Erica lives with her mother Laurie and her new boyfriend Bob in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. They lived a simple life until Bob's son, Luke, who came from the stage of rehabilitation, is mentally disturbed and suffers from many mental problems.
Doesn't have a dull frame in it, thanks mainly to the star-making performance of Deutch ("Everybody Wants Some"), who dazzles the screen with her mix of humor, sensuality, volatility and vulnerability.
Deutch burns up the screen in ways that are so passionately multifaceted I was dumbstruck by all of the emotional nuances she was able to mine with such aggressively calming ease.
Flower is indeed, smart, clever, and knowing - it's also ultimately vacuous, superficial, and self-absorbed. In that way, there's no distance between it and its protagonist at all.
There isn't a single kernel of emotional truth to be found in "Flower," a lamentable dark comedy that treats subjects such as teen suicide, pedophilia and drug use with the nuance of a jackhammer.
It feels like the work of indie filmmakers weaned on Todd Solondz movies, adopting all of the ugliness but none of the insight, without even shock value to show for it.
Max Winkler is aiming for a mix of teen angst and dark comedy I can admire. But since Flower can't decide whether it would rather be more honest and relatable or delicious and dark, it's really not enough of either.
Everyone here is simply a mismanaged thing to be moved around an isn't-that-shocking storyboard as needed. It's a shame, as Deutch shows real commitment to a role that demands the exact opposite ...
