The full-length trailer has arrived for the musical biopic Love & Mercy, the movie centering around The Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson. This genre has grown in popularity over the years with films like Walk The Line, Dreamgirls, and Get On Up. However, with this biopic it seems to be less about the music and more about the man himself.
The film focuses on a young Brian Wilson, played by Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine), as he brings to life the story of The Beach Boys and their golden years, while also telling the story of an older Brian Wilson – played by John Cusack (2012) – man lost in illness and falling for Melinda Ledbetter, played by Elizabeth Banks (The Lego Movie). In this latest trailer, Dano and Cusack hardly sing at all. Dano only sings for a moment but it is quickly overplayed by the actual track by The Beach Boys. Instead of the usual biopic narrative, Love & Mercy shows the progression of Wilson’s mental illness, through Dano and then Cusack.
Focusing more on Wilson’s personal trials and tribulations, Love & Mercy brings a unique perspective to the table by having two actors play the main character. The trick to this film will be whether Dano and Cusack can be believable enough to be the same person, as well as different enough to highlight the different periods in Brian Wilson’s life.
Love & Mercy hits theaters June 5th.
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