Real surfers don't listen to The Beach Boys. That's one of the first things I learned while hanging out at the ocean toting a surfboard, and it's also one of the lines from "Love and Mercy," a biopic about The Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson. Along with his brothers, Dennis and Carl, and their cousin Mike Love, Brian's meteoric rise to stardom came at about the same time he started arguing with Mike about musical direction.
In a crucial scene in the film, a young Brian (played brilliantly by Paul Dano) says he wants to ease up on their signature themes of surfing and girls while Mike (Jake Abel) thinks they should stay focused on what makes them appealing to their fans.
The exchange is compelling and painful, and more complicated than the usual dilemma between art and commercial appeal. Young Brian is a troubled genius, plagued by the "voices" hammering in his head while secretly hungering for approval from his manipulative and abusive father (Bill Camp), who also happens to be their manager.