Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Being Flynn is based on Nick Flynn's memoir Another Bulls--t Night in Suck City and is a complicated, mature story about a father and son reunited under difficult circumstances. Much of the drama's material is weighty, including discussions about, and depictions of, homelessness, family estrangement, abandonment, jail time, and parental suicide, and may be too heavy for younger teens. Expect plenty of swearing (including "f--k," "s--t," and more) and sexual innuendoes, as well as some relatively tame sex scenes (groping, kissing, but no graphic nudity). One scene does show a naked male butt, and there's quite a bit of drinking (sometimes to excess) and drug use, including both pot and crack. Underneath it all, though, is a message of redemption.
Sexual
Content
A couple makes out and winds up in bed (viewers mostly see the initial groping and kissing). Another couple is shown having sex, but there's no graphic nudity. A man's backside is visible while bathing.
Violence
Jonathan has a mean streak. He brandishes a bat that he uses as a weapon and airs his prejudices in aggressive ways. He gets in fights -- mostly off-camera -- and the battle scars are sometimes visible. He also witnesses a homeless man beaten up by a group of teens. There's a brief scene in which a dead, bloodied body is displayed in front of a building. Suicide is a theme of the movie.
Language
Fairly frequent use of words including "f--k," "s--t," "ass," "damn," and more.
Social
Behavior
Amid Being Flynn's heavy themes (homelessness, family estrangement, abandonment, suicide) is the message that redemption is always possible, and forgiveness -- of yourself and others -- will help take you there.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Characters are shown drinking beer and hard liquor, sometimes to excess. A man sneaks vodka into his orange juice just before he drives a taxi; as the movie progresses, he consumes more and more vodka. Another character smokes pot and graduates to harder drugs, including crack, which he's shown smoking in a stairwell.
