8 Recent Films About The Dark Side Of Fame

6. Danny Collins

On its original release earlier this year, Danny Collins was roundly dismissed as a sentimental Al Pacino vehicle, targeting the "grey pound" market that has been frequently targeted by Hollywood since The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel hit it big. However, the film was considerably more sophisticated than that and proved to be yet another look at the ways that the music business can corrupt and destroy creativity. Pacino's title character is the epitome of a creative human being turned into simply a tool for record company profit, churning out the same, inoffensive tunes in vintage Cliff Richard style. The plot centres on Danny Collins' desire to regain his creative impetus after discovering a letter written to him by John Lennon decades earlier, urging him to stick to his musical guns. On the surface, the story is lightweight and fluffy, but as it expands to include Collins' sadness at being estranged from his son (Bobby Cannavale), it becomes a deeply emotional exploration of the difficult decision between pursuing fame and focusing on family. Danny Collins chose the constructed reality of fame rather than family life and only realised his mistake when it was too late. Throughout the film, Collins is given the option to get out of that world, but the inexorable pull of the crowd always drags him back into it. Danny Collins paints fame as a destructive addiction that refuses to let go of someone once it has them in its grip.