Went to see this preview film this morning with my husband at the Pictureville Cinema, at the National Media Museum, Bradford, thanks to seefilmfirst.
IMDB says: An aging rock star decides to change his life when he discovers a 40-year-old letter written to him by John Lennon.
In this Dan Fogleman (Tangled, Cars) directed and written film, Al Pacino (The Godfather, Scarface) plays Danny Collins who has an epiphany when he receives his long-lost letter from his Manager and best friend Frank Grubman (Christopher Plummer, The Sound of Music, A Beautiful Mind). Quitting his tour, his ridiculously young girlfriend Sophie (Katarina Cas, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Guard) and his lavish lifestyle, he retreats to rediscover the family he chose to forget.
Danny stays at a small-town Hilton, where he warms to several staff members, parking valet Nicky (Josh Peck, Drake and Josh, Red Dawn), receptionist Jamie (Melissa Benoist best known as Marley Rose in Glee) and Manager Mary Sinclair (Annette Bening, American Beauty, Mars Attacks!), which he uses as a base to try to reconnect with his family, son Tom Donnelly (Bobby Cannavale, Chef, The Bone Collector), daughter-in-law Samantha Leigh Donnelly (Jennifer Garner, Juno, Dallas Buyers Club) and granddaughter Hope (Giselle Eisenberg, The Wolf of Wall Street, Sex Tape).
Pacino is magnificent in this moving and heartwarming film, and there are moments of genuine humour and sadness mixed in this 'shouldn't be believable' film. Inspired by a true story (Steve Tilson the singer who found a 40 year-old letter from Lennon), the movie could have gone down a cheesy and predictable road, but instead chose to play it true to the essence of the letter in question. All the performances are outstanding and there is credible chemistry between all the leading players and the leading man Pacino, i.e. Bening, Cannvale, Plummer and Garner.
I highly recommend this wonderful warm film. 8/10
Trivia: Julianne Moore and Jeremy Renner were originally cast, before Bening and Pacino took the roles, and Warner Bros originally wanted Steve Carell before the project turned around.
#dannycollins #seefilmfirst #AlPacino #AnnetteBening #JenniferGarner #BobbyCannavale #ChristopherPlummer
“Danny Collins” deserves to become a hit: It’ll reward repeat viewing, and I’m equally certain that its soundtrack will become a best-seller.
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