Love and Mercy - News and Reviews - First clip is out.

[drbeachboy]

Just got back from seeing the movie. All I can say is WOW! As others have said, Cusack & Dano nailed Brian. I loved Elizabeth Banks. I was pretty much transfixed for the duration. Even after knowing the story, I was still taken aback actually watching those scenes come to life. The transitions from the 60s to the 80s worked really well. We even get to get inside Brian's brain in a few scenes. I have a feeling Mike Love is going to be none to happy with the Pet Sounds & Smile scenes. While his feelings are understandable from a career perspective, the way he went about having his say will not buy him any new fans. I am trying to figure out if it was done in the movie for effect or if it really went down as played out? Anyway, a helluva film that really did Brian justice. I can't recommend it enough. Get out there and see it as soon as you can.

[rab2591]

I think viewing this film, if you're a devotee of Brian Wilson and his music and know the story is something of a religious experience.

Exactly. I more see the music as the religious experience, and this movie being like a visual gospel of Brian in a way....but either way it is very spiritual.

I went to a 4:20 showing, about 10 people were in the theater which kinda bummed me out (and this is a fairly large theater), but at least it meant less noise throughout the film. 5 of us stayed behind and watched through the credits....stick through right to the very end if you are going (SPOILER ALERT: there is some actual studio chatter at the very end of the roll credits).

I wish I could put into words how awed I am at this film. It's not like any other movie I have ever seen. The homage to 2001 was great, and I think there is another homage to 2001 (it may be a bit of a stretch) when Brian is in the studio touching the walls - reminded me so much of the first monolith scene when the apes were touching the monolith.

The editing was perfect - right when you were getting absorbed into a studio scene you'd be taken forward in time to the 80s - and as soon as you were absorbed in that scene it would cut back to the 60s. Each scene kept me on the edge of my seat. There were funny moments, sad moments, moments that made you think "What the f***?" because of the pure emotion and heartbreak.

The thing that most captivated me was that there was no climax to the movie - mainly because the whole movie IS the climax. Every scene pulls you in and either makes you smile or sit with your eyes bugged out. One thing that worries me is that audience goers who aren't at all informed about Brian's life may not believe what they see. I know the story well and some scenes were hard for me to believe (in how controlling and despicable Landy was). And this isn't at all a gripe against the way the film was made, just that Landy was so f***ed up it's hard to believe that Brian Wilson had to suffer through such a terrible ordeal.

The score - it is unlike any other score I've heard. Completely abstract, sometimes incredibly beautiful, sometimes spine tingling. The way Atticus weaves Brian's music together is something you HAVE to hear and I'm so glad this will be released to the public at some point in the future.

The sound - everything was crisp and clear. The beginning of the movie starts with Brian talking at a piano, and you can barely hear him - I think that was done on purpose to give a sense of his deafness. I didn't realize this and was about to ask the manager to turn the sound up haha, but then the music kicks in loud as hell and the rollercoaster begins. The silverware scene - perfect sound in that.

The acting - Dano and Cusack steal the show. Elizabeth Banks was perfect in her role. Giamatti was brilliant as Landy. I hated him yet was completely captivated by the performance. One thing that worried me up until I saw the film was how the casting of the Beach Boys would go over. But the actors that played the guys were perfect. Mike especially. Carl's character when he wore those classic sunglasses looked uncannily like the real person.

The sets/costumes - damn impressive. The Good Vibrations scene was filmed almost verbatim with the newly found GV studio footage from a couple years ago.

My ONLY qualm with the film was that more music wasn't played....and a TON of music was played throughout the whole film. I guess my irritation being that I'd rather this movie would've been 9 hours long there's only so much you can fit into 2 hours.

This movie draws you into the mind of Brian Wilson. Sometimes it will make you so damn uncomfortable (when you hear the voices in his head), sometimes you will be so awestruck (when Brian is in the studio for the Pet Sounds sessions). But overall you get an almost perfect picture of who he is on the inside and outside. The whole movie is a work of art and I implore everyone here to see it.

