Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am very biased when it comes to the Beach Boys. I discovered their music when I was very young and went to see them in concert when I was 10 years old as the first concert I really wanted to attend. It happened to be at a venue with a hotel attached and the next morning I was up very early and went down to play Pac-Man before my parents woke up. It was a sit-down machine that had controls on both sides and a guy came up and asked if he could play, he put down a bunch of quarters and I looked up and noticed it was Bruce Johnston, the guy that replaced Brian. After a bit some of the other guys came to get Bruce and asked how I liked the show. I was totally in awe. While I have never had a chance to meet Brian Wilson his music has always had an impact on my life. I loved the good-times songs but I also loved the Pet Sounds sound just as much as I loved the Beatles from an early age. I had read about Brian's breakdown and bits and pieces of the story on his climb out of depression into a situation that might have been even worse with Dr. Euguene Landy controlling his life and over-medicating him. This movie covers the dark, trying times of Brian Wilson interweaving two periods of his life together with excellent results. Paul Dano gives an incredible look into the young Brian and John Cusak exceeded my expectations as the older Brian. You get to see scenes of Brian in the recording studio that are nothing short of breathtaking as you get an idea of what his process was of getting the music out of his head and onto magnetic tape. The story presented, I believe, does an excellent job of portraying Brian's descent into his mental issues as a young man without going over the top. Some people may find a lot of the movie hard to watch as so much of the Beach Boys music is about happy sun-filled days, girls and fast cars and Brian's life was anything but happy and carefree. Paul Giamatti portrays Dr. Landy in such a way that you know he's the bad guy from the moment he walks onto the screen. Elizabeth Banks plays Melinda Ledbetter, the woman that Brian would fall in love with and the one that would be instrumental at getting him out of the controlling situation he was in. It is through her eyes we see the older Brian and get perspective on what he has had to endure. There are scenes that will make you cringe as you watch them with Brian being abused both verbally and physically by his father and then Dr. Landy, the man he thought was trying to help him. When John Cusak, as the older Brian, tells the story of how his hearing in one ear is almost gone because his dad used to hit him so hard in such a matter-of-fact way it is truly heartbreaking. The movie ends with concert footage of Brian Wilson from the present day singing his song "Love and Mercy" which was the perfect way to end it. Overall I thought this was a near-perfect movie about Brian Wilson. If you're looking for a movie full of girls and beach scenes you'll want to look elsewhere but if you are willing to delve into the darker side of a musical genius you will be rewarded. After seeing this movie all I wanted to do was send some good thoughts and vibrations out to Brian Wilson. I doubt he'll ever read this review but on the off chance I just want to say thank you, brother, for the music and we love you!