Directed by:
Dan FogelmanScreenplay:
Dan FogelmanCinematography:
Steve YedlinCast:
Al Pacino, Annette Bening, Jennifer Garner, Bobby Cannavale, Christopher Plummer, Katarina Cas, Giselle Eisenberg, Melissa Benoist, Josh Peck (more)Plots(1)
Al Pacino stars as aging 1970s rocker Danny Collins, who can't give up his hard-living ways. But when his manager (Christopher Plummer) uncovers a 40 year-old undelivered letter written to him by John Lennon, he decides to change course and embarks on a heartfelt journey to rediscover his family, find true love and begin a second act. (Bleecker Street Media)
(more)Reviews (3)
The kind of movie that explains how money, hookers, and dope can't make you happy. Understandably shot from the point of view of a man who has no shortage of money, hookers, and dope. As a nostalgic sentimental safe bet, it's challenging from all directions, especially the passages where the protagonist irons out his shitty life by buying someone something terribly expensive or at least a bunch of toys or something. Logically, the first of the narrative breaks occurs when he runs out of money, which is either a deliberate middle finger to the classic value-building of melodramas or the incompetence of the filmmakers, but which is excellently patched up by the affable Al Pacino, whose wild charisma as the rich jerk behind the microphone I just ate up. Oh, and some of the dialogue is great.
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Danny Collins is a somewhat mundane, boring movie with only one distinctive element – an experienced star actor whose character, however, does not arouse much sympathy and might seem cool only to those ladies in the front row of one of his concerts. In his old age, Al Pacino as an egoistic bohemian tries to find the way to his estranged son as a gazillion other characters did before him in a gazillion other films. At the same time, he’s trying to make the unattainable Annette Bening have dinner with him, but not in such an entertaining and charming way as Jack Nicholson tried to do with Helen Hunt in As Good as It Gets.
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Al Pacino is just such a mature actor that he sweeps you away with his great performance. True, Christopher Plummer stands out even more, being incredibly vital for his age, but most importantly, he delivers an excellent performance. The story is human and touching and reveals aspects of humanity that are not always pleasant. But it's definitely part of life. At times it's overly sweet, but never excessively so.
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