Thighs Wide Shut

Love & Mercy
Heroes and Villains
Official Website | Trailers & Mo
PG-13 | 120 min

Depending on how much you love the genius of Brian Wilson will determine how much you love Love & Mercy.  I LIVE for Brian Wilson, so I loved Love & Mercy.  It’s not perfect, and what is besides Popeyes fried chicken, but Brian Wilson wasn’t perfect either, but his music is, and his hair was too

The film zig zags between two periods of his life…

Period 1 focuses on the time when he made Pet Sounds, and then Smile, and then slowly descended into madness.  This Brian Wilson is emobodied heart and soul by Paul Dano

Paul Dano does Brian Wilson SO well, I wish he would spend the rest of his life being 60s Brian Wilson

Paul Dano as Brian Wilson, can we be friends and just hang out and sing about surfing, but not actually surf???  I LOVE YOU!!!

herspecially loved Loved LOVED the parts that showed Brian Dano in the studio making music magic.  It looked like this, but in Paul Dano’s body

and loved AND feared the bits where Brian started to lose it.  SH!T WAS TUFF, YO!!!

–

Period 2 captures Brian Wilson in his alive but kinda vegetated state from the 70s/80s on, when he was under the overly watchful eye AND grip of Dr Eugene Landy – who basically turned Brian into his slave.  Dude was horrible

and horrible dudes are always played by Paul Giamatti , and sometimes with a toupée!

and older, moldier Brian Wilson is now played by John Cusack

when I first saw the trailer for this movie, I was instantly psyched, but I was like, why is John Cusack in this, and why is he the older Brian Wilson?  Why don’t they juss let Paul Dano be both the youthful AND the worn versions of Brian Wilson???

well, those thoughts were thrown right away after watching Cusack do an EGGGGGGGGGGSALLLENT job of being the 2nd period Brian Wilson.  Although I wouldn’t want Cusack to live the rest of his life as 70s/80s Brian Wilson, as I do with Dano and the 60s one

Anywho, a woman comes into the picture and complicates things for all – mainly to the dismay of Dr Landy, but for betterment of Brian’s saneness-ness .  This woman (Melinda Ledbetter) saves his life, and eventually becomes his wife (spoiler!)

Gawd only knows what HE would be without HER!

And she’s played by Elizabeth Banks and Elizabeth Banks is great in this!

moral of the story – Brian Wilson had mighty mighty highs, and mighty mighty mighty lows, and Bill Pohlad‘s movie gives us it all – harmonies and warts, in living color, with much blues  

Surf’s up kids, catch a wave on this and have FUN, FUN, FUN (even though most of it isn’t fun) til the daddy takes the t-bird away!!!

Verdictgo: Breast In Show

Love & Mercy is surf’s up yours, currently in limited release

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…