Being Flynn – Dignity through failure

When a parent has abandoned a child, is there ever a point, a line crossed, when they are no longer a parent? And if lost, can that connection ever be regained or repaired?

Being Flynn is based on the non-fiction book Another Bullsh*t Night in Suck City: A Memoir by Nick Flynn, but its title refers to more than just him. Nick, played by Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood, Little Miss Sunshine), hasn’t seen his father Jonathan, played by Robert De Niro (Little Fockers, Casino), since he was a kid — but he’s been receiving letters from Jonathan for years. Contained within were his father’s rambled thoughts and treatises on life — and how he is a highly impressive author who’s never been published.

But as Nick meanders about , wondering about his purpose or goals in life, he takes a job in a homeless shelter. Finally he’s finding joy and life in something, but that all changes when he’s contacted by his father. Jonathan has been evicted and doesn’t have a place to live — at first he only asks Nick for help with moving his effects, but after problem after problem, he ends up in the same homeless shelter where Nick works. This presents something of a difficulty for Nick, to put it mildly. Nick must face the grim possibility of ending up like his father, while his father must suffer through travails of his own.

The movie is a fascinating story, put together of the two viewpoints of Nick and his father, and where the line exists of identity through your own life or from your parents. But it’s never quite clear if his father is crazy or just eccentric. The film is unafraid of showing the bleak and horrible aspects of tragedy in life life, either personal or professional, but allows for the possibility of success. Sometimes even a small glimmer of hope is all you need.

Acting is excellent across the board, from the minor roles to the substantial, including Julianne Moore (Crazy, Stupid, Love) as Nick’s mother, told through flashbacks, and Olivia Thirlby (Juno), the apathetic love interest with a core of strength and independence. And of course, Paul Dano and Robert De Niro are equally great, showcasing the degrees of rage and pain each is capable of showing on the screen. Apparently the real Jonathan Flynn wasn’t intimidated by meeting De Niro, saying something to the effect of, “you’re good, but can you really play me?”

That’s the ego of the writer, and speaking from personal experience, I’d say that’s about spot on.

Clacked by Jeremy Fogelman
on Mar 09, 2012 @ 00:30 EST5EDT