has nothing to say. Made to pacify a lot of Beach Boys fans.

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THE NASHVILLE I

@Nshvlleindie Jun 12

In honor of Brian…this is a film I’ve seen several times, and it truly has something for everyone. Fun and uplifting, educationally fascinating from one of the greatest bands, but deeply moving within the heart. Dano gave an Oscar performance, Cusack nailed his later years, and honestly Banks gives her career best. It’s a crime the studio completely bailed on this movie, and gave it disgustingly little PR, otherwise it’d be a classic to all.

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Iamwhoi M

@Shaboutiques May 25

I think this movie would've been better with a less recognizable actor than John Cusack playing the older Brian. I didn't buy him in this part at all. It was a distraction from the whole movie. This could've been a much better movie, with much better casting.

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Kevin P

@RT55971421 01/26/2025

A heartbreaking and humanizing look behind the mental struggles and abusive custody battles of Brian Wilson from the beach boys expertly played by the lead cast. My only complaint is that I wish the third act could've been meatier with showing us the Wilson Brothers' involvement with the lawsuit against the conservatorship and their reuniting with Brian, as well as the revelations of his actual diagnosis onscreen rather than just an end credits note. That being said, it's a fascinating look into the genius and mental turmoil of the beach boys' lead singer.

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Bill Pohlad

Director

John Cusack

Older Brian Wilson

Paul Dano

Young Brian Wilson

Elizabeth Banks

Melinda Ledbetter

Paul Giamatti

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Love & Mercy: Trailer 1

2:30

Love & Mercy: Teaser Trailer 1

1:06

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Synopsis

In the late 1960s, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson stops touring, produces "Pet Sounds" and begins to lose his grip on reality. By the 1980s, Wilson, under the sway of a controlling therapist, finds a savior in Melinda Ledbetter.

Director: Bill Pohlad
Producer: Claire Rudnick Polstein, John Wells
Screenwriter: Michael A. Lerner
Distributor: Lionsgate Films, Roadside Attractions
Production Co: River Road, Battle Mountain Films
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Drug Content|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 5, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 18, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.5M
Runtime: 2h 0m

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