Being Flynn (2012)

Good start, but then it gets ruined

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The movie is wildly uneven but lively and timely - in its own surreal way

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Here we have over 100 minutes of the same topic being told over and over! What was Director Paul Weitz thinking?We see over and over Nick Flynn's relationship with his over stressed mother and psychotic bum father. Dano is sadly one dimensional and predictable - even with all the evidence before him of how he will end up if he doesn't change his ways. De Niro is a wise old sage in one scene then a screaming maniac in another, then a boozed up drunk in another scene and all the while he says the same thing over and over to Nick (his son).We - the viewers - know how this story will end. Believe me, it's no surprise! The ending of the movie might as well have been the beginning! I was bored watching and now I'm bored writing about this movie.

We had thought we were getting a comedy. The story however is compelling enough to maintain interest. Some of the sex scenes at the beginning are gratuitous and don't add to the story itself. The relationship between Jonathan and Nicholas is the central theme, and as Nicholas makes sense of his own story through his encounter with his father, and he gradually differentiates his own life. The relationship between Jonathan and Nicholas provide a good family systems theme along the lines of family systems pioneer Murray Bowen. The theme of addictions, single parenthood, and absentee fathers add to the poignancy of the story. Veteran Robert De Niro is masterful as Jonathan Flynn, and inspires the work of the younger and lesser known actors as well.

Being a bio, i must definitely say that it's a very interesting film about really interesting characters. Yeah, some will claim that a film without interesting characters is not an interesting film, which is true anyways. But fine: back to the main subject, 'Being Flynn' is an above average bio in my opinion.The story about characters without any hope and saddened by the life and the consequences of it, is a thing that happens everyday with . The situation and the why people turns to be homeless is a subject explored and showed in a clever and entertaining way, without any distortions to make it look more 'interesting' for the viewer. The editing, though very inconsistent in simple scenes, played a big part in the film's conception. The film wouldn't be as half as interesting without the good job done in that aspect.I loved Paul Dano and Deniro's performances. Both were very good. Deniro as the grumpy old man and Dano as the character without direction in his life.Overall, a flawed film, specifically the last twenty minutes or so, that really prejudiced a then fine film. Still, a solid 7.0/10

Parental abandonment is something that many people deal with. Some never reconcile it, choosing to ignore it. But the fact is that abandonment early in life can leave scars that affect you for the rest of your life. Pretending not to notice or shrugging it off can seem like it works for a while, but as one ages, the gravity of the experience begins to take form. This film will most likely bring to light some of the circumstances surrounding a viewer's own similar situation.For me, it was realizing how the lack of a father has affected how I view relationships and as a result, my own choices. Young girls learn about male energy and how it can be beneficial from their fathers. My father abandoned me very early in life, surfacing only a few times, one of which was when he was in ill health. Fortunately for me, I was not faced with the situation that Nick was - my father had the means to live on his own. I also had a stepfather who never recognized me even as a family member. When he wasn't ridiculing me he was just ignoring me. Thankfully, my mother was a very strong presence in my life. But she was gone well before her time as well. Nick's mother committed suicide -- and there are many other more subtle ways to do this. Like ignoring your own health and well being and allowing yourself to become so ill that it is too late to repair it.It seemed early on that Nick decided to be a writer because his father considered himself to be one. That, along with providing much inspiration by way of their own story - is another contribution to Nick's life that I'm sure he has acknowledged. The one thing that Nick's father did was validate his writing. For a writer, that can mean more than just about anything.