(Image: Giordano Ciampini)
If my girlfriend and I have something we might consider “our song,” it’s “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys. I told this to its author, Brian Wilson —i.e. the storied, reclusive genius behind America’s favourite band—on Sunday evening at the premiere of Love and Mercy, the Bill Pohlad biopic that lays bare Wilson’s lifelong troubles and triumphs. “What does it mean when someone tells you something like that?” I asked. Wilson looked at me and said, “It means love between two people. Thanks.” Then he shuffled off toward Elgin Theatre, leaving behind him a wide-eyed fanboy (i.e. me) and seeming pretty satisfied with his six-word response. I was told he would be “childlike” and “otherworldly,” but I had no idea what that meant—until I did.
Elizabeth Banks had no reservations about calling The Beach Boys, categorically, “the greatest American band of all time” (and she dished a bit about The Hunger Games , too). Paul Dano , who stars as young Wilson, shared an early memory of riding in the backseat of his parents’ car on a family roadtrip with “Surfin’ U.S.A.” on the radio. He pointed out how Wilson’s music has become enmeshed in the fabric of our lives. As he spoke, his partner Zoe Kazan (of The F Word fame) flew in and squeezed up to his shoulder. Cute! Unfortunately, John Cusack , who plays older Wilson, skipped right by, but I imagine that he must have fielded tons of questions about music in life, in film and in general. But never mind that—guys, remember when I met Brian Wilson?
290134 Brian Wilson. (Image: Giordano Ciampini) TIFF 2014 Red Carpet: Love & Mercy https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-2430-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-2430.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-2430.jpg 1024 683 {"aperture":2.8,"camera":"Canon EOS 5D","created_timestamp":1410120722,"focal_length":"170","iso":"1600","shutter_speed":"0.008"} https://torontolife.com/culture/tiff-red-carpet-love-mercy/slide/gciampini_lnm-2430/ gciampini_lnm-2430 0 0
(Image: Giordano Ciampini)
290126 John Cusack plays grown-up Brian Wilson in the film. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1158-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1158.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1158.jpg 683 1024 {"aperture":8,"camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark II","created_timestamp":1410119843,"focal_length":"40","iso":"2500","shutter_speed":"0.025"} https://torontolife.com/culture/tiff-red-carpet-love-mercy/slide/gciampini_lnm-1158/ gciampini_lnm-1158 0 0
290127 Elizabeth Banks stars as Wilson's second wife, Melinda. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1182-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1182.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1182.jpg 683 1024 {"aperture":8,"camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark II","created_timestamp":1410119876,"focal_length":"40","iso":"2500","shutter_speed":"0.025"} https://torontolife.com/culture/tiff-red-carpet-love-mercy/slide/gciampini_lnm-1182/ gciampini_lnm-1182 0 0
290132 Paul Dano plays young Wilson. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-2367-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-2367.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-2367.jpg 1024 683 {"aperture":2.8,"camera":"Canon EOS 5D","created_timestamp":1410120431,"focal_length":"170","iso":"1600","shutter_speed":"0.01"} https://torontolife.com/culture/tiff-red-carpet-love-mercy/slide/gciampini_lnm-2367/ gciampini_lnm-2367 0 0
290129 Dano's girlfriend, <em>The F Word’</em>s Zoe Kazan. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1217-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1217.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1217.jpg 1024 683 {"aperture":8,"camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark II","created_timestamp":1410120001,"focal_length":"24","iso":"2500","shutter_speed":"0.025"} https://torontolife.com/culture/tiff-red-carpet-love-mercy/slide/gciampini_lnm-1217/ gciampini_lnm-1217 0 0
290128 All three Wilsons. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1212-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1212.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1212.jpg 1024 683 {"aperture":8,"camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark II","created_timestamp":1410119960,"focal_length":"58","iso":"2500","shutter_speed":"0.025"} https://torontolife.com/culture/tiff-red-carpet-love-mercy/slide/gciampini_lnm-1212/ gciampini_lnm-1212 0 0
290125 Director Bill Pohlad and his wife, Michelle. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1153-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1153.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1153.jpg 683 1024 {"aperture":8,"camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark II","created_timestamp":1410119802,"focal_length":"35","iso":"2500","shutter_speed":"0.025"} https://torontolife.com/culture/tiff-red-carpet-love-mercy/slide/gciampini_lnm-1153/ gciampini_lnm-1153 0 0
290135 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-2490-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-2490.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-2490.jpg 1024 683 {"aperture":2.8,"camera":"Canon EOS 5D","created_timestamp":1410120988,"focal_length":"200","iso":"1600","shutter_speed":"0.008"} https://torontolife.com/culture/tiff-red-carpet-love-mercy/slide/gciampini_lnm-2490/ gciampini_lnm-2490 0 0
290130 Elizabeth Banks and Melinda Wilson, who's been married to Wilson for almost 20 years. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1242-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1242.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1242.jpg 683 1024 {"aperture":8,"camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark II","created_timestamp":1410120132,"focal_length":"55","iso":"2500","shutter_speed":"0.025"} https://torontolife.com/culture/tiff-red-carpet-love-mercy/slide/gciampini_lnm-1242/ gciampini_lnm-1242 0 0
290133 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-2423-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-2423.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-2423.jpg 1024 683 {"aperture":2.8,"camera":"Canon EOS 5D","created_timestamp":1410120672,"focal_length":"175","iso":"1600","shutter_speed":"0.008"} https://torontolife.com/culture/tiff-red-carpet-love-mercy/slide/gciampini_lnm-2423/ gciampini_lnm-2423 0 0
290131 Actors Kenny Wormald, Jake Abel and Brett Davern, who also appear in the film. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1286-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1286.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GCiampini_LnM-1286.jpg 1024 683 {"aperture":8,"camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark II","created_timestamp":1410120555,"focal_length":"58","iso":"2500","shutter_speed":"0.025"} https://torontolife.com/culture/tiff-red-carpet-love-mercy/slide/gciampini_lnm-1286/ gciampini_lnm-1286 0 0