[Bedroom Tapes]

Just saw it today too.  Such a great movie!  I'm surprised at how accurate it was and hope it gets award nominations.  This definitely isn't some crappy TV movie.  Well worth your time. 
By the way, was Melinda actually instrumental in getting Brian out of Landy's grasp?  Did she get the ball rolling on that part of his life?  I didn't know that.

[drbeachboy]

Just saw it today too.  Such a great movie!  I'm surprised at how accurate it was and hope it gets award nominations.  This definitely isn't some crappy TV movie.  Well worth your time. 
By the way, was Melinda actually instrumental in getting Brian out of Landy's grasp?  Did she get the ball rolling on that part of his life?  I didn't know that.

And don't forget about Gloria, she gave Melinda the ammo needed for Carl to get the ball rolling.

[Wirestone]

By the way, was Melinda actually instrumental in getting Brian out of Landy's grasp?

Yep.

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

Just got back from seeing the movie. All I can say is WOW! As others have said, Cusack & Dano nailed Brian. I loved Elizabeth Banks. I was pretty much transfixed for the duration. Even after knowing the story, I was still taken aback actually watching those scenes come to life. The transitions from the 60s to the 80s worked really well. We even get to get inside Brian's brain in a few scenes. I have a feeling Mike Love is going to be none to happy with the Pet Sounds & Smile scenes. While his feelings are understandable from a career perspective, the way he went about having his say will not buy him any new fans. I am trying to figure out if it was done in the movie for effect or if it really went down as played out? Anyway, a helluva film that really did Brian justice. I can't recommend it enough. Get out there and see it as soon as you can.

Glad to see the real deal coming down the road about Smile and PS. What goes around, comes around and on the big screen, too. How great is that? I'm sure the luhvster will weave his own slant on the whole thing as well in his upcoming bio. Seeing it Sunday.

[Ray Lawlor]

Just saw it today too.  Such a great movie!  I'm surprised at how accurate it was and hope it gets award nominations.  This definitely isn't some crappy TV movie.  Well worth your time. 
By the way, was Melinda actually instrumental in getting Brian out of Landy's grasp?  Did she get the ball rolling on that part of his life?  I didn't know that.

Yes, she did.

[sea of tunes]

Glad to see the real deal coming down the road about Smile and PS. What goes around, comes around and on the big screen, too. How great is that? I'm sure the luhvster will weave his own slant on the whole thing as well in his upcoming bio. Seeing it Sunday.

Myke Luhv can have AN AMERICAN FAMILY.  The rest of us will have LOVE & MERCY. 

[Larry Franz]

Great comments everyone is making about the movie. A couple things to add:

I wasn't expecting Elizabeth Banks to do such a great job. It's understandable that Paul Dano and John Cusack are getting a lot of attention, but her performance is subtle and convincing.

But the biggest surprise for me: I came away from the movie feeling more sympathetic toward Mike Love. He might not like how he's portrayed, but I came away feeling I better understood his perspective circa 1966-67 when Brian was going through all those changes.

(I've been home for five hours and am still wound up.)

[drbeachboy]

Just got back from seeing the movie. All I can say is WOW! As others have said, Cusack & Dano nailed Brian. I loved Elizabeth Banks. I was pretty much transfixed for the duration. Even after knowing the story, I was still taken aback actually watching those scenes come to life. The transitions from the 60s to the 80s worked really well. We even get to get inside Brian's brain in a few scenes. I have a feeling Mike Love is going to be none to happy with the Pet Sounds & Smile scenes. While his feelings are understandable from a career perspective, the way he went about having his say will not buy him any new fans. I am trying to figure out if it was done in the movie for effect or if it really went down as played out? Anyway, a helluva film that really did Brian justice. I can't recommend it enough. Get out there and see it as soon as you can.

