At the ripe old (young?) age of 74, Al Pacino has begun to act his age. Or more accurately, he's begun to look back on his long career and is making up for a lot of wasted years. To say his recent output hasn't been up to the legend's former standard would be an understatement, but lately we've seen Pacino quietly begin to rebound by exploring facets of his own life. In last year's The Humbling he played an actor who regains his passion thanks in part to a new love. But it's in Dan Fogelman's sweet and endearing Danny Collins, a film about second chances and starting over, that Pacino rights the course and gives his best performance in years.
“The following is kind of based on a true story, a little bit", Danny Collins greets us with a cheekiness that carries through the remainder of the film. It is based, in some small part, on the true story of songwriter Steve Tilston, who learned years after-the-fact that his idol John Lennon had written him a very personal letter. That's where Tilston's story ends, but Fogelman takes that idea and creates a heartfelt, if a tad schmaltzy, love letter to music and family. Pacino plays Danny Collins, a washed up singer who released one incredible album in 1971. In fact, when interviewed by a journalist (Nick Offerman) in a truly Almost Famous-esque opening scene, Danny looks horrified at the prospect of being famous. But that comes after he admits John Lennon was his greatest inspiration. Not a bad place to start, kid.
Decades later and Danny hasn't made an album since. He's indeed famous, but it's for performing the same, catchy pop tunes repeatedly to crowds of old women and drunken students. It's made him rich, but is he happy? With his bad dye job, outlandish outfits, drug habit, and a hot young gold digger for a girlfriend, he's basically a walking stereotype. If Liberace and Neil Diamond had a lovechild, he'd be it. Everything changes for Danny when his best friend and longtime manager (Christopher Plummer) arrives with a very special birthday gift: a letter written to him by John Lennon some 40 years earlier. Lennon's sage advice about fame and family inspire Danny to reconnect with Tom (Bobby Cannavale), the son he never really knew. Tom, a blue-collar worker with a pregnant wife (Jennifer Garner) and young daughter suffering from ADHD, wants nothing to do with the man he considers a flamboyant deadbeat.
Okay, so the premise sounds like it was ripped right out of a Hallmark card, but Fogelman, who wrote rom-com Crazy Stupid Love and Disney's Tangled, knows how to tug at the heartstrings without going overboard. Well, not too often, anyway. Even when a character reveals a terminal illness, Fogelman keeps the emotions simple and raw. It's in the interactions between Danny and his newfound family that the film really hits home. That their reunion energizes his creative spirit is a given, but the film has a generally positive, hopeful tone that is infectious. Pacino, who still shows the tendency to overdo it on occasion, shares a number of funny scenes with the well-modulated Plummer. He also has a number of great scenes with Cannavale, who continues to be one of today's most reliable actors regardless of genre. Less effective are the romantic subplots involving Danny's pursuit of a perky, age-appropriate hotel manager played by Annette Bening, and a pointless courtship between two young members of the hotel staff (Josh Peck and Melissa Benoist). While Fogelman may have been trying to parallel the path both relationships took, it was just one thing too many in a film with enough going on already.
Accompanied perfectly and beautifully by a handful of Lennon's finest solo tracks, including "Imagine"(the film's original title) and "Working Class Hero", the appreciation for him is palpable. It also lends considerable dramatic weight to the film's quieter moments, which is when Danny Collins is at its best. While Pacino's singing needs a ton of work (thankfully it doesn't last long), he hasn't been this invigorated for a role in some time. Like the title character, Pacino has found it's never too late to begin anew, and hopefully audiences eager to see him at his best will give Danny Collins a chance.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
