5/6/15

Manglehorn

Here is another US entry to the 2015 Seattle International Film Festival. This drama is directed by David Gordon Green ("Pineapple Express") and is based on a screenplay by Paul Logan. It is about a locksmith who alienated the love of his life forty years ago and finally is faced with the prospect of possible change.

We see:
  • Al Pacino ("Danny Collins") as A.J. Manglehorn, a broken-hearted fellow who constantly writes letters to that absent woman. They always come back so he has a room filled with hundreds of them carefully filed away.
  • Holly Hunter ("Won't Back Down") is Dawn, a new friend in that small Texas town. She works at the local bank and discovers that they both love their pets. They meet for breakfast at the Pancake Jamboree.
  • Chris Messina ("The Newsroom") is his son Jacob, who appears to be financially successful, but there are issues....
This predictable/unpredictable mess left me with a few questions:
  • Why was that multi-vehicle wreck strewn with watermelon?
  • Who wants to see abdominal surgery on a cat?
  • Why were honey bees allowed to build their combs on the mailbox?
  • Whose idea was it to make us hear a badly rendered "Love Lifted Me?"
  • Why were Pacino's fingers bandaged?
  • Is garish lighting and garbled dialogue considered Artistic?
  • Why did Pacino sign on? Is this his version of Suffering for his Art?
Once again, I confess I'm NOT Artistic, so I found my patience taxed beyond bearing. Be advised....