Glad to see the real deal coming down the road about Smile and PS. What goes around, comes around and on the big screen, too. How great is that? I'm sure the luhvster will weave his own slant on the whole thing as well in his upcoming bio. Seeing it Sunday.

Well remember too that this is Brian's slant. Everyone has a slant or perspective with what they are dealing with. It doesn't even mean that anyone is lying, they just see things play out from their own point of view. It was also interesting to find out that Smiley Smile was Mike and the Boys answer to record the songs themselves.

[Ray Lawlor]

Just saw it today too.  Such a great movie!  I'm surprised at how accurate it was and hope it gets award nominations.  This definitely isn't some crappy TV movie.  Well worth your time. 
By the way, was Melinda actually instrumental in getting Brian out of Landy's grasp?  Did she get the ball rolling on that part of his life?  I didn't know that.

And don't forget about Gloria, she gave Melinda the ammo needed for Carl to get the ball rolling.

Good call. Gloria also dumped pills down the toilet ; the charlatan never knew

[drbeachboy]

Great comments everyone is making about the movie. A couple things to add:

I wasn't expecting Elizabeth Banks to do such a great job. It's understandable that Paul Dano and John Cusack are getting a lot of attention, but her performance is subtle and convincing.

But the biggest surprise for me: I came away from the movie feeling more sympathetic toward Mike Love. He might not like how he's portrayed, but I came away feeling I better understood his perspective circa 1966-67 when Brian was going through all those changes.

(I've been home for five hours and am still wound up.)

Yes, I feel the same way. The guys didn't know what they were dealing with seeing Brian change so much. Even Carl tells Brian after the airplane incident that he was worried about him and Brian assures him that he will be fine, when actuality he was anything but fine. It was just the beginning of things to come.

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

Just got back from seeing the movie. All I can say is WOW! As others have said, Cusack & Dano nailed Brian. I loved Elizabeth Banks. I was pretty much transfixed for the duration. Even after knowing the story, I was still taken aback actually watching those scenes come to life. The transitions from the 60s to the 80s worked really well. We even get to get inside Brian's brain in a few scenes. I have a feeling Mike Love is going to be none to happy with the Pet Sounds & Smile scenes. While his feelings are understandable from a career perspective, the way he went about having his say will not buy him any new fans. I am trying to figure out if it was done in the movie for effect or if it really went down as played out? Anyway, a helluva film that really did Brian justice. I can't recommend it enough. Get out there and see it as soon as you can.

Glad to see the real deal coming down the road about Smile and PS. What goes around, comes around and on the big screen, too. How great is that? I'm sure the luhvster will weave his own slant on the whole thing as well in his upcoming bio. Seeing it Sunday.

Well remember too that this is Brian's slant. Everyone has a slant or perspective with what they are dealing with. It doesn't even mean that anyone is lying, they just see things play out from their own point of view. It was also interesting to find out that Smiley Smile was Mike and the Boys answer to record the songs themselves.

How did "lying" get into the conversation?? Sheesh.  

[drbeachboy]

Just got back from seeing the movie. All I can say is WOW! As others have said, Cusack & Dano nailed Brian. I loved Elizabeth Banks. I was pretty much transfixed for the duration. Even after knowing the story, I was still taken aback actually watching those scenes come to life. The transitions from the 60s to the 80s worked really well. We even get to get inside Brian's brain in a few scenes. I have a feeling Mike Love is going to be none to happy with the Pet Sounds & Smile scenes. While his feelings are understandable from a career perspective, the way he went about having his say will not buy him any new fans. I am trying to figure out if it was done in the movie for effect or if it really went down as played out? Anyway, a helluva film that really did Brian justice. I can't recommend it enough. Get out there and see it as soon as you can.

Glad to see the real deal coming down the road about Smile and PS. What goes around, comes around and on the big screen, too. How great is that? I'm sure the luhvster will weave his own slant on the whole thing as well in his upcoming bio. Seeing it Sunday.

