Flag Day

As soon as this movie was over both my wife and I said, "I sure am glad I didn't listen to the several very negative reviews." This is a really good movie, it really is Jennifer's story, how she overcame very bad situations in her growing up, both with her father and with her mother. It is a true story and now Jennifer has a family and works as an investigative reporter and is working on her first novel.

The movie is set mostly in Minnesota (filmed in Canada) and the title is a reference to the celebration of Flag Day, with a parade and fireworks. The movie goes back and forth, at times in 1975, 1981, 1985, and 1992 mostly. It is done in a way that it is easy to keep track.

We watched it at home on DVD from our public library. I am neither a big fan of Sean Penn nor a detractor, but to me he is brilliant here as the duplicitous dad who you could never trust to be truthful. And Dylan, his daughter in real life, is really good in the role of the teenage and adult Jennifer.

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.

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.

Beware: Sean Penn said that those who werent vaccinated, should not come to see this movie. No worries Sean Penn, I think this movie will not garner much attention at all in the theatres after an already luke warm reception at Cannes in 2021 and a disastrous opening weekend at the box office.

Sean Penn said he had retired from acting, after his latest film got booed at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016. He hasnt made anything good in at least 15 years but now he is "back" with directing and starring in Flag Day.

Uh, no, he has not really made a comeback, because this movie is pretty tedious to watch. I am being kind now...

This movie is not such a laughable disaster as "The Last Face", from 2016, but it does come close. Especially the many flashbacks destroy any bond this story might have had in the original novel, which I did not read.

Filming a book is very often a recipe for disaster, because when the director wants to tell everything from the original book, one often gets a movie that is simply not coherent or enticing, let alone mesmirizing. This movie is all over the place...

Not any good? Well, the daughter of Sean Penn surely can act well. It is beautifully shot. But in the end this movie is really artsy fartsy and tedious. I never really got into the story nor into the main characters...simply disappointing...

It's not that the story isn't good - it's just told in an extremely drawn out way - they just tried way too hard to make it artistic. Dylan Penn was fantastic but I feel like the 8000 close ups of her face weren't to the films credits - more like her dad was directing and wanting to showcase her. Great soundtrack- but again - entire songs played practically. Sean Penn is a great actor and he played the part well - it's just too bad this was a drag to watch - if you're fast forwarding because it's so slow that's not a good thing.