I Love My Dad

source: I Love My Dad

Congratulations to the director and writer of this film for steering his movie down the delicate path to land this story. It came across as honest, and I forgot I was watching famous stand up comedian Patton Oswalt and cast and instead got immersed in a far fetched but believable story. They sold it well and the motives of the characters were true all the way through. The acting and direction were spot on, and the script took you places you didn't feel comfortable going but pulled it off each time, turning in a very funny and very human story that felt real and had something to say and worthy messages and thoughts to offer. Also of note was the editing and music choices, and the inventive way it chose to deal with the text conversations. It worked really well, and allowed the actors to shine. This really is a standout story and film, a challenging movie in a sea of predictable and shallow visual candy. Well done to everyone who made this movie and got this movie made. I hope it gets the viewing audience it deserves.

Props to second-time writer / director James Morosini for superb little true-tale dramedy "I Love My Dad". When dead-beat excuse-maker Patton Oswalt (excellent as ever) gets blocked from all contact by his troubled teen son (Morosini himself - terrific) he cat-fishes the lad with a fake profile based on local waitress Claudia Sulewski (also great). From there the plot thickens (dragging in Oswalt's circle like Lil Rey Howery & Rachel Dratch (very funny)), sometimes hilariously, but ultimately touchingly... even tragically? It's an engaging tale but what sets it apart is Morisini's fresh, original approach to it's writing. Although it's not flawless, it's certainly very good.

Is your favorite episode of the office (us) the dinner party episode where Michael and Jan bicker at each other? Do you slow down your car at not fatal car accidents, chuckle and say dumb ass? Do you say things that purposely lack social refinement, then