Movie Reviews

Meet Danny Collins (Al Pacino), an aging rocker who’s sick and tired of singing the same old tunes that were written for him and who’s still drinking and doing drugs like the 70ies never ended. This all changes when his manager (a very charismatic Christopher Plummer) digs up a 40-year-old undelivered letter that John Lennon wrote to him. Inspired by Lennon’s words, Danny stops with the drinking and the drugs, leaves his way too young wife and moves to a hotel in New Jersey. Not just to try and write songs that actually mean something to him, but also to reconnect with his estranged son Tom (Bobby Cannavale).

This movie was both written and directed by Dan Fogelman (Crazy Stupid Love), who wrote the role of Danny with Al Pacino in mind. It’s easy to see why as Pacino delivers his strongest role in years. Great cinema this is not, but Pacino is surrounded by a strong supporting cast who all take to Fogelman’s dialogues with ease. It’s the kind of warm, fun movie that you want to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon.