Danny Collins (2015)

The plot of Danny Collins is inspired by a true story. Danny Collins is an aging 70's rocker, who can't give up his ways, that he has lived hard for. One day, his manager, Frank Grubman, uncovers a letter, written to Danny by John Lennon, that has been undelivered for 40 years. Because of this, Danny decides to get to know about his family (mainly his son, Tom Donnelly), start a relationship with a woman named Mary Sinclair, and begin a second act.

This movie is really well acted, especially from its main star, Al Pacino. He gives a great performance as a Danny Collins, who is man who is trying to find true love in a relationship with both his family and a woman that he met. So yeah, he is definitely that standout of the performances, however, the rest of the cast are also really good. Bobby Cannavale is really good as the son, Tom Donnelly, and shares some really good chemistry with his father, and so does Annette Bening as Mary Sinclair, in terms of both acting performance and chemistry with Pacino. Jennifer Garner plays Tom's wife, Samantha Leigh Donnelly, and Christopher Plumber plays Danny's manger, Frank Grubman. They're both good in their roles, but they don't get as much to do as Pacino, Cannavale, and Bening, do.


The story was simple...worn out rocker tired of endlessly repeating his 70's hits on tour, finally gets a 40-year old letter from John Lennon that changes the way the looks at his life and his career. He then goes off to find the son he never knew who resulted from a one night stand many decades earlier. The dedication Danny feels toward his new-found son and his family is the real glue in this story, and was the source of Danny's true hope for possible redemption after a life he now feels is so hollow that it is no longer worth the effort.

Overall, I would say that I really liked Danny Collins. It's not great and does have it's flaws, but it is still a solid debut from director Dan Fogelman. It is very well acted, it looks nice, it's solidly directed, and I was engaged and never bored. I can see why someone might find this boring, but I was satisfied by it. I know that this film has clichés, plot holes and it's predictable, but at the end of the day, you'll think of it as a very engaging, delightful, moving and innocent experience.

7.1/10·IMDb
77%·Rotten Tomatoes
58%·Metacritic
7.5/10 - Verdict