Love & Mercy (2015)
89%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: 20 wins & 58 nominations
As unconventional and unwieldy as the life and legacy it honors, Love & Mercy should prove moving for Brian Wilson fans while still satisfying neophytes.
Love & Mercy is a wild ride through the mind of one of music’s greatest geniuses. The performances are top-notch, especially Paul Giamatti’s creepy turn as the controlling Dr. Landy. But what really sets this biopic apart is its unique approach to storytelling, focusing on the sounds and sensations that inspired Brian Wilson’s music. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the creative process and a reminder of the power of art to heal even the most troubled souls. Plus, who doesn’t love a good Beach Boys tune?
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate Films
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Griffith Observatory, 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, drug content and language
Year of Release
2015
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby Digital Datasat
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 0m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 5, 2015 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 15, 2015
Genre(s)
Biography/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti, Jake Abel, Bill Camp, directed by Bill Pohlad, written by Oren Moverman, Michael A Lerner, biography, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Max Weiss, Jason Bailey, Mark Kermode, Cormac O’Brien, Charlotte O’Sullivan, Geoffrey Macnab, Loren King, Kip Mooney, Alex Behan, Joanne Laurier, PG-13, Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, Pet Sounds, mental illness, creative process, Melinda Ledbetter, Dr Eugene Landy, Murry Wilson, Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate Films
Worldwide gross: $28,641,776
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $35,752,623
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,492
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 3,898,868
US/Canada gross: $12,551,031
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $15,667,055
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,483
US/Canada opening weekend: $2,122,177
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $2,649,046
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,174
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $10,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $12,482,684
Production budget ranking: 1,581
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $6,721,925
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $16,548,014
ROI to date (est.): 86%
ROI ranking: 992
Paul Dano – Young Brian Wilson
Elizabeth Banks – Melinda Ledbetter
Paul Giamatti – Dr. Eugene Landy
Jake Abel – Mike Love
Bill Camp – Murry Wilson
Director(s)
Bill Pohlad
Writer(s)
Oren Moverman, Michael A. Lerner
Producer(s)
Bill Pohlad, Claire Rudnick Polstein, John Wells
Film Festivals
Berlin, South by Southwest, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
20 wins & 58 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (219) | Top Critics (62) | Fresh (196) | Rotten (23)
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.
June 10, 2016 | Rating: 3/4
Max Weiss
Baltimore Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It is (among its many virtues) wonderfully not boilerplate.
May 28, 2016
Jason Bailey
Flavorwire
TOP CRITIC
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.
July 12, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
It’s bittersweet and melancholic, always captivating, holding the irrefutable truth of a pop lyric.
July 10, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Cormac O’Brien
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Pohlad’s movie lacks the kind of multi-layered texture it purports to celebrate. That said, it’s still full of mind-altering potential.
July 10, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
Charlotte O’Sullivan
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Love & Mercy, Bill Pohlad’s ingenious biopic of Beach Boy Brian Wilson, approaches its subject from a very unusual direction… ear-first.
July 9, 2015
Geoffrey Macnab
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
A creepy, terrific performance from Paul Giamatti as the controlling, manipulative Landy.
December 6, 2021
Loren King
Newport This Week (RI)
A terrifying but humane portrait of mental illness and a fascinating glimpse into the creative process of one of history’s greatest musicians.
August 10, 2021 | Rating: B+
Kip Mooney
Central Track
Both actors do a great job, the film does justice to the genius of the music and this sad story compelled me to delve into a world of Wilson research.
August 10, 2021
Alex Behan
Stuff.co.nz
Unfortunately, Love and Mercy makes little effort to grapple with the postwar social climate and conditions in America that produced such an extraordinary figure. This helps account for the movie’s relative thinness.
August 11, 2020
Joanne Laurier
World Socialist Web Site
I liked this movie.
April 28, 2020
Andrew Galdi
Movie Bitches
I liked that it was out of the box… It did try to do something different and it affected me.
April 28, 2020
Avaryl Halley
Movie Bitches…
Plot
Brian Wilson is the creative soul of The Beach Boys, but he paid a heavy price for his talent. That especially shows during his peak artistic years in the 1960s, as his inner demons and obsessions trying to please his abusive father drive him to a mental breakdown that would plague him for years. In the 1980s, with Brian barely functional under the domination of the unscrupulous Dr. Landy, Brian meets and falls in love with Melinda Ledbetter. As their relationship grows, she observes Brian’s crippling subservience to the abusive psychotherapist with growing alarm. Ultimately, she must take action with a love willing to stand up to oppression she cannot ignore.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Paul Giamatti gives a “creepy, terrific performance” as Dr. Eugene Landy in Love & Mercy, according to one critic review.
Bill-Pohlad.jpg
