Play casting director for a moment; would you cast Al Pacino as an aging Neil Diamond-like pop star going through a late-life crisis?  Pacino certainly would not have been my first choice — and yet he pulls it off, rather beautifully.  One of the great aspects about watching performers is witnessing them tackle projects that might seem to be beyond them and then be surprised when they deliver dazzling successes.  Al Pacino has done that in Danny Collins.

As a birthday present, singer Collins is given a letter from John Lennon, written to him but never delivered, exhorting him to stay true to his talent.  Feeling that he sold out years ago with his second album, Collins calls off his current tour and holes up in a New Jersey hotel so he can try to write new material — and to connect with the adult son (Bobby Cannavale) whom he has never officially met.  Complicating matters are Cannavale’s wife (Jennifer Garner) and daughter (Giselle Eisenberg), Collins’ manager (Christopher Plummer) and the hotel manager (Annette Bening), to whom Collins is instantly attracted.  The relationships shift and evolve as Collins tries to come to terms with his past and set himself on a different future path.

While Pacino is no great singer (he does well with the Diamond-esque “Hey Baby Doll” number), his larger-than-life persona serves Danny Collins particularly well. This is one of Pacino’s more restrained performances, his best since Stand Up Guys a few years ago.  The script balances Pacino’s charisma with the no-nonsense presence of Annette Bening, who refuses to be overwhelmed by Collins’ extravagance.  Their playful banter goes a long way toward humanizing what could have been caricature.

Dan Fogelman’s film is a bit too pat to be a classic, but it is often delightful to watch and to hear.  Everyone is given terrific dialogue, especially Christopher Plummer as Collins’ manager and best friend, Frank.  The family dynamic is very believable and engrossing, and Collins’ regression when his young girlfriend (Katerina Cas) arrives is genuinely saddening.  The film refuses to deliver a traditional romantic happy ending, choosing instead to be real and affecting in other ways.  Danny Collins is not a great film but it is a superior one that everyone can enjoy.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  29 April 2015.