Lenny is a manic, 34-year-old Manhattan movie projectionist, the father of boys age 5 and 7, and a screw-up. He's a big kid himself, and anything but a model parent. In fact, he probably should be arrested. The film's directors, the Safdie brothers, Ben and Joshua, have a dedication on the film that may or may not refer to their own father. Their cinematic father is obviously John Cassavetes, whose own manic heroes ran crazy loops around their lives. If “Daddy Longlegs” is influenced by Cassavetes, well, that's not a bad thing. Few filmmakers have the nerve to travel that path. Bronstein's performance is crucial. It's difficult to make a manic character plausible, but he does.