Review: Being Flynn

Films serve many purposes. Some movies are meant for pure simple entertainment, others provide a means of escape from reality and some are used to shine a light on the human condition. Being Flynn falls into the latter category. This film shines a light on many facets of the human condition: the relationship between fathers and sons, the problem of self medication in the form of substance abuse, and finally how quickly you can go from being fully employed with a roof over your head, to sleeping on a park bench. Being Flynn does a good job of this without senseless pandering.

Being Flynn is the story of Nick Flynn (Paul Dano). Nick is a struggling author (aren't we all) whose entire existence seems to revolve around being abandoned by his father Jonathan (Robert de Niro) at a young age.

The first act of the film is filled with imagery illustrating both Nick's and Jonathan's current battles with their demons. We see Nick's failed relationships with women, his flirtation with the bottle and of course the struggles that seem mandatory in every aspiring author's life. In Jonathan's case, we see a self-proclaimed master storyletter, who drives a Yellow Cab while sipping screwdrivers from an orange-juice container.

Jonathan is a complete stranger to his son until he is evicted from his apartment and suddenly shows up on Nick's doorstep demanding help moving. Jonathan's entry into Nick's life is accompanied by an equally sudden exit. Soon after Jonathan's exit, Nick takes a job at a homeless shelter.

It's at this point in Being Flynn that Nick's life takes a turn. He soon learns that his life is not actually that bad in comparison to some of the people that he now helps. It doesn't take long before Jonathan re-enters Nick's life once again, this time as a resident of the homeless shelter. The remainder of the film is spent dealing with Nick's fractured relationship with his alcoholic manic father.

The real strength of this movie comes in its authorship. Being Flynn is based on Nick Flynn's book Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, and is an autobiographical story of his and his father's life. The film is written and directed by Paul Weitz, who does an admirable job bringing this story to life. The relationship between De Niro and Dano's comes across as authentic. Weitz draws out one of De Niro's better performances in recent memory.

Accompanying De Niro and Dano is Julianne Moore, who brings Nick's mother Jody to life onscreen. Moore's fine performance as a lonely struggling mother of the 70s adds yet another dimension to Nick's character. You cannot help but love yet feel sorry for this character in her struggles as a single mother.

The real shame of Being Flynn is that the studio is releasing it in March. This film has Oscar-worthy writing and acting and should not be missed.