Being Flynn

There are some interesting characters in Being Flynn, but you don't get to learn much about most of them, and the movie doesn't really go anywhere as a whole. Unless you're as into Paul Dano as I am, I don't recommend it.

 
I hadn't seen or heard anything about Being Flynn until Roeper reviewed it. He made it look interesting (and he liked it), so I thought I'd give it a shot. I like Paul Dano. I think he'll be interesting to keep an eye on. I'm not sure this movie is really worth watching if you're not into him, though. It kept my attention, but I pretty much knew the whole time it couldn't be going anywhere good, or at least if it did, it wouldn't be realistic.

The procedural stuff in the homeless shelter was kind of interesting.

It was painful to watch anything with De Niro in it. His character was just so crazy and angry. Nick seemed like a jerk, too. A total nutcase in the beginning. I guess maybe working at the homeless shelter and going to meetings could've changed him, though. I totally respect what Olivia's character did. It takes a lot to keep your distance in the first place, and then to break it off like that at the first sign of trouble. I don't think it was realistic that he quit drugs right away. I think a breakup like that probably would've just made anyone spiral deeper into it.

I was happy to see Lili Taylor. Ever since she died in Six Feet Under, I just kind of think of her as being dead, so it's always nice to see that she's not. Jonathan was so insane, such a total liar. I don't think I could be around that, even if he was my father. I certainly wouldn't subject my kids to it. I wonder if the real Nick Flynn has enough money now to get his dad put in some kind of home, which is obviously where he belongs. On some meds, maybe. It's a good thing they changed the title. I don't think "Another Bullshit Night in Suck City" would've gone anywhere. It's not very appealing.

I did like the grittiness of everything, the realness. Nick's roommates were interesting. I liked the way they showed living on the street as being dangerous. I liked the insight into some of the things homeless people go through. It's definitely a cautionary tale; not somewhere you ever want to end up. It was really powerful when John told Nick that Nick wasn't him, too. 

I don't think the ending was realistic. You can't just wrap everything up in a nice little package like that. John gets an apartment, Nick gets a family, happily ever after. John's still a hateful lunatic, if nothing else. It's not all good. I did like the narrative style. I liked Nick's parts, anyway, not John's. I liked hearing the story from the point of view of someone who'd been through it, who knew how everything was going to turn out, and what would happen years later.

The soundtrack was good. I loved Dano's performance. Everything he brought to the character was great. I liked the moments of comedy in the movie, too. I didn't know it was based on a true story. That certainly added some depth to it. I love that the real Nick Flynn is actually married to Lili Taylor. That just seems crazy. And apparently he then went on to write a book about his experience with making the movie! Next he'll write a book about his experience writing the book..

But, back to the movie. It was pretty simple. Parts of it were hard to watch. Ultimately, because of the unrealistic ending, it doesn't actually go anywhere. I wouldn't really recommend it, unless you're like me and you'll enjoy anything starring Paul Dano. 

Unless you have a particular interest in homeless people or Paul Dano, I wouldn't recommend this one. It's simple, and kind of interesting, but it doesn't really go anywhere.