Love & MercyQuote:
Love & Mercy is a 2014 American biographical film directed by Bill Pohlad about musician and songwriter Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. The film, deriving its title from the 1988 song by Wilson, is presented in a parallel narrative covering two specific time periods of Wilson's life: the 1960s and the 1980s. Actors Paul Dano and John Cusack depict the young and old Wilson, respectively, with Elizabeth Banks as Wilson's second wife, Melinda, and Paul Giamatti as psychotherapist Dr. Eugene Landy. It was distributed internationally by Lions Gate Entertainment and in the United States by Roadside Attractions on June 5, 2015.
The film premiered in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. It received acclaim from early reviewers who variously praised the film for its unorthodox approach to biography, original film score by composer Atticus Ross, Dano's convincing performance as the increasingly unstable Wilson of the 1960s, and scenes which closely recreate Wilson's advanced studio recording methods. The real life Wilson – who had little involvement with the film's development – called it "very factual."