This Must Be The Place (2011)

Directed by Paolo Sorrentino
Written by Paolo Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello
Starring Sean Penn, Judd Hirsch, France McDormand and Eve Hewson

Cheyenne, a retired rock star living off his royalties in Dublin, returns to New York City to find the man responsible for a humiliation suffered by his recently deceased father during W.W.II.

In a role that seems to contradict itself, Sean Penn plays a quiet, mild-tempered former rock star who seems to be trying everything he possible can to not be a cliché. This alone makes for an interesting character, but the filmmakers try to add more, unnecessary elements to make the movie more deep than it needs to be.

The first act is remarkably engrossing. The mannerisms and voice of the character Penn created was an astonishing change from the norm. The study of who this rock star really was after all of the lights and cameras were away and after he grew out of his drug habits was worth making a full-length movie. But they didn't focus on that too long.

In an attempt to make a statement that had already been made in the first five minutes, the writers decided to add the element of a dying Father who was held at Auschwitz during WWII. This played less like a genius twist in the story and more like a cry for an award. The plot had already been set and with the destination not having changed at all, the entire middle forty-five minutes just seemed gratuitous.

Sean Penn gives a killer, toned down performance that rivals many of his other roles. It's just a shame that it is wasted on half of this film. Despite a few technical editing problems (that are more of a personal opinion), I really enjoyed the beginning of this movie. It felt a lot like a Coen Brothers film. But the last half just killed it for me. It was trying to be something it just simply wasn't.

My Rating: 5.5/10

Danny Collins (2015)

Written and Directed by Dan Fogelman
Starring Al Pacino, Bobby Cannavale, Annette Bening and Jennifer Garner

An aging rock star decides to change his life when he discovers a 40-year-old letter written to him by John Lennon.

A film very loosely inspired by an actual event, it is a heart warming story of a man trying to right the wrongs he has committed to those he should have looked out for. With surprisingly funny performances from everyone involved, it proved all of my skepticism wrong very quickly.

Along with the humor, another thing I did not expect to come from this movie was the human aspect. In most movies involving rich celebrities trying to redeem themselves, the characters in question seem disillusioned and rude before they seek to better themselves. In "Danny Collins", the titular character is kind to strangers, friendly and never acts like a prima donna.

This is another one of those "filler" movies. It's not a film for the history books. But it's not one to simply look over. It's a nice, entertaining movie to watch in between the movies you are excited for. It's a refreshing, satisfying movie that is definitely worth a watch.

My Rating 6.8/10