Sean Penn took part in many important projects through decades and he is for sure one of the most influential performers in modern history. However, being a good actor does not make you also a capable director. I have not read the original novel by Vogel, but the movie is a cheesy and predictable story of a dysfunctional family and of the redemption path of a father that wants to win his daughter back. The plot is told from the point of view of Jennifer, who is played by Dylan Penn. Her tone of voice is flat while she narrates. She cannot carry any emotional weight, she is just not convincing with her facial expressions, nor body movements, therefore I could not be invested in her character. I get it: Sean wanted to have his little project with his daughter, however if he hired a competent actress, the movie would have been slightly better.
They used a lot of the shaky camera technique, which works on some sequences, to highlight tension between characters when they fight, but there are also a lot of scenes where this practice just does not fit. Sometimes I felt a little bit sick from all this unjustified and excessive movement. Photography is pretty average and uninspired, with tons of repetitive facial close ups. This movie has plenty of pointless music montages that keep stopping the narration. In a film that lasts only 1 hour and 50 minutes, this is quite problematic, because you are literally stealing time to progress your story. This affected the ending, which in my opinion was rushed and did not give a proper closure.
"Flag Day" is a pretty unremarkable and forgettable movie. When I got out of the theatre me and my friends were all extremely disappointed. Do not waste your time, and if you want to watch a good film starring Sean Penn, look back at his career, you will find tons of gems.
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