Danny Collins (2015)

Aging rock star cliche who gave up on his own music to publish a more “for the masses” catalog finally receives the letter John Lennon wrote to him 40 years earlier offering him advice and help. That’s the all the push he needs to strive for a return to whom he intended to be musically and, especially, to reach out to the now-grown son he never met.

There’s a sweet story here with winning performances from Pacino, Bening, Cannavale, and Garner... but also oof. There’s something missing -- I'd say that this movie is to a good movie as a Hilton Hotel is to a home. And hey, note to the director: you’re allowed to fire kids when it turns out they’re terrible actors. They’re more resilient about these things than adults are.

B-