Being Flynn

It may seem like something straight out of the movies, but the real Nick Flynn did reunite with his estranged father after nearly two decades when his father walked into a homeless shelter where Nick was working. It’s chronicled in the younger Flynn’s memoir, Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, and now serves as a focal point for two characters lacking much of a connection beyond passions for writing. Paul Dano portrays Nick, and, unfortunately, it’s not a very notable performance. As his father, Jonathan, however, Robert De Niro nearly returns to the form that made him the best film actor around for about 15 years or so. The material isn’t up to that level, but it is good to see the old De Niro for a change instead of another Fockers movie.