Greetings again from the darkness. Having done no research to determine how closely Nick Flynn's autobiography/memoirs entitled "Another Bull**** Night in Suck City" follows his real life, it is safe for me to say that there is some pleasure to be had from a movie that lacks the traditional Hollywood ending of redemption for rotten souls. We do know that in real life, as in the movie, Nick met his long-lost father while working at a homeless shelter. This happened after Nick's mother committed suicide.
This story will strike a familiar chord with anyone who has experienced abandonment by a parent (or two). Hopefully, your story doesn't also include the alcohol and drug abuse, as well as the guilt of believing you were responsible for the loving parent's suicide. Nick's story does.
Nick is played well with an almost detached passive aggressiveness by Paul Dano. He seems constantly numbed by the situation life places him in. Astonishment kicks in when he comes face to face with his father Jonathan, a self-proclaimed brilliant writer, but also con artist and racist. Jonathan, played by Robert DeNiro, is first seen as a taxi driver. Yes, Robert DeNiro as a taxi driver, almost 40 years after his iconic turn in Taxi Driver! It's a startling image for a movie lover, but one that doesn't last long. Jonathan loses that job as he has lost everything else.
Nick's internal battle is obvious. He doesn't want to be his father, but constantly sees glimpses that they are more similar than he would prefer. Nick manages to mess up a good thing with his co-worker played by the terrific Olivia Thirlby. She experiences the frustration of trying to save someone who doesn't really want to be saved.
Strong support work comes from Wes Studi, Dale Dickey, William Stadler, Lili Taylor (Nick Flynn's real life wife) and Julianne Moore. Ms. Moore plays Nick's mother, but really has little to do. Though she provided a strong foundation for Nick, this is really the story of Nick and Jonathan. It's DeNiro's best dramatic work in years and is a reminder that he is capable of more than the Focker movies (Paul Weitz actually directed Being Flynn AND Little Fockers, as well as About a Boy and American Pie).
This story will strike a familiar chord with anyone who has experienced abandonment by a parent (or two). Hopefully, your story doesn't also include the alcohol and drug abuse, as well as the guilt of believing you were responsible for the loving parent's suicide. Nick's story does.
Nick is played well with an almost detached passive aggressiveness by Paul Dano. He seems constantly numbed by the situation life places him in. Astonishment kicks in when he comes face to face with his father Jonathan, a self-proclaimed brilliant writer, but also con artist and racist. Jonathan, played by Robert DeNiro, is first seen as a taxi driver. Yes, Robert DeNiro as a taxi driver, almost 40 years after his iconic turn in Taxi Driver! It's a startling image for a movie lover, but one that doesn't last long. Jonathan loses that job as he has lost everything else.
Nick's internal battle is obvious. He doesn't want to be his father, but constantly sees glimpses that they are more similar than he would prefer. Nick manages to mess up a good thing with his co-worker played by the terrific Olivia Thirlby. She experiences the frustration of trying to save someone who doesn't really want to be saved.
Strong support work comes from Wes Studi, Dale Dickey, William Stadler, Lili Taylor (Nick Flynn's real life wife) and Julianne Moore. Ms. Moore plays Nick's mother, but really has little to do. Though she provided a strong foundation for Nick, this is really the story of Nick and Jonathan. It's DeNiro's best dramatic work in years and is a reminder that he is capable of more than the Focker movies (Paul Weitz actually directed Being Flynn AND Little Fockers, as well as About a Boy and American Pie).