Well remember too that this is Brian's slant. Everyone has a slant or perspective with what they are dealing with. It doesn't even mean that anyone is lying, they just see things play out from their own point of view. It was also interesting to find out that Smiley Smile was Mike and the Boys answer to record the songs themselves.

How did "lying" get into the conversation?? Sheesh. 

I was just clarifying my statement. You can't be too careful in here when posting something like that. With saying I understand Mike's POV, I could see me being accused of saying Brian was lying. It's called "Covering your ass."

[sea of tunes]

Like you, I'm also still wound up about the film.  So many images and sounds still racing through my head.  I recall Roger Ebert once saying that if are still thinking about a film or its characters hours or even days after you've seen it, it must be a strong film on some level.

(Possible Spoilers)

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- The image of Brian in bed in Bel Air circa 197-whatever.  Second sequence in the film.  There are two interludes we see of the bed in Bel Air, total, unable to make out the face because it is obscured by covers and robe and...girth.   And I'm convinced (zero proof) one time it's Dano and another time it's Cusack.  These momentary interludes are so perfectly framed, they convey so much heaviness and weight with no explanation needed.  The use of these two moments were perhaps more powerful than if the film had tackled the 1970s with a 3rd Brian.  That's wisdom on the part of Moverman's screenplay and Pohlad to know that less is more.  In the wrong hands, I'm not sure these two shots would have been interwoven so perfectly as they are here.

- Brian's first on screen use of LSD.  The sound drops out and we hear the backing track (or portions of it) from "Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)".  The angle of the camera and the image of Dano's face is still very live in my head as I listen over and over to the unmolested backing track from the PET SOUNDS SESSIONS box right now. 

- There's a moment when Cusack and Banks and are in the Deville with the doors closed.  He says after some momentary silence: "I'm not married".  In the screenplay she says "Okay."  Banks, however does something so simple but perfect with that line, she says it silently (to herself) "Okay."  As in, "and....?"  Just a small moment but it felt "real". 

- As Dano instructs the cello players to staccato like an airplane propeller.  The camera pans slowly around the room.  We catch a fleeting glimpse of Kenny Wormald (as Dennis Wilson) tickling the keys of the piano.  Ever so subtly alluding to his interest in composing, perhaps.  Brian quickly hushes him though as the camera continues to pan the room slowly we see Brett Davern (Carl Wilson) picking at his Rickenbacker.  He looks like he stepped out of a still image from various SMiLE photos.

These are just a few of the moments, literal moments (not even full scenes) that are running through my head.  There's probably 100 more.  Each more compelling than the last, probably.

[NHC]

Rode over to see it in Tomball (TX) with a friend to whom I had introduced both Brian and the Beach Boys a dozen years ago (not actually introduced in person, you understand).  We enjoyed it quite a bit.  I provided a whispered brief commentary here and there to explain things to him as it went along, or identify a character, etc., which helped him out. Seemed fairly accurate to me.  Well acted, told the story well and I enjoyed the way it was constructed back and forth from one era to another.  That worked well for me. Elizabeth Banks was superb, along with Giamatti and the actor playing Murry, sorry, name escapes me. It did seem like time was kind of squashed together from one key scene to another, without a tying connection or bridge, but I guess that would only be evident to someone who really knew the timeline and nothing was lost in the process. I'm not a movie or pop culture guy, and see about one movie every couple of years or so, last one was Monuments Men, I think, and this one was well worth it.

[rab2591]

the camera continues to pan the room slowly we see Brett Davern (Carl Wilson) picking at his Rickenbacker.  He looks like he stepped out of a still image from various SMiLE photos.

Looked almost perfectly like this, only Carl was in the studio and not the booth. Seriously, everything involving set and costumes was done perfectly in this film. I too am still going through all the scenes in my mind. Definitely going back to see it in the theaters a couple more times....anticipating the wait for the blu-ray to be seemingly excruciatingly long.

