Being Flynn

R

Released Mar 2, 2012

1 hr. 42 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

51%

83 Reviews

Tomatometer

41%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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Audience Member

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.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

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.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/16/21

Full Review

Audience Member

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

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

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

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Donald B

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.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/26/17

Full Review

lise l

I liked it! Serious matters in unsentimental ways. Loved Danas very low key character and de Niro being too much without being too much.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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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

Carlos

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

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

Rated: 2.5/5

Mar 23, 2012

Full Review

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

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.

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 17, 2012

Full Review

Joe Williams

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 16, 2012

Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

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...

Mar 16, 2021

Full Review

Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

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

Rated: 3/5

Jan 31, 2021

Full Review

Brent McKnight

The Last Thing I See

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.

Rated: B+

Jul 11, 2020

Full Review

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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
Executive Producer: Jane Rosenthal, Meghan Lyvers, Kerry Kohansky-Roberts, Caroline Baron, Nick Flynn
Screenwriter: Paul Weitz
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Depth of Field, Tribeca Productions, Community Films
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

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