Danny Collins (2015)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Based on the life of singer Steve Tilson.Danny Collins (Al Pacino), is an aging rocker who has lived "the life," and left a trail of wreckage in his past. Upon receiving a birthday gift from his manager, Frank (Christopher Plummer), a long lost letter John Lennon and Yoko Ono had written to him over 40 years ago, Danny begins the journey back home. His journey brings him to his son,Tom Donnelly (Bobby Cannavle), wife Samantha (Jennifer Garner), and his seven year old granddaughter.Not an in depth look at Tilson's life, just a glimpse into the last chapter. Good film for a quiet weekend. Lot of F-Bombs.

Another wonderful Al Pacino film where he stars as an aging rock singer who wishes to seek meaning to his life when he discovers an autographed letter from John Lennon.Collins travels to New Jersey to meet his illegitimate son and his family. Kind-hearted, he meets immediate rejection by the son, nicely played by Bobby Carnivale. As the manager of the hotel, Annette Bening is completely unrecognizable and very effective as the straight-laced manager who comes to understand and appreciate Danny.Christopher Plummer, also very good, looks like he came out of a fitting for The Exorcist in a few scenes.This is a story of family, redemption and pulling together in crisis. A true winner all the way.

Released in 2015, "Danny Collins" is based on a true story, that of singer Steve Tiltson. It stars Al Pacino, Annette Benning, Christopher Plummer, Bobby Carnevale, and Jennifer Garner.Pacino is, who else, Danny Collins, a world-famous singer. It appears from the opening interview in 1971 that Danny intended to be a Bob Dylan or the evolved John Lennon, who is his idol. Yet when we see Danny perform 40 years later, looking like a lounge lizard, his big song is something called "Baby Doll." So it appears along the way that Danny made some different choices which are a reflection of an empty life.Danny's life is one filled with indulgence - alcohol, coke, a trophy wife sleeping with somebody else, a plane, etc., yet he seems miserable. Well one can get a little tired of all these people with money being unhappy. But then you read about the lives some of them with multiple divorces, drug addiction, kids who hate them, affairs, rehab - and it doesn't seem to mean much.That's Danny. But then his manager (Plummer) gives him a letter that was sent to Danny 40 years earlier. Lennon sent it to the writer who interviewed Danny for a magazine. Instead of delivering it, he held onto it and ultimately sold it to a collector. His manager saw it for sale and purchased it.The letter knocks Danny for a loop. John Lennon tells him to be true to himself, that money and fame can't corrupt him - "only you can do that." Danny moves into a hotel with the intention of going back to his songwriting. He meets a woman, Mary (Annette Benning) who is friendly but turns down all his dinner invitations. He then tries to get to know his son, whom he's never met. His son hates just the thought of him, so it is no surprise that he's rejected. But Danny doesn't give up. Though this movie is slightly predictable, its sentimentality is deftly handled by the writer/director, Dan Fogelman. And Al Pacino's performance is brilliant - he's not yelling, for one thing. His acting is subtle, and he gives the viewer a fully fleshed-out character of a man trying to change and wondering if it might be too late. The actor is an odd choice for the role, but he makes it work. Annette Benning is wonderful as Mary, who hears part of his new song and realizes he needs encouragement. Christopher Plummer as usual is fantastic. He could have hammed up the role of manager, but falling into something stereotypical is something only an amateur would do. Instead, he's sincere, caring, and very direct.Stage and screen actor Bobby Carnevale plays Danny's son, who is filled with unexpressed anger and worry. Carnevale has a wide range, from Will's boyfriend on Will and Grace to a disgustingly cruel character on "Boardwalk Empire" - here's a dad with a lot on his mind - and the last thing he needs is a father he doesn't know. Jennifer Garner plays his wife, and she's lovely.Beautiful story with a great ending. So glad I watched it. It was well worth it.

This film is about an aging musician, who wants to change his life because of a letter sent to him by John Lennon himself; he stops drinking, starts composing new songs and tries to make peace with his son, whom he never met before. It is a sweet story filled with challenges, but each and every one of them are easily predictable. The story is filled with half-written, stereotypical characters, played by brilliant actors. It tries to focus on the story from a perspective with the cuts and the finale, that wants to strengthen the feeling that it is a heavy drama in front of our eyes. Unfortunately, because the plot is boring, the conflict is predictable and the artistic focus is affecting, the whole feels far-fetched, rather than great. Its only real strength is that it's absolutely not a bad film, but it was made for people who love common melodramas.