Una vita in fuga

I read the reviews and considered not watching. However, the preview sold me, and I'm glad it did. This is a solid movie with a solid story.

Dylan Penn has talent, just like her dad, and she carries this film along. I expect to see much more of her in the future.

You know, I get it. We all have different tastes in film. But I just love a slow burn. This film is slow, but in such a good way. It is intentionally slow. The main characters are developed and real. The pace of the movie allowed a beautiful and tragic story to be told and it is deeply felt by the viewer.

I loved most of the soundtrack. Also the flashbacks were easy to follow. Some of the film played out like a fuzzy dream, and I loved it. The cinematography is beautiful.

This is not a film deserving of a 10, but it certainly deserves a higher rating than the current. If you're looking for men flying around in brightly colored underwear and shooting lasers from their eyes, than this is not the film for you. But if you are patient, appreciate beauty and have an open heart, then watch this film.

Just couldn't hold my interest, to the point I actually stopped 38 minutes in tobgo do laundry. Moved so slowly yet jumped around so much I couldn't develop any kind of relationship with any character. Bored.

This movie just had a ho hum on it from the get-go. Good acting but just a boring story, and it never really explains itself... stuff just happens. I mean you don't just get to point B without a soluble A in there to make it all happen... and did they have boat-cars in the 70's? Maybe I guess... just a weird kinda movie bout a family and their demons and struggles... that's it. Not the worst,, not the best... a 5 star movie.

Greetings again from the darkness. Life is full of choices, however sometimes destiny takes charge and there's little we can do about it. One's parents are the most obvious and crucial example. We don't choose our parents and yet their impact on our lives is unavoidable. Jennifer Vogel's book, "Flim-Flam Man: The True Story of My Father's Counterfeit Life", has been adapted for the screen by the FORD V FERRARI screenwriting brothers, Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth. The film is directed by two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn, who also co-stars.

Told through the eyes of Jennifer (played here by Sean Penn's daughter Dylan Penn, a lookalike of her mother Robin Wright), this is the "based on a true story" of John Vogel, but also the story of Jennifer, who managed to overcome challenges that stemmed from her far-from-ideal childhood. Jennifer's mother Patty (Katheryn Winnick, "Vikings") is an alcoholic and has a tumultuous marriage to John, a con man who constantly spews bombast and fabrications (aka lies) as he tries to scam the system and impress his family with his big plans (that go nowhere).

Since the film opens with a law enforcement standoff, and with Jennifer being interviewed by a Federal Marshal (Oscar winner Regina King), we know how John's saga concludes, and most of the movie is spent in Jennifer's memories to paint the picture of her dad and her life. Some of these are "flashes" of moments, while others are extended segments where we really get a feel for the father that cluttered a daughter's mind and life. It's tough to watch 105 minutes of a guy with little redeeming value.

This is not the place to detail what we see, but it's at times disturbing to see the memories of a father who doesn't so much slip in and out of the lives of Jennifer, younger brother Nick (played by Sean's son Hopper Jack Penn), and mom Patty, as he appears and vanishes in proverbial explosions akin to the Wicked Witch of the West. Given that her mom is equally inept at parenting, high school Jennifer seems destined to follow in her father's footsteps.

Covering a period from 1975 through 1992, we see Jennifer as a young kid, and then Ms. Penn takes over the role in high school. She is also our narrator, some of which is overwrought for a film that mostly strives to stay grounded in family dynamics, as Jennifer works to overcome. In addition to the previously mentioned appearance by Ms. King, there are also brief yet effective turns by Josh Brolin (as John's brother Uncle Beck), Dale Dickey (as John's crusty mother), Norbert Leo Butz (as Patty's sleazy boyfriend), and Eddie Marsan (near the film's end).

In addition to overuse of voiceover, director Penn includes a few too many song/musical interludes. Some of these songs are excellent (Cat Power, Eddie Vedder, Glen Hansard), but they feel a bit heavy-handed and forced into the film. In fact, melodrama is chosen over nuance on multiple occasions, but when the film is good, it's very good. The best scenes are between father and daughter, Sean and Dylan, the latter of which shows flashes of incredible depth. We look forward to more of her work. As for Sean, can you name another actor whose natural look better exemplifies a guy who has had the snot kicked out of him by life (even if he's made his own bed)? He portrays John Vogel as a con man who believes achieving the American Dream is something he's owed, not something to earn. His love of Chopin is not enough to excuse his horrific parenting, scamming, or felonious behavior. There are various forms of freedom, and Jennifer must discover freedom from someone who has prevented you from being her true self.

Opens in select theaters on August 20, 2021.

As "Flag Day" (2021 release; 108 min.) opens, it is "June, 1992" and John (the character played by Sean Penn) is being chased by a police helicopter and a slew of police cars. Along the way we are reminded that the film is "based on a true story". We then go back in time to "Summer 1975", where we get to know John and his daughter Jennifer, then 11 yrs young, as he teaches her how to drive a car (she sits on his lap and he falls asleep, no, really). At home, John is fighting a lot with his wife, much to the chagrin of Jennifer and her brother Nick. At this point we are 10 min into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the first film where Sean Penn directs AND stars (he has directed others before, at times with excellent result, look no further than "Into The Wild"). Here he brings to the big screen the memoir of Jessica Vogel about the complicated relationship with her dad and the rest of the family. While in and of itself this could make for a great film, I'm sorry to report that it didn't happen. There are several factors: first, none of the main characters are all that likeable to begin with. Second, the script is simply very uneven and somehow cannot reel us in to the story. Third, the film's photography is horrendous: quasi non-stop extreme close-ups, with hand-held camera work, and constantly in and out of focus "artsy" looks, resulting in a quasi headache inducing viewing experience. You just wonder: WHY? On the plus side, it is great to see the Penn family, oozing with acting talent. Besides Sean, there is his daughter Dylan (playing Jennifer) and his son Hopper (as Nick). All that said, I was quite disappointed with the film, after seeing the promising trailer in recent weeks. It feels like a lost opportunity.

"Flag Day" premiered at this year's Cannes film festival to mixed reviews. It premiered in US theaters this weekend and I couldn't wait to see it. The Tuesday early evening screening where I saw this at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati turned out to be a private screening: I was literally the only person in the theater. Given that "Flag Day" is unlikely to pick up strong word of mouth, I don't see this playing in theaters much longer. But of course don't take my word for it. If you are a fan of Sean Penn or Dylan Penn, I'd suggest you check this out, be it in the theater (while you still can), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.