So I decided to read and remark upon all the awards scripts that are going around in Caty’s excellent post.
Danny Collins takes a premise that a sell-out millionaire pop star in his 60s can go back and un-sell himself after he receives a letter written to him by John Lennon 40 years ago, which cautions him not to sell out.
He goes to a chain hotel in New Jersey to reconnect with his muse, and that’s when I stopped reading this script because I did not care at all about whether this glitzy millionaire with a tarty young ‘fiancé’ back at home in his huge mansion could get back in touch with his muse or what would happen if he did.
If this was a competition script, it would be problematic because it sets up zero stakes. However, I see that it stars Al Pacino, who probably turns in a wild-eyed performance. Also, Dan Fogelman is great at setting up big heartwarming emotional moments, so I’m sure there are some good parts in it toward the end.
Project recommendation: Consider