Al Pacino is already 75 years, but the actor does not even seem to think about retiring. If you look at the films he has made in recent years, their quality might not have been good for each one of them (he was criticized for his role in Jack and Jill), but as a filmfan I always look forward to his appearance. It is an actor who has more than earned his marks with a variety of classic roles (such as The Godfather, Scarface, Dog Day Afternoon, Heat and Carlito’s Way). With Danny Collins, he shows that he is still full of energy, but is it also a movie you must check out?
Danny Collins (Al Pacino) is a successful singer, who is still touring. His greatest hits albums are selling well and he has everything he wants: A beautiful car, a young girlfriend and the money to do what he wants. For his birthday he gets an unexpected gift from his manager (played by Christopher Plummer), which makes him think about his life. In the seventies he did an interview with a magazine. That interview was read by John Lennon, who sent him a letter, but Danny never received it. When he does so 40 years later, that letter makes him wonder if he should have made different choices in his music career. Wanting to rediscover himself he decides to get away from his current life and rent a room in a hotel, where he wants to create new music.
Danny is someone who still is relatively normal despite his success. He talks with everyone in the hotel and has an eye on the manager, Mary Sinclair (Annette Bening). In addition to making new music but he also wants to correct something else. He has a son (played by Bobby Cannavale), who he has never seen and decides to visit him unexpectedly. That meeting does not go as expected, but Danny wants to try to right his past mistakes.
The tone of the film, despite some dark moments, generally is very light and airy, which makes it a film that is an easy watch. The playful back and forth between Pacino and Bening is a pleasure to see. Cannavale, as the son of Danny, gives a solid performance. The film is based on the real artist (he really received a letter from Lennon 40 years after the fact), but I can not imagine much of the rest of the story having to do much with the real events. That doesn’t matter though because the end result is a very entertaining movie. If you are a fan of the music of Lennon then that will add something to your enjoyment as the film is full of it.