[guitarfool2002]

Had to work a little too late and will get up early tomorrow so it will be tomorrow afternoon I'll be heading to the theater to see it. The local paper today ran one of the syndicated reviews, a several page thread with a bunch of photos from the film, and a positive write-up. I'd post it but I think it's already been linked to already.

The only problem could be my cat's left eye was all of a sudden red and shut when i came home, poor cat, hope it's nothing requiring a trip to the vet tomorrow - if it is, then it's a Sunday trip to the movies. Damn, one of those shitty weeks. 

[SMiLE Brian]

Love and Mercy to guitarfool's cat tonight...

[sea of tunes]

Love and Mercy to guitarfool's cat tonight...

Ditto, cats and dogs are members of the family. 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Wish it was pay week!!! This is the most excited I've been for a movie since, well, ever.

And with every trailer and clip I've seen, I gotta say...is it normal to break out in tears? Cause I've been doing it... part of it I guess is that I realize that as much of a diehard fan I am of Brian's music, I'm an even bigger fan of the man himself

[the professor]

Larry, the professor usually has a long scholarly analysis, but "wound up" is all I got now too.The movie is uniformly great in all the ways noted here. E Banks? my God--beautiful from head to toe. Everything worked. . . .As NYT says, it's a music bio pic made by someone who appears not to have seen any such pics, which are generally crap and sentimental.

Mike was depicted well and honestly and sympathetically. If Landy and Merry were half that bad, they were monstrous.

I am lost in the world of the movie right now. . . .it will blow your heart away. . .

The professor

Great comments everyone is making about the movie. A couple things to add:

I wasn't expecting Elizabeth Banks to do such a great job. It's understandable that Paul Dano and John Cusack are getting a lot of attention, but her performance is subtle and convincing.

But the biggest surprise for me: I came away from the movie feeling more sympathetic toward Mike Love. He might not like how he's portrayed, but I came away feeling I better understood his perspective circa 1966-67 when Brian was going through all those changes.

(I've been home for five hours and am still wound up.)

[the professor]

they are idiots; trust the professor and those who saw it here: it is, as some have said, trenchant, merciless (ironically) and brilliant

Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C-.

I'll assume Entertainment Weekly is wrong.

[monicker]

I find it impossible to believe that this hasn't been mentioned anywhere yet, so i feel i must have either missed it (although, if this were the case, the discussion would be far from over by now) or i must be missing something, probably something really obvious that i'm overlooking. Maybe i was deceived, fell for some trick. Did i imagine it? Was my own mind playing tricks on me? Did i fill in the blanks somehow and convince myself i heard it? Or did it really happen, and it's just that i missed a big, prior news announcement at some point? Could this possibly be old news? Am i that out of the loop? Are there not snippets of isolated Good Vibrations vocals in the movie?! I am certain i heard a little of Carl's lead and portions of the chorus. Isolated. No backing track. No aural signs of digital extraction. What the hell is up with this? I demand an explanation.

[GoodVibrations33]

I find it impossible to believe that this hasn't been mentioned anywhere yet, so i feel i must have either missed it (although, if this were the case, the discussion would be far from over by now) or i must be missing something, probably something really obvious that i'm overlooking. Maybe i was deceived, fell for some trick. Did i imagine it? Was my own mind playing tricks on me? Did i fill in the blanks somehow and convince myself i heard it? Or did it really happen, and it's just that i missed a big, prior news announcement at some point? Could this possibly be old news? Am i that out of the loop? Are there not snippets of isolated Good Vibrations vocals in the movie?! I am certain i heard a little of Carl's lead and portions of the chorus. Isolated. No backing track. No aural signs of digital extraction. What the hell is up with this? I demand an explanation.

And Mike's "gotta keep those lovin' good vibrations...." too