Review:
"Danny Collins"
Release Date: April 3, 2015
Rating: R Running Time: 106 minutes Imagine Al Pacino as an American pop idol caught in the shadow of John Lennon. It’s not easy if you try. He sing-speaks in the style of William Shatner and dances likes a drunk chicken. Offstage, though, Pacino puts his outsized personality to marvelous use to bring a “rock star” swagger to his aging heartthrob in Danny Collins. This heartfelt dramedy is inspired by British folk singer Steve Tilston’s 2005 discovery that John Lennon wrote him an undelivered letter of encouragement in 1971. Lennon serves as the primarily influence on Pacino’s Danny Collins, a once-promising singer-songwriter who sold his soul to live his rock ’n’ roll dream. He’s now more Neil Diamond than Beatle, judging by his crowd-pleasing signature song, “Hey Baby Doll.” Collins realizes just how much of a sellout he’s become when his manager (Christopher Plummer) hands him the letter Lennon wrote to him in 1971 in response to an interview the then-unknown Collins gave in support of his first album. So Collins dumps his twentysomething fiancée, cancels his tour, and takes up residence in a hotel in New Jersey, where he plans to make amends for his personal and professional failings. Dan Fogelman makes an easy transition from Crazy, Stupid, Love screenwriter to director by exploring the same territory he covered in Last Vegas and The Guilt Trip. Fogelman incisively dissects the mind of a man in his twilight years who looks back in disappointment and looks ahead to an uncertain future, one that only brings with it happiness if he makes up for past mistakes. To this end, Fogelman prompts Collins to knock on the door belonging to the son he’s never met. This results in many poignant moments between Collins and his son Tom (Bobby Cannavale), his pregnant daughter-in-law Samantha (Jennifer Garner), and his adorable granddaughter Hope (Giselle Eisenberg). Cannavale allows Tom’s bitterness to slowly subside before revealing the emotional damage that can be caused to a child who grows up without one of his parents. Saddled with an underwritten role, Garner manages to find the fortitude and forgiveness that the circumstances require of Samantha. However, Fogelman does force the issue by introducing an unnecessary “disease of the week” subplot. Fogelman also juxtaposes Collins’ efforts to get to know Tom and Samantha against his flirtatious relationship with Annette Bening’s no-nonsense hotel manager, Mary. To borrow from Collins, the “patter” between Pacino and Bening feels so genuine and so intimate that you keep your fingers crossed that Collins sees merit in pursuing an age-appropriate romance with a woman who quickly becomes his sounding board. Collins’ fall and rise plays out against a soundtrack that essentially serves as a collection of John Lennon’s greatest hits. Fogelman, though, doesn’t just use “Imagine” or “Nobody Told Me” for the sake of using them. He perfectly employs Lennon’s songs to reflect upon the humorous and dramatic turns that occur during Collins’ late-life crisis. How Collins survived so long without being a victim of instant karma remains a mystery. But it’s never too late to follow Lennon’s advice and “get yourself together … and join the human race.” Robert Sims Aired: April 2, 2015 Web site: http://www.bleeckerstreetmedia.com/#!danny-collins/cfvg |
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