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Love & Mercy

2014

Bill Pohlad

Paul Dano, John Cusack, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti ...

6.7

4,321

Drama The life of reclusive Beach Boys songwriter and musician Brian Wilson, from his successes with highly-influential orchestral pop albums to his nervous breakdown and subsequent encounter with controversial therapist Dr. Eugene Landy.

	Media	Author	Review
		Andrew Barker Variety	"A wonderfully innervating cure for the common musical biopic (...) Beach Boys fans will surely geek out on the 'Pet Sounds' scenes"
		John DeFore The Hollywood Reporter	"A deeply satisfying pop biopic whose subject's bifurcated creative life lends itself to an unconventional structure"
		Henry Barnes The Guardian	"Pohlad's biopic of the Beach Boys mastermind is immaculate and respectful, but the arc of growth and redemption is too neat (...) Both Dano and Cusack perform beautifully (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of five)"
		Peter Travers Rolling Stone	Musically, the film is a miracle (...) In contrast to Cusack's introspection, Dano lets it bleed as Brian Wilson, giving a performance awards were invented for (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of four)"
		Owen Gleiberman BBC	"You feel like you're right there in the studio with Brian Wilson as he creates Pet Sounds (...) The film is tender and moving, but also awe-inspiring. (...) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of five)"
		A. O. Scott The New York Times	"It's a loving tribute to the Beach Boys and the man responsible for their distinctive sound, but it goes to deeper and stranger places than most movies of its kind"
		Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune	"It's the best musical biopic in decades. (...) It ventures just far out enough to dazzle us with its clarity of purpose and emotional intelligence."
		Ann Hornaday The Washington Post	"Like the best musical biopics, “Love & Mercy” isn't a musical biopic. (...) an exceptionally smart script (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of four)"
		Mick LaSalle SFGATE	"'Love & Mercy' gets one thing right that most movies get wrong: The great artist isn't tormented in the creation of art. That's often the joy and the abandon. The torment is everything else"
		Eric Kohn IndieWire	"'Love & Mercy' Isn't Your Average Biopic (...) the parallel narratives form a compelling contrast (...) It's an engrossing portrait of Wilson's specific artistic inclinations"

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