A musician's life is not a strange trend to see on screen. Over the years certain dramas have been known to center on the world of music and how the story of a rockstar is filled with both fame and misery. I cannot help but think that if you have seen one biographical drama on a musician then you have likely seen them all; but that does not stop filmmakers from depicted these kind of celebrities. The latest film of this genre deals with one of the hit bands of the 60's: The Beach Boys. The Beach Boys made a name for themselves with a variety of hit songs and albums. However not everything was sunshine for the band; especially for band leader Brian Wilson. Brian had a number of issues that he had to deal in his, and we see that in the new film
Love & Mercy. Directed by Bill Pohland,
Love & Mercy centers on two points in Brian's life. That is certainly a unique way to handle a movie like this, and it definitely got people's attention when it made an appearance at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. Yet could this ambitious biographical film do the Beach Boy member justice, or is just another film based on a musician?
As noted,
Love & Mercy deals with two points in Brian Wilson' life. First there is Brian as young man (portrayed by Paul Dano). As Brian tries to develop new songs for the band, certain issue begin to occur; like Brian's conflict with the band and his impending mental break. The second point of the story is a middle age Brian (portrayed by John Cusack) who meets his second wife Melinda (Elizabeth Banks). As the two starts dating, Melinda shows concern for Brian as his psychologist Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti) is not giving Brian the proper treatment.
