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Parents' Guide to

Flag Day

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Teen drug use, violence in draggy, mournful drama.

Movie R 2021 107 minutes
Flag Day Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

In FLAG DAY, it's 1992, and Jennifer Vogel (Dylan Penn) learns that her father, John (Sean Penn), is in prison for counterfeiting. She flashes back to her life with him, when she practically worshipped him, admiring his free spirit. The flashbacks show that, when it became clear that Jennifer's mother (Katheryn Winnick) had an alcohol dependency, Jennifer and her brother spent a wonderful summer with their father, his financial problems still in the background. Over the years, they drift in and out of each other's lives. John goes to prison for robbery, and Jennifer ends up unhoused for a while before fighting her way into journalism school. She becomes a reporter just as her father is getting out of prison and trying to go straight again. But can he ignore his fiery impulses forever?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (1 ):

It has some lovely moments, but Penn's drama ultimately falls apart with its woozy, shaky camerawork, mournful soundtrack, and draggy rhythms, not to mention what feels like a tad too much ego. While Flag Day is based on a true story, Penn's casting of himself and his daughter Dylan in a story about a daughter who worships her father creates a kind of shadow over things; it's difficult to forget who we're watching and become wrapped up in the story. Both actors are excellent, and they manage to save a few of their scenes -- some of the smaller moments recall Penn's excellent early work as a director -- but the movie's overall tone and pace are a trial.

Penn appears to have been inspired by Terrence Malick, whose masterpiece The Tree of Life he acted in, so he tries some of the same drifting, meditative movements, accompanied by free-flowing narration. But Penn's shaky, frequently aimless camerawork misses Malick's sublime visuals by a mile. Taking place over the course of many years, the movie can't seem to find a sense of pace, and things seem to crawl along for great stretches, with many montages. And the too frequent dirge-like songs on the soundtrack serve to pull the mood down even further. Weirdest of all is the final takeaway from Flag Day. It celebrates Jennifer Vogel's self-made success, but it also seems to celebrate John's reckless life, admiring him for burning out rather than fading away.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Flag Day depicts the use of alcohol, drugs, and smoking by both teens and adults. Does the movie glamorize these things? If so, how? Are consequences shown? Why does that matter?

  • What kind of violence does the movie show? How does it compare to movies with lots of fighting and guns and explosions? Which has more impact on you?

  • How do you feel about John after his final act? Is he celebrated? Is he a cautionary tale?

  • Do you consider Jennifer Vogel a role model? Do her achievements balance out with the rocky road she traveled to get there?

  • How accurate do you think the movie is to what happened in real life? Why might filmmakers adjust the facts in a movie that's based on a true story?

Movie Details

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