Review of Being Flynn (2012) by Dawdlingpoet — 23 Nov 2021

This is a drama film with themes covered including homelessness, snow and shelter. It is fairly slow to start, with the characters background slowly being depicted. The relationship between son and father is clearly somewhat distant, with the son, Nick, shown as a child wondering about said father, looking up to him and wishing he knew him and then when he does come back in to his life, Nick is somewhat apprehensive about confronting him at first. Meanwhile, his father is quite egotistical and more laidback, so its fair to say that they don't especially get along together.

I felt it was quite a meandering plot, with different characters providing narration at different times - both Nick and his father, Jonathan, provide narration at different times. The tone, from scene to scene, depends on who is providing the narration, with Jonathan being more, as I say, laidback. I felt that in general the films plot was quite meandering. Its certainly not a fast paced film but it isn't full of sentimental schmaltz either. Its quite thought provoking, I suppose - I imagine many people could relate to aspects of the plot, with absent fathers not being too uncommon these days, sadly. I liked aspects of multiple characters, for different reasons. I felt that Jonathan was probably the more interesting character.

Cast wise, the son, Nick Flynn, is played by Paul Dano. He plays him as quite a nervous, introverted type, quite hesitant seeming, yet curious to find out more about his dad. His father, Jonathan Flynn, is played by Robert De Niro, who plays him as quite a cocky and self-proud person, regardless of his personal circumstances. Its the sort of role that probably comes relatively easy for him, being a bit of a wise-guy type, I'd have thought. Meanwhile, other cast members include Julianne Moore, who plays Jodie Flynn and Olivia Thirlby, who plays Denise.

Content wise, the film contains some strong language and discriminatory language used, sex references and nudity, mild to moderate violence including fist fights and gunfire. There are also scenes including illegal drug taking. Due to this, the film has been given a 15 rating.

I liked some of the camerawork featured - there are some scenes in which the camera pans out and gives it an added atmospheric feel. Its an interesting film, with some good themes and it is fairly thought provoking. There is a fairly sombre feel to it at times, particularly as the plot develops and I think there are bittersweet elements but I won't elaborate, so as not to spoil things too much for any potential viewers. I actually thought it was quite memorable, which is something a fair number of modern films aren't, which is obviously a good thing.

Yes I'd recommend this film, as I thought it had a good cast and was pretty intriguing/interesting. It has a good cast and although its a little meandering, its a decent enough watch and was fairly memorable by the end.