| Site locale: United States |
|
||||
|
||||||
|
Best Blu-ray Deals  
|
Best Blu-ray Deals, See All the Deals » |
Top deals |
Price drops
|
 $4.99 |  $14.26 |  $13.99 |  $14.99 |  $7.96 |  $4.99 |  $34.99 |  $4.99 |  $26.93 |  $4.99 |  $21.99 |  $4.99 |  $8.99 |  $4.99 |  $7.99 |  $6.05 |  $25.21 |  $4.99 |  $4.99 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Being Flynn2012 | R | 2.39:1
“Being Flynn” is a sad story trying desperately to register as tale of redemption and optimism. It’s difficult to break the bleak mood arranged by writer/director Paul Weitz, as it observes fits of self-destruction and madness, yet this is a human story about the recognition of failure, leaving the filmmaker room to explore vulnerable beats of awareness, captured through two fine performances from Robert De Niro and Paul Dano. It’s a demanding picture to watch, covering an assortment of despair that carries from start to finish. Nevertheless, Weitz fights to keep “Being Flynn” upright and moving forward, focusing on the life story being recounted, not the endless corridors of psychological darkness. 
Twentysomething Nick Flynn (Paul Dano) is flailing in life, figuring out his clouded destiny as a writer while working at a homeless shelter to pay rent. Jonathan (Robert De Niro) is his estranged father, a loutish cab driver who imagines himself to be one of the three greatest writers of all time. Delusional and prone to violence, Jonathan has quickly found himself unemployed and homeless, wandering the streets of New York City “gathering material” for a book, drowning himself in vodka to make it through the day. After an 18-year absence, Jonathan and Nick are forced to cohabitate again at the shelter, where the younger Flynn observes his corrosive father lose self-control, unleashing episodes of rage and paranoia. Trying to stabilize his own whirring mind with help from friend Denise (Olivia Thirlby), Nick is confronted with the pent-up grief of his life, including the suicide of his mother, Jody (Julianne Moore). Adapting the 2004 memoir by Nick Flynn, “Being Flynn” carries an ideal weight of remembrance, arranged by Weitz with compassion for the characters and their extended visitations with personal demons, coming to a head inside the homeless shelter. Although it commences with a manageable amount of quirk and some unavoidable movie geekery (finding De Niro back behind the wheel of a taxi cab in what could honesty be seen as a logical extension of Travis Bickle’s life), the feature finds its overcast atmosphere in a hurry, locking on to the distortion that makes life impenetrable for both Nick and Jonathan. 
As much as “Being Flynn” is a reunion story between a father and son, it’s also a dual portrait of lost potential. The contrast here is in the idea of confidence, finding Nick accepting slackerdom to feed his existence, while Jonathan is filled with bravado, clutching a yellowed complimentary rejection note from a book publisher as evidence of his brilliance, merely waiting for the right time to unleash his wisdom on the masses. Of course, Jonathan is a drunk and a liar, facts Nick knows all too well, yet he can’t help himself when it comes to hope that his deadbeat dad is truly possessing greatness. Weitz embarks on a fascinating study of character and denial, accentuating the tension between the veritable strangers inside the homeless shelter, where Jonathan refuses to accept he’s hit rock bottom, while his son shows interest in self-destruction by turning to drugs and drink to cope with his reality. Dano and De Niro make an intriguing team in “Being Flynn,” interpreting the emotional extremes of the story in unexpected ways. While De Niro pops off some poker-faced thespian fireworks as Jonathan begins to lash out at his protectors, defiant and loud (covering dementia with purposeful volume), Dano takes a more introspective route, communicating incredible pain within Nick that’s aching for a creative outlet. The actor is fascinatingly subdued, far removed from his normal glumness or alt-actor histrionics, shaping a character who’s only now coming to terms with the wreckage of his life, also thwacked with the guilt associated with his mother’s passing. It’s a deeply felt performance that comes to be Weitz’s greatest asset, finding a genuine sense of hurt with material that could easily register as superficially morose. 
“Being Flynn” is heavy but remains on target, working to express an arc of revelation about Nick that finds something of a peaceful ending. Any sunny conclusion to a story as toxic as this is difficult to appreciate, as the picture is stronger in the midst of misery, studying Nick’s growing confidence in the hellish homeless shelter, or following Jonathan as he learns the painful schedule of the streets during a brutal winter. The details are interesting, giving routine dysfunction a personality in this troubling movie. Starring: Robert De Niro, Julianne Moore, Paul Dano, Olivia Thirlby, Steve Cirbus, Lili Taylor Director: Paul Weitz » See full cast & crew |
 
Trending Blu-ray Movies
Trending in Theaters
Most Popular Blu-ray Movie Deals
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
This web site is not affiliated with the Blu-ray Disc Association. All trademarks are the property of the respective trademark owners. © 2002-2013 Blu-ray.com. All rights reserved. Mobile | Registration problems | Business/Advertising Inquiries | Privacy Policy | Legal Notices |
