My wife and I watched this at home via Netflix streaming movies. Al Pacino plays the title role as Mr Manglehorn. He is a busy locksmith in this fictitious Texas town, filmed in and around Austin, Texas. He has an obsession, it has been going on for years, writing letters to his Clara back East. He never hears back, mostly the letters get returned for inability to deliver.It isn't made clear if Clara is in fact still alive, it seemed to me she must be deceased. But years earlier Manglehorn threw away his chances for a lasting relationship with Clara, who we only see in a few old photos, and this has been eating at him for all those years, making it virtually impossible for him to form any genuine relationships.So this movie is about that, can Manglehorn somehow get past all this in his twilight years? Good as his current interest is Holly Hunter as Dawn. She is a teller at the local bank and when Manglehorn goes to deposit his money he always waits to be served by her. Somewhat surprisingly she has taken an interest in this unkempt, often gruff, older man. In a funny scene when they are out on a date later she asks if he wants to take a bath with her and he doesn't know how to respond so he changes the subject.Chris Messina is good in a small role as Manglehorn's somewhat estranged son Jacob, a successful financial professional. Overall an interesting, sometimes quirky character study.

I must admit I haven't watched this movie to the end, but I saw enough of it to know that it is a pretentious attempt at an "Art Piece", with very little actual substance. My biggest complaint is with the device this director seemed to think was pretty snazzy: that of people talking incessantly in the background while the main character goes about grizzling and mumbling. I know it's supposed to mean something, but it is a conceit that only succeeds in being irritating. The mother who locks her child in the car can't shut up for a second, the guy in the casino talk/raps endlessly about how great Manglehorn is (really?), and even in a cafeteria while attempting to eat his liver and onions in peace, there is a woman yakking endlessly about food. People are talking in the bank, the radio is on in the car, there are the countless voice-overs of Manglehorn declaring his undying love for Clara in a ceaseless, meaningless monotone. Pacino was just okay. Nothing special and certainly nothing approaching his earlier talent. It is hard to believe that this character was ever charismatic, or desirable, or even young. Maybe that's the point, but it would be nice to see a glimmer of something in this man. The fact that the lovely bank teller could find this stooped, oily, unkempt old man a possible love interest is laughable. Yes, we know he's Pacino, but that just 'aint good enough; there has to be a reason to love this man (beyond the fact that he is a lonely, pathetic figure,) and it has to be more than his love for his cat - which didn't even ring true. COME ON Mr. Pacino - you're better than this. If you've lost your mojo, then just retire. There is no shame in that - most people retire at some point. We'll always have Serpico.

Perhaps this isn't your typical Al Pacino movie, but just to see the man on the screen is incredible. He can take any role and make it fascinating. It was a pretty simple sorry with a very complicated character. An older man who was trying to start all over again, which could be hard for even the young at heart. He does a good job of showing us how eccentric the character has become. From the cats, to the meetings with Holly Hunter.I would recommend watching it if you are an Al Pacino fan and see a different side to the legend. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at his sheer skill especially since most of the movie revolves around him.

"I'm going to a pancake jamboree. You know, at the Legion, I'm going there tomorrow. See the old guys. I like hangin' out with folks worse off than me."Pacino is a brilliant actor with a palmares that stands out from anyone else. No one questions that. His unique characteristic face has been displayed on many movie posters of well-known films. From Michael Corleone and Tony Montana, to Willy Bank. Each time he played an imposing person with charismatic traits. Luckily David Gordon Green could get him for the lead role in "Manglehorn". It surely isn't an epic mafia story or crime with a corrupt police force. It's rather a melancholy character study in which Pacino pulls out all the stops and once again demonstrates what a class actor he really is. But that's the only conclusion we can draw after seeing this long-winded and action-less story: Pacino is and remains of unprecedented class.Pacino plays the role of Manglehorn, a lonely, melancholic locksmith, with a limited circle of friends, who's attached to his cat and who has a platonic relationship with a bank clerk. But overall he's in the midst of a struggle for life in which he's wallowing himself in self-pity, because he let the love of his life slip away. An embittered man with an ominous sounding name and who's feeling broken hearted when thinking about Clara : "I'm a wounded man… I got real pain in my heart."The film is a collection of events. It tells the story of an old man who drags himself through life. The story is slow and draped with subtle symbolism and is loaded with the recurrent human feelings of regret and Weltschmerz. Manglehorn is a grumpy guy who forgot the art of interacting with other individuals. His demonstration during the dinner with Dawn (Holly Hunter) speaks volumes. A momentum that made an impression. It looked like a melting pot of emotions summarized in a few moments. Eventually I thought this was a key moment and the most masterful acting from the entire movie.Besides the sometimes artistic-looking images (which reminded me of "Only God forgives" at some particular moments) and the somber character of the film, "Manglehorn" ultimately is nothing more than a series of events about someone who wonders if he made the best out of his life. Superb performances by Pacino and Hunter. But if the end result is simply a proof that Pacino is an exquisite actor, this is a huge disappointment. Because I was already convinced about that anyway !More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT