I have a new found respect and appreciation for the music of the Beach Boys. Seeing how Brian Wilson in this movie create the Beach Boys' sound is awe-inspiring.
In one scene we saw how he mixed two very different keys into the same bar, and just because that's how he heard it in his head, it's ground breaking and not many composers care to do.
Paul Dano and John Cusack's portrayal of Wilson, while not for me to say whether or not they were spot on, but you could see so much similarities in expression and mannerisms that contributed to Wilson's characteristics. This has to be Dano's best work, and possibly Cusack's as well (or at least in a long time).
Both Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti as well were equally brilliant. There are times I don't really care for Banks' performance, like in The Hunger Games later instalments; but here she was captivating. Giammatti was dependable as always and he really breathed his character to life.
I really enjoyed the director Bill Pohlad's work here. His switching back and forth from past to present to past, all seamless in the transitions but still keeping in the same tone of voice and pacing. His capturing of young Wilson's descent into the voices in his head were some of the best parts.
My favourite scene was Dano putting on the headphones in the recording studio and just let himself succumb to the voices in his head as he let out a single tear. That performance by Dano, as well as a few close-ups of Banks', sucks you right into the movie and attacks you with all of their emotions.
But I did find a few transitions from one scene to the next sometimes not all that smooth; perhaps due to the inexperience of Pohlad as this was his first full-length feature film.
Still, this was a very beautiful story of one of the most famous 80's band that someone like me would never have known had it not for this story. And to think Wilson has gone through so much in his life and to come out of it well and good on the other side.
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