Love & Mercy

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bill Pohlad directs. Robert D. Yeoman behind the camera. Atticus Ross scores. Dino Jonsäter cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Released 11 years ago.
• 2Directed by Bill Pohlad, shot by Robert D. Yeoman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 3Original score by Atticus Ross. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 4Editor Dino Jonsäter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 5Paul Dano and John Cusack and Elizabeth Banks carry the top of the cast.
• 6Marketing tagline: "The Life, Love and Genius of Brian Wilson".
• 7IMDB entry: tt0903657 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 8Classified under 25 themes, including "rock 'n' roll", "musician", "therapist", "biography".

The technical file

Cinematography

Robert D. Yeoman

Original score

Atticus Ross

Editing

Dino Jonsäter

Production design

Keith P. Cunningham

Costume design

Danny Glicker

Makeup / hair

Cyndra Dunn

Sound

Eugene Gearty

Stunt coordinator

Jeff Dashnaw

Runtime

120 min · 2h 0m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Budget

$10,000,000

Box office

$28,600,000

Return

286% of budget

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

PG-13

IMDB

Love & Mercy (2015) ↗

Also by

Bill Pohlad

• 
  Old Explorers

  1990 · ★ 9.0
• 
  Dreamin' Wild

  2023 · ★ 6.1

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper Wallpaper Wallpaper Wallpaper Wallpaper Wallpaper Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Paul Dano on Playing Brian Wilson in LOVE & MERCY | The Craft of Acting: Paul Dano (Excerpt)

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  Official Trailer

  Trailer · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• badelf2025-03-26
  ★ 7/10

  A really interesting love story. A really interesting story of mental illness. And somehow, it misses its potential like an underachiever. I loved the sound track though.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• JO

  John Wells Productions

  US

• 

  River Road Entertainment

  US

• BA

  Battle Mountain Films

  US

Key crew

• StuntsTim Rigby
• ChoreographerKenny Wormald
• Utility SoundRene Defrancesch
• First Assistant DirectorThomas Patrick Smith
• Hair Department HeadCyndra Dunn
• Set DresserPaul Ford
• Second Assistant CameraDoug Price
• Steadicam OperatorHenry Tirl
• Key Makeup ArtistZoe Hay
• "B" Camera OperatorCasey Hotchkiss
• Property MasterWill Blount
• LeadmanCheryl Gould Strang
• Best Boy GripRichard Boyle
• Set Dressing BuyerAmina Allean Dieye
• Special Effects CoordinatorAnthony Simonaitis
• Marine CoordinatorRick Hicks
• Unit Production ManagerAnn Ruark
• Second Assistant DirectorRobert E. Kay
• First Assistant CameraNick Infield
• Boom OperatorRobert Jackson
• GripBruce Carothers
• GripWilliam McDevitt
• ElectricianAlan Frazier
• Key Rigging GripMatthew Thomas Moles

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• rock 'n' roll
• musician
• therapist
• biography
• recording studio
• car salesman
• last will and testament
• nervous breakdown
• songwriter
• pop music
• music recording
• recluse
• music rehearsal
• southern california
• psychotherapist
• 1980s
• 1960s
• legal guardian
• music industry
• musical journey
• music producer
• unexpected romance
• surf music
• controlled environment
• comforting

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere2015-03-15PG-13· South by Southwest Film Festival
• Theatrical (limited)2015-06-05PG-13
• Theatrical2015-06-19PG-13

Also known as

International titles

• 爱与宽容TW
• Love and MercyUS
• Love & Mercy, la véritable histoire de Brian Wilson des Beach BoysFR