We all know the familiar story of the washed-up, has-been rocker, but the trailer for ‘Danny Collins’ takes the premise and gives it a little twist with an added bit of hoo-ah for emphasis: what if a promising rocker actually went on to have a very successful career, but that career was shallow and lacked the depth and soul of his earlier, folksy background? What if a rocker who idolized John Lennon evolved into something of a Barry Manilow? The result is Al Pacino’s Danny Collins, and as Annette Bening notes, he does look slightly ridiculous.

Pacino plays Collins, the has-been, once-was-promising rocker who has long given up nurturing the dream of a career that could be, until he’s presented with a long-lost letter from John Lennon, who, as it turns out, replied to a letter Collins sent the former Beatle. This inspires Collins, who hasn’t written any new songs in years, to head out on a journey of self-rediscovery, as he tries to locate the son he once abandoned (Bobby Cannavale), and maybe write some new songs while shacked up in a hotel, where he becomes friendly with one of the staffers (Bening). It’s pretty safe to assume that while Bening initially resists his charms, she’ll probably fall for him by the end and teach him a thing or two about himself along the way.

The film also stars Jennifer Garner and Josh Peck, and hits theaters next year.

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