Paul Dano is a dead ringer for a young Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys’ lead songwriter and the mind behind some of the ’60s best pop music. John Cusack bears less resemblance to an older, emotionally shattered Wilson, trying to put his life back together after a decades-long mental breakdown fueled by heavy drug use and discord among his band. Regardless, together the two actors portray a musical icon as his best and worst in Love & Mercy, producer-turned-director Bill Pohlad’s long-awaited biopic.
Besides the two actors portraying Wilson, Elizabeth Banks joins Cusack as Melinda Ledbetter, Wilson’s second wife. Paul Giamatti also appears as Dr. Eugene Landy, the shady psychiatrist who worsened Wilson’s mental state by overprescribing drugs and eventually took over the former Beach Boy’s business affairs and manipulated every area of his life. Love & Mercy is slated to hit theaters on June 5.