BEING FLYNN
US, 2012, 102 minutes, Colour.
Robert De Niro, Paul Dano, Julia, Julianne Moore, Olivia Thirlby, Wes Studi, Lili Taylor, Victor Rasuk.
Directed by Paul Weitz.
Being Flynn did not light up the box office, but it is as an interesting film, with contrasting performances by Robert De Niro as a father and Paul Dano as his son. The film is based on fact, based on a book by the son, Nicholas Flynn, Another Bullshit Night in Suck City.
The relationship between father and son is very tense, the father having walked out on the family and served a jail sentence for fraud when the son was just a boy. He grows up in the custody of his mother, played by Julianne Moore in flashbacks, who killed herself, the boy blaming himself because she had just read part of a story which reflected badly on her – but his father saying that people did not kill themselves just because they read something.
The father lives in his own world, imagining himself to be a most successful writer, a masterpiece which he carries around with him, glorying in some comments that an editor made, but not achieving anything, driving a taxi, having an accident and having to move into a residence for street people. His son has moved in to an apartment with a group, has taken up cocaine snorting, but is influenced to work in a shelter, the shelter where his father comes, causing him a lot of complications.
The interest of the film is in the dramatising in each of the characters, the dialogue in their interactions, and the gradual buildup to some kind of reconciliation, especially after the son has a book of poems published, and his father happy in his son’s success.
Surprisingly, the film is directed by poor lights Paul Weitz, director of a wide range of films from American Pie to About a Boy, to The Golden Compass.
1. The title? The original title of the book: Another Bullshit Night in Suck City? The different tones?
2. The American city, ordinary, apartments, the poorer areas, the streets and shelters? The musical score?
3. The title, the reference to Nicholas, the reference to Jack? The father’s concern? Compare and contrast? The influence of the father on his son? The son effecting the father? Absence and presence? Hostility and reconciliation?
4. The two narratives voice-overs? The information about the family, each confiding in the audience? Each asking for sympathy and understanding?
5. Nicholas, his age, the absent father, the father in prison, financial fraud? Nicholas and relationship with his mother, love her, the strong bonds? The collage of baseball throwing, the various men in his mother’s life? His blaming Jack and his lack of responsibility? Jack’s praise of his wife? The relationship with his father, awkward, the breakup of the relationship, his surprise? Having to leave his apartment? The interview with the renters? Being accepted? The drinks, meeting of Denise, talk about her job, his applying? The interview with Captain, his telling Nicholas his own story? The sexual relationship with Denise, their friendship? His writing?
6. Jack, Robert De Niro, age, imprisonment, absent for 18 years, memories of his wife and praise of her, her suicide? His talking about his writing the manuscript, the masterpiece, Charlie Cobb? His vanity, his pride in the good quotes from the publishers? Driving a taxi, scaring his passengers? Finance, the apartment, his drinking, the crash? Leaving his apartment? His phoning Nicholas, the request, the removal of the goods from the unit?
7. Jack on the streets, sleeping in his car, park benches, drinking, eventually going to the shelter?
8. Nicholas at the shelter, his work, relationships, Joy, with supervising him? Relationship with the other workers? Writing up their reports? His reading his report, very literary? The months passing? His sense of doing something?
9. Jack’s arrival, causing trouble, problems for Nicholas, his deciding to stay at work, Jack’s behaviour and his response?
10. Jack, loud, in the dormitory, shower block, time spent there, his bad behaviour, arguing with Nicholas, Nicholas and his apartment friends, drugs, his addiction? The women supporting Jack? Jack calling him a father-murderer?
11. Jack and Nicholas, talking about the manuscript, that his mother read it and it was incomplete, the part about his love not yet written, his mother’s suicide? Jack telling Nicholas not to blame himself because of his story of reading? Killing herself? That there was more to her suffering?
12. Jack in the streets, together with the others, his abuse, the old lady explaining the situation to Nicholas in the cafe? Nicholas inviting Jack to his apartment, the effect, Jack leaving?
13. Jack, get his own apartment, settling down, his books, Nicholas and the visit, giving him the manuscript to read, Nicholas realising it started well but petered out? His own book problems?
14. Nicholas and drugs? Denise breaking up because of her addict brother? His going to AA?
15. The reading, Nicholas getting some satisfaction in writing? Jack’s arrival, comment, pride in his, inheriting his father’s talents?
16. The final voice-over, Nicholas as his father’s biographer?
