Making Flynn

The Treatment
Paul Weitz: Being Flynn
Host: Elvis Mitchell
Today Wed. March 7; 2:30 PM PT
KCRW-FM Radio 89.9 FM (Los Angeles)
Link Via Bosco Radio: News and Info
Five Scoops of Bosco

It took Paul Weitz seven years to make the film Being Flynn, an adaptation of Nick Flynn's memoir, Another Bullshit Night in Suck City.

While it was very important for Weitz to make his friend Flynn a part of the production process, he also knew that he needed to make the story, of a son encountering his estranged father while working at a homeless shelter, his own in some way. For inspiration,

Weitz drew from his relationship with his own father, clothing designer John Weitz.

Weitz is the guest today of host Elvis Mitchell on The Treatment radio program originating from KCRW-FM radio 89.9 in Southern California.

Mitchell asks Weitz about the prevailing element of shame that has permeated so many of his films, and how he mustered the nerve to open the film with De Niro in someplace very familiar -- a taxi dispatch.

A "treatment," in Hollywood parlance, is a concise overview of a screenplay. On The Treatment, film critic Elvis Mitchell turns the tables and gives the "treatment" to some of the most influential and innovative forces creating movies and popular art and entertainment.

Each Wednesday at 2:30 PM PT, Elvis speaks with an amazing array of guests, discussing everything from their inner conflicts to their interior design. With a straightforward style that understates his vast knowledge, Elvis is able to extract insights, issues and inspirations from even the most introverted guests. Conversations on The Treatment are mostly comfortable, sometimes contentious, but always fascinating.

Listen to today's show in the Los Angeles area on KCRW 89.9 FM or link to KCRW.com via Bosco Radio: News and Info at 2:30 PM Pacific Time.