Being Flynn

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Being Flynn

R

2012

1h 42m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

49%

Tomatometer

81 Reviews

41%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Nick Flynn (Paul Dano) is a young writer trying to define himself. He misses his mother, who recently died, but his father, Jonathan (Robert De Niro), has been out of his life for 18 years. When Jonathan is in danger of losing his job and apartment, he reaches out to his son. Overwhelmed, Nick nonetheless prepares to welcome his father back into his life, then Jonathan quickly disappears again. When Nick later finds the man at a homeless shelter, he must make a big decision.

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Critics Consensus

Robert De Niro gives a sincere, gripping performance, but Being Flynn is an uneasy mix of drama and comedy that fails to emotionally resonate as a whole.

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

03/23/2012

2.5/5

On the whole, the film feels detached and morose, just like its characters.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

03/17/2012

2.5/4

It's captured a corner of a my imagination, getting me to think like I haven't in ages, and for all my mixed feelings those are traits I'll happily celebrate now and until the end of time.

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Joe Williams

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

03/16/2012

3/4

He might be guilty of showboating, but De Niro's knockout performance is a declaration that the star of "Raging Bull" isn't ready to hang up his gloves.

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David Bax

Battleship Pretension

03/16/2021

Despite all this, Weitz and his camera are infatuated with DeNiro, who is performing more than he is acting in a film that only he and the director don't understand is more suited to the latter...

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

01/31/2021

3/5

A bleak character study that scrapes by on the strength of its performances.

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Brent McKnight

The Last Thing I See

07/11/2020

B+

a film that plumbs the depths of addiction, poverty, family, and ultimately identity, doesn't pull any punches, and approaches all of these themes from a personal angle that makes them accessible.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Dec 9

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Jeffrey P

@RT21245856 08/24/2022

Some decent performances in this soft-hearted take on addiction surrounding a father and his son, but addiction isn't really soft-hearted so it didn't feel quite like it's self. It does have a subtle good message in the end that could benefit a few people, most of which who will likely miss it as it goes over their head.

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01/16/2021

Being Flynn is a good son and father relationship drama. Robert De Niro gives an excellent performance one of his better performances in years. The script is solid and the movie moves briskly along for the most part and the few slow scenes. The flashback scenes with his mother don’t seem to be fully developed though it seems to take away from the main story. Still a decent film worth watching.

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09/14/2018

This movie moves fast but is very relatable to the fast pace of life. Robert is amazing as always.

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05/28/2018

Loved this movie. very sensitive acting, and the story is by no means banal or hackneyed.

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Donald B

@RT31902375 11/26/2017

The creators of Being Flynn would like it to be considered a deep and insightful look at both mental illness and substance abuse, but it comes up hollow. Maybe if the filmmakers could decide on a single main character, instead of focusing on two, then something could have been salvaged from this one. Also, the lack of focus is exasperated by the poor story telling aesthetic, which constantly switches from one narrator to the next as if hey are jostling for our attention.

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Paul Weitz

Director

Robert De Niro

Jonathan Flynn

Paul Dano

Nick Flynn

Julianne Moore

Jody Flynn

Olivia Thirlby

Denise

Eddie Rouse

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Synopsis

Nick Flynn (Paul Dano) is a young writer trying to define himself. He misses his mother, who recently died, but his father, Jonathan (Robert De Niro), has been out of his life for 18 years. When Jonathan is in danger of losing his job and apartment, he reaches out to his son. Overwhelmed, Nick nonetheless prepares to welcome his father back into his life, then Jonathan quickly disappears again. When Nick later finds the man at a homeless shelter, he must make a big decision.

Director: Paul Weitz
Producer: Paul Weitz, Andrew Miano, Michael Costigan
Screenwriter: Paul Weitz
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Community Films, Depth of Field, Tribeca Productions, Focus Features
Rating: R (Drug Use|Brief Nudity|Language Throughout|Some Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 2, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $526.3K
Runtime: 1h 42m

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