Manglehorn

"'tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." So wrote Victorian British Poet Laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson. People can debate the validity of Tennyson's words, but most who see "Manglehorn" (PG-13, 1:37) would probably agree to add "…unless you let the memory of that lost love consume you and make you practically unlovable by anyone else" (stated more poetically, of course).

Al Pacino stars as the title character, a reclusive locksmith in a small Texas town. He pines for a long lost love named Clara, to whom he constantly writes letters, only to see them returned to his mailbox unopened. Manglehorn lives alone in a modest house with his only real friend, an old long-haired white cat named Fanny. One of the townsfolk by the name of Gary (Harmony Korine), whose little league baseball team Manglehorn used to coach, still idolizes the old man, but Gary is kind of a mess himself and Manglehorn doesn't want to be bothered anyway. He has an adult son (with a woman whom he claims he never loved) but he only sees Jacob (Chris Messina) on occasion. Jacob is a wealthy commodities broker who is a bit of a jerk (kind of like his dad can be), but Jacob has a young daughter on whom grandpa Manglehorn dotes. A friendly bank teller (Holly Hunter) shows interest in Manglehorn as more than just another customer, but she finds out that he really isn't an easy man to love.

"Manglehorn" is enjoyable mainly as an actor's showcase. There isn't much of a plot, but, as we see Manglehorn drift through his virtually joyless life, we are reminded what a great actor Al Pacino is. Messina is also outstanding and it's a joy to see Hunter back on the big screen, especially when she makes such great use of her limited screen time. The movie itself is kind of dull and Pacino makes Manglehorn so unlikeable at times that you almost stop caring about him. Almost. It's a testament to Pacino's talent that, even as his character pushes away almost everyone in his life, the actor keeps showing us just enough of his character's positive qualities for us to remain sympathetic. To see Pacino play an aging father with regrets, "Danny Collins" is a much more entertaining film, but rarely has Pacino played a character more effectively than in "Manglehorn". "C+"

Greetings again from the darkness. For those of us who grew up with 1970's cinema, it's been painful to watch Al Pacino's career over the last two decades … with only a couple of exceptions. We have longed for the actor who became Michael Corleone, and cringed with each outing that seemed to parody his Oscar winning performance in A Scent of a Woman (1983). Along comes the latest from director David Gordon Green and with it a reappearance of that actor so worshipped by John Travolta's character in Saturday Night Fever.

A.J. Manglehorn is an elderly locksmith who lives each day under his self-designed cloud of despair. His droopy eyes, droopy shoulders and droopy social skills are eclipsed only by his love for Fanny the cat, and his daily letters to Clara – the long lost love of his life. The only other signs of life in Mr. Manglehorn are displayed when he is telling a customer that it's time to wash their car, when he is hanging out with his granddaughter, or when he is exchanging Friday flirtations with bank teller Dawn (a sparkling Holly Hunter).

Director David Gordon Green is best known for comedies such as Pineapple Express (2008), The Sitter (2011), and TV's "Eastbound & Down", and while this one (filmed in Austin, Texas) has some awkward and offbeat comedic moments, it would have to be categorized as a drama. Symbolism is everywhere as Manglehorn keeps his emotions "locked" away from his snooty yuppie son (Chris Messina) and retreats into his imaginary relationship with Clara, rather than embracing Dawn's brave come-on.

There are a couple of extraordinary scenes … Pacino and Messina talking around, rather than about, their relationship and the type of men they are; and the excruciatingly awkward and heart-breaking first date between Pacino and Hunter. The forlorn Manglehorn remains behind the locked door and allows the shadow of his dream girl to cast a pall, despite having a real life dream girl sitting across the table.

Pacino recaptures his mastery of the close-up. Such emotion from so little apparent movement is the work of a once great master who proves he still has it. Some may be put off by the lack of big action, but these are people living life and trying to make the best of it. There is a line from the movie, "When you choose this life, there is no one". It's a line that tells us so much about Manglehorn's daily approach. Whether he finds the right key matters to us for one reason … Pacino makes us care.

Out of all the roles Al Pacino has gotten in his career, that of A.J. Manglehorn must be his most unusual one to date. This might put people off (as I suspect is the case, given the mixed reviews), but you know what? I think it's one of his best performances. Life is never easy, especially when there's a big obstacle slowing you down from trying to get through it. Something that you keep thinking about, can't STOP thinking about, maybe don't even want to. And this is the case for Manglehorn. No matter how hopeless it is, how meaningless it is to keep pondering about it, he keeps writing letters to Clara, the long-lost love of his life. His contact with people is very limited and the only true friend he has is his cat. He's working as a locksmith, but doesn't feel like he contributes much to society. His sorta pal keeps talking about his new salon, which he doesn't care about. He doesn't see his son very often either.

He keeps being isolated because he doesn't see much meaning in life as Clara doesn't respond to his letters.

This was a very fine, down-to-earth little character study about a man with low self confidence and tough luck. And it was beautiful. The conversations flowed well and felt natural, the cinematography made great use of imagery to illustrate feelings and most of all did Al Pacino blow me away completely. It was to the point that he didn't even play a character, he was... anyone. Anyone you could happen to know. There are plenty of people out there like Manglehorn and this actor gave such a figure not only flesh and bones, but also intestines.

You'd have to be a fool to skip out on such a simple, yet special and poignant film.

Manglehorn is an art piece with capricious writing. Al Pacino's role as Manglehorn is lavish. Pacino graces the film with his present, saving the movie from becoming forgettable. The supporting characters are very generic, as they weren't given quality material to work with. The supporting characters serve as background noise to the conundrum that is Manglehorn. Despite this, the supporting cast does a great job portraying these characters. The cinematography of this film is rich, matching the poetic tone of Manglehorn's love letters. The film's biggest flaw is it's writing. Manglehorn is written as a character who no one can fully understand or entirely relate to. The character contradicts himself on all fronts. Some of the supporting characters are entirely irrelevant and pointless. Manglehorn is portrayed as a "great man", when in reality he's stubborn and incredibly hateful. The story following Manglehorn is nonsensical and the central conflict resolves itself in a lazy manner. Overall, Manglehorn is a poorly written film with strong acting and graceful cinematography.

David Gordon Green's 'Manglehorn' is a strange film, about an unlikely protagonist, whose journey, despite some greatness, is half-baked. Fortunately, the protagonist is played by Thespian Al Pacino, who, with a strong Holly Hunter, leads this uneven tale.

'Manglehorn' Synopsis: Left heartbroken by the woman he loved and lost many years ago, Manglehorn, an eccentric small-town locksmith, tries to start his life over again with the help of a new friend.

'Manglehorn' is about loneliness & regrets. A.J. Manglehorn is a heartbroken, depressed old man, who finds hope in the form of a new friend. And some of it works. Its actually quite a decent watch, but the Writing lags at times. It gets loose & moves a bit too slowly.

Paul Logan's Screenplay isn't without merit, it definitely has a story to tell, but it lags. The protagonist's interactions with his fellow people, aren't always engaging. The best bits are when Manglehorn & his new friend are together. And yet, in totality, the result is uneven. David Gordon Green's Direction is alright. He's done better before. Cinematography is perfect. Editing is ably done.

Performance-Wise: Pacino is magic, yet again! As A.J. Manglehorn, The Acting Epitome, ignites the screen with an effortless, heartfelt performance. Holly Hunter is wonderful. Her scenes with Pacino are the highpoint of this enterprise. Its a delight to watch them.

On the whole, 'Manglehorn' is partly good, partly bland. Nonetheless, Watch it for the acting.