Being Flynn
Drifting from one job to the next Nick Flynn (Paul Dano) is a man abandoned by his father as boy now searching for a sense of purpose harbored with an underlying sense of self loathing. Ultimately on his way to rock bottom he finds work with a Boston homeless shelter. While working at the shelter he’s exposed to life at its grittiest moments all the while collecting material for poetry, stories, his art, writing. He even manages to find love with, Denise (Olivia Thirlby), a tough and confident young woman also working at the shelter; but, despite all efforts to keep his head up, his descent to what appears to be the inevitable is accelerated when his own father, Jonathan Flynn (Robert De Niro), appears as a guest at the homeless shelter. Now face to face with the man who made him, Nick can’t help but question if he’ll end up like his father—a seemingly indestructible cockroach of a con man yet also a self-proclaimed master poet and author? But how far did the apple really fall from the tree, and will he have the strength to pull himself out of his tailspin before it’s too late?
Adapted for screen and Directed by Paul Weitz the film serves as a semi autobiographical look into the life of author Nick Flynn. Recently I had the chance to sit and talk shop with Weitz about where the screenplay came from here’s what he had to say.
Being Flynn Paul Weitz
Of course the trick with adaptations is that the author writing the adaptation has the potential to alter or change how a story will actually be portrayed. In this case, Weitz explains there are a number of points from the source material that were particularly resonant to him but not necessarily where Flynn had elaborated. The end result, a marriage of the two author’s complexities and struggles.
Being Flynn Paul Weitz 2
And, for the most part the amalgamation of ideas seems to work well, sometimes giving lurid detail into the psyches of both authors, perhaps a form of therapy or declaration of their own self doubts founded or unfounded.
In the acting department all parties give strong performances including Julianne Moore as Nick’s mother. But it truly feels as though the more interesting and compelling story to watch is De Niro and his character. Truthfully I would have liked to know more about his sordid past and what makes him tick; alas that perhaps would have been a longer and more expensive film, but maybe the adage of “keep them wanting more†applies here…or not. Still, back to De Niro, the man’s a force of nature, describing his process Weitz shed a little light on how De Niro works.
Being Flynn Paul Weitz 3
The film carries grit and truth about the homeless world and digs into some interesting psychological rabbit holes, although sometimes not deep enough. And, while I’m not entirely sure who the audience for this film will be on a national level, the cinephile caliber of Seattle will certainly appreciate a number of elements. Perhaps a matinee or rental. Being Flynn is rated R.
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