Flag Day

"It’s all rather undifferentiated and scattershot."

"Heavy-handed and more than a little pretentious, Flag Day seems to view John’s volatile fortunes as a metaphor for those of his country."

"It’s not an exciting film, and it’s not a film with some wider social relevance. But it’s a film that’s wise about people in a way that’s rare."

"(A) very watchable and well-made family drama."

"Above all, (Flag Day) delivers a solid reminder of Penn’s filmmaking talent, and welcome evidence that it runs in the family."

"Flag Day is one of those movies... that functions primarily as an advertisement for the book from which it was adapted."

"A father-daughter drama with a hazy, Terrence Malick-y romanticism but little emotional connection."

"A turgid and self-aggrandising family-bonding outing."

"Flag Day is little more than a near-two-hour montage of tear-streaked faces melodramatically shouting at each other."

"(A) raw and lovely character drama."

"Penn has become an indelibly fluid craftsman who uses the leaps in time to infuse a story of devastation with lightness and curiosity."

"Clearly, the picture is a labour of love by the Penns, but too often it just feels laboured. There’s a sense of everyone trying too hard."