Danny Collins

There have been many films that have been based on true stories, but have you ever seen a disclaimer at the start of a film that reads: This is kind of a true story. A little bit"? I thought not. So, which part of "Danny Collins" is based in fact and which has been embellished? As you view this film, it slowly becomes evident.

Al Pacino stars as aging 1970's rocker Danny Collins who can't give up his hard-living ways. But when his manager/best friend Frank Grubman (Christopher Plummer) uncovers a 40 year-old undelivered letter to him by John Lennon, he decides to change course and embarks on a heartfelt journey to rediscover his family, namely his long-lost son, Tom Donnelly (Bobby Cannavale) and daughter-in-law Samantha (Jennifer Garner). During his quest, he decides to woo the hotel manager Mary Sinclair (Annette Bening) where he's staying in hopes that she will agree to go out to dinner with him, and also it is the hope that he can redeem himself with attempting to begin a second act since he hadn't written anything in the last 30 years. This is quite the tall order for someone that is hard-pressed in taking care of himself much less trying to reconnect with others and create anything in his life except a mess.

Others to round out the cast are Josh Peck as Nicky, the front valet, Melissa Benoist as Jamie, clerk at the hotel desk, Katarina Cas as Sophie, Danny's much younger wife, Giselle Eisenberg as Hope Donnelly, Tom and Samantha's child, Brian Smith as Judd, Eric Lange as Dr. Silverman, Scott Lawrence as Dr. Kurtz, Nick Offerman as Guy DeLoach, Eric Schneider as Young Danny Collins and Aarti Mann as Nurse Nikita.

It is remarkable that this was helmed by director Dan Fogelman considering this is his directorial debut. This is unprecedented, because most directors with this limited amount of experience would fold under the pressure. Of course, Fogelman is a seasoned producer and writer, so I'm sure that has plenty to do with it, but still his pacing and staging was simply spot on. This was brilliantly written by Fogelman ("The 12th Man" (TV movie) '06, "Cars" '06, "Fred Claus" '07, "Lipshitz Saves the World" (TV movie) '07, "Bolt" '08, "Tangled" '10, "Cars 2" (Original Story) '11, "Crazy, Stupid, Love." '11, "The Guilt Trip" '12, "Las Vegas" '13) plus TV. This writing was amazingly well thought out, was cohesive and totally as fluid as water pouring from a glass--no wonder that this guy obviously excels in an arena that he clearly is comfortable with. This sort of has a Cameron Crowe ("Jerry Maguire", "Almost Famous") feel to it which is complimentary in my book--I'm a huge fan of Crowe. It's dramatic, but with just the right amount of comedic moments to make it seem that much more real. There are many amazing scenes in this, but one of my favorites was the last scene in the film. I can't tell you lest it could spoil it for you, but suffice it to say, it is so tense, but at the same time so heartfelt, and this is a tough combination to write and have it come across as a real situation and not just over-the-top. This could seriously be considered come Oscar time, but obviously time will tell.

This film has it all: dysfunction, love, fear, anger, redemption, drama and comedy which much of it is presented in such heartfelt ways. Along with a good script, directing and acting by this incredible ensemble cast, one can't go wrong when you land at the multiplex.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                 Rated: R                                  106mins.