Review of Danny Collins (2015) by Tball — 01 Dec 2015

Released for free on Amazon Prime, I gave this a go last night. This is one of those situations where I wonder if other reviewers and I watched the same film. The premise, intriguing, is wasted by turning it from what might have been an interesting transformation in someone who has wasted his considerable artistic potential for a successful sell out career in schlock and instead veers into a horribly cliched family drama.

Pacino is never believable in this role as an aging rock star. He chews the scenery a bit and overacts, as he usually does these days, but never convinces that he is actually a musician. The few on stage moments are embarrassingly bad, albeit as they are intended to be but in way not intended.

The few scenes in which he is writing songs at the piano never convince that this guy could ever sing, making Dylan and Cohen sound like Pavarotti. Plummer does a fine job as Danny's friend and manager, Benning's character makes no sense and while the family is adorable and the considerably able supporting cast does their best, they can't really make up for the hole in the middle of this film.

Pacino is miscast as Danny Collins unless having someone look like an aging, over the top mafioso doing karaoke was the aim of the director. If making Yoko Ono a few bucks on the soundtrack was the intention, maybe this films score but, to me, Danny Collins is a muddle at best and the "what if" premise is wasted completely.

The movie would have worked as well or as badly without it.