Review of Being Flynn (2012) by Monica D — 19 Mar 2012

I overheard some leaving the audience as saying "too real", but I didn't flinch in the depiction of life in a homeless shelter. De Niro plays a father that rants and fabricates, usually harmlessly, but eventually with increasing anger. And he plays that role well.

The faults might lie in the writing, where the son starts charming, but becomes increasingly difficult to empathize with. Still, seeing the slide from troubled into homelessness and watching Dano overcome disappointment and loathing for his previously absent father works as a pleasant life-lesson.