Review: FLAG DAY Is a Father-Daughter Story With Raw Performances of a Lifetime
I was able to get to the theater to see a screening of Flag Day this week ahead of its release this Friday, and I was so happy to be able to see the incredible performances in this film. The movie is directed by Sean Penn, and it is based on the true story documented in the memoir Film-Flam Man, by Jennifer Vogel. Sean Penn portrays John Vogel in the picture, a life-long con-man who is constantly trying to work his next big idea, while sometimes playing the role of father to his two kids.
When his daughter Jennifer (played by Penn’s real-life daughter, Dylan Penn) hits hard times as a teenager, she seeks her father out, knowing that he is troubled, but truly believing she can set him on the straight and narrow, and that they can find normalcy and stability with one another.
This journey we go on with Jennifer and John is so beautiful and heartbreaking. We see her evolve from a child who thinks her father is a larger-than-life hero, to her realizing that he is flawed and human, and finally, that he is nothing more than a bullshitter who can’t even seem to tell himself the truth, even to save the relationship he holds most dear.
Sean Penn is real and honest in his performance, as ever. But Dylan Penn is a revelation. She exudes raw emotion that she seems to guard, as well as wear on her sleeve throughout her performance. While she is the star, the film is also peppered with stellar small performances from Katheryn Winnick, Hopper Penn, Norbert Leo Butz, and Josh Brolin.
The film told a solid standalone story, but to know that it’s telling the real facts behind these people’s lives adds a whole new level of interest. Flag Day is a great film, and I can’t wait to see Dylan Penn in her future projects.
