Danny Collins, starring Al Pacino as a septuagenarian rock star, is a largely fictional film. However, it was inspired by an actual event.
In 1971, Steve Tilston was an up-and-coming singer-songwriter and guitarist in the folk genre. Then 21, the Liverpool native had just recorded his first album, which was greeted with a positive response. When Tilston was interviewed, he acknowledged the gnawing fear that fame and fortune might adversely affect his pursuit of the muse.
Upon reading the interview, John Lennon graciously wrote a supportive letter to Tilston. He advised the young man, “Being rich doesn’t change your experience in the way you think.” Lennon invited Tilston to contact him if he liked.
Imagine being an aspiring musician and receiving a note of encouragement from an erstwhile Beatle. Alas, Tilston did not receive the epistle. An avaricious member of the magazine’s staff diverted it, recognizing that a letter from Lennon would have considerable value to a memorabilia collector. Tilston was unaware of the letter’s existence until 2005 when a collector contacted him to verify its authenticity.
The film renames the recipient as Danny Collins and reinvents Pacino’s protagonist as an American rocker. This fictional character has achieved vastly greater commercial success than Tilston actually enjoyed. Although he is well past his prime, Danny continues to maintain an active tour schedule and flies between gigs on a private jet. He lives in a sprawling mansion and has a hot, young fiancée, Sophie (Katarina Cas).
One day, Danny’s long-time manager, Frank Grubman (Christopher Plummer), announces that he has booked another tour for Danny. In addition, Frank advises Danny that he has a birthday present for him. He purchased a letter, which was written by John Lennon to Danny decades before.
Rather than being elated, the discovery of the long-lost letter triggers an epiphany for Danny. The musician wonders whether he has squandered his life. Has he frittered it away in vainglorious pursuit of the ephemeral pleasures of sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll? Danny is consumed by one regret in particular. Years before, he had impregnated one of his numerous groupies. Danny failed to discharge his paternal duties and instead ignored his son.
He decides that he will attempt to reconcile with his now grown son, Tom Donnelly (Bobby Cannavale). Danny shows up unannounced at his son’s house, full of quixotic expectations.
Tom, who works for a contractor, has started a family of his own in suburban New Jersey. It consists of a lovely, supportive wife, Samantha (Jennifer Garner) and an adorable, young daughter with ADHD, Hope (Giselle Eisenberg). Not surprisingly, Tom has no interest in dealing with the father who had abandoned him. After a cursory exchange, Tom brusquely invites Danny to leave and never return. However, Danny is undeterred.
Although Pacino has top billing, he does not provide the film’s best performance. Playing the son, Cannavale delivers a portrayal simultaneously nuanced and powerful. He brilliantly captures the character’s vulnerability that lies beneath a hardened facade. Garner is wonderful as an empathetic wife, who provides emotional grounding to the family. In an engagingly naturalistic performance, Eisenberg is a bubbly delight.
Previously, Dan Fogelman wrote the screenplays for Tangled and Crazy, Stupid, Love. This time around, Fogelman not only wrote the screenplay, but makes his directorial debut. He can’t restrain Pacino from hamming it up. However, he elicits more measured performances from the rest of his cast.
Danny Collins depicts one man’s journey along the rocky road towards redemption. It touchingly explores whether a son can forgive the father who abandoned him.
Danny Collins
***
Al Pacino
Bobby Cannavale
Jennifer Garner
Directed by Dan Fogelman
Rated R
