By Bob Grimm

When it was announced that Daniel Day-Lewis was coming out of retirement to star in Anemone, I rejoiced and waited with anticipatory glee.

Well, here it is—and while I am overjoyed to see the man onscreen again, the movie he’s inhabiting can’t quite keep up with his talent.

The film is directed by his son Ronan, with Daniel co-writing the screenplay. It comes off as a poor man’s Magnolia—named after a flower and even depicting a crazy storm in its finale.

Day-Lewis acts his head off as Ray, a hermit living in the forest who gets an unwelcomed visit from his brother, Jem (Sean Bean). Ray’s son, Brian (Samuel Bottomley), is having some troubles back home, and both Jem and Brian’s mom (Samantha Morton) think it would be a good time for Ray to come home and have a chat with Brian—now an adult to whom he has never spoken.

It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it’s a plot gimmick to set the wheels in motion and give Day-Lewis a couple of fierce acting moments to remind us of his greatness. Make no mistake: He is great here, but the material just isn’t up to snuff.

It’s sort of fun to see him playing a hermit, being that the real Day-Lewis exiled himself from Hollywood. Seeing him in his little cabin eschewing public life feels uncanny and real, almost like Day-Lewis is playing himself.

As for Ronan, he has visual flair and can certainly capture good performances on film. But Anemone gets away from him as the story plays out, with fantastical elements in the final act that come out of nowhere and make no sense.

While I didn’t like this movie, I’m glad I saw it, because it brought a screen great out of retirement. Ronan has potential, so maybe this will be the first of many collaborations between father and son, and we’ll get better projects down the road.