A lovely experience

The supremely gifted veteran actor Al Pacino returns to cinematic centrestage with this lovable portrayal of a hard-partying, loose-living ageing rock star who gets triggered into touching base with his never-seen-before son, following a letter from John Lennon delivered to him a couple of decades too late!   

This is an appealing comedy with not much greater ambition other than pleasing the viewer into an amenable mindset. The old, soft-rock performer discovers the true meaning of life only when he’s nudged into doing so. And the nudge happens when Danny's manager and best friend Frank (Christopher Plummer) gives Danny, almost a spent force, a birthday gift—a 1971 fan letter from John Lennon, (actually withheld by him for four decades), inviting Danny to go to New York and look him and Yoko up. It’s a shake-up that gets him to the straight and narrow.  As an aside, the real letter that Lennon sent was to British musician Steve Tilston, who worried about the corrupting influence of fame!

Following a few sleepless nights, Danny cancels his big-money tour, breaks off his engagement to a younger woman who's been cheating on him with a younger man and checks into a suburban New Jersey Hilton. 

The story’s Lennonesque references are quite obvious. The narrative takes shifty turns into melodrama and uses invective dialogue to sharpen the emotion. The cast does a wonderful job, keeping it all real. Al Pacino leads with his charismatic presence and infallible craft while Christopher Plummer, Annette Bening, Bobby Cannavale and Jennifer Garner lend strong support. Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Dan Fogelman, this redemption tale about a deeply flawed individual trying to redeem himself into a better human being and therefore a much deeper artist, has its moments of involving dramatics and enjoyment. This one’s a lovable experience – not a deeply emotional or thought-provoking one.  — JT