ViewGuide

Created Apr 17, 2015 08:36PM PST • Edited Nov 26, 2015 11:32AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Great 4.0

   Al Pacino plays faux-rockstar Danny Collins like a demented Neal Diamond, complete with big singalong. Danny Collins instantly enters the Pacino Pantheon, Extreme Extrovert Wing. Rockstar Al is in the house.

   The film is entirely high concept, albeit inspired by a real story: John Lennon wrote an encouraging letter to a young singer-songwriter in 1971, who didn’t come across it until 2010, causing him to reassess his life.

   The movie features perfect music: lots of Lennon interspersed with Danny Collins, including a new Danny Collins song. Hey Baby Doll – with its chorus of “Sweeet Baby Doll” – is a clear ripoff of Sweet Caroline. I happen to love Sweet Caroline, so this is perfectly fine with me. However, Danny Collins has issues with it.

   Bottom Line

   Danny Collins is schmaltzy in a very good way, like if Neil Diamond got crossed with John Lennon.

4. Acting

   Really Great 4.5

   Al Pacino does rockstar. Yes he can. Danny Collins is inimitable Pacino, shirt unbuttoned and artistic scarf thrown ‘round his neck. Big Al’s even got a credible singing voice. “Sweeet Baby Doll!”

   Danny Collins is an operatic role a la Ricky Roma and Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade.

   Bonus Extra: Check out Al talking about Coppola wanting him to play Michael Corleone in the nearby Story of Danny Collins video.

   Great Supporting Cast

   • Christopher Plummer plays Danny’s longtime friend and manager, the guy he got sober while drunk. Plummer’s always a treat.
   • Katarina Cas as his super-sexy fiance and fellow coke-fiend
   • Annette Bening plays the nice woman who manages the Woodcliff Lake Hilton. She’s not a Danny Collins fan.
   • Bobby Cannavale as Danny Collins’ son: Cannavale plays a low-key guy, which suits him well, being as he’s keyed-up in most movies. Stillness becomes him, as it does any moviestar. But the transition is kind of like Jonah Hill’s in Moneyball.
   • Jennifer Garner as his great wife and mother of Danny Collins’ granddaughter
   • Giselle Eisenberg as that hyper cute little granddaughter

5. Male Stars Perfect 5.0

   Pacino

6. Female Stars Really Great 4.5

   Bening & Garner

7. Female Costars Great 4.0

   Cas & Eisenberg

8. Male Costars Really Great 4.5

   Plummer & Cannavale

10. Film

    Great 4.0

    Dan Fogelman does a great job directing a very good script by Dan Fogelman.

11. Direction Great 4.0

12. Play Very Good 3.5

    The script is worthy of the great cast, yet needs them to make it work.

13. Music Perfect 5.0

    John Lennon Songs

    • Instant Karma
    • Imagine
    • Working Class Hero
    • Beautiful Boy

14. Visuals Really Great 4.5
15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 2.2

    Sexy Fun

17. Sex Titillating 2.3

18. Violence Gentle 1.5

19. Rudeness Profane 2.9

21. Reality

    Glib 1.5

22. Circumstantial Surreal 2.1

23. Biological Glib 1.5

24. Physical Natural 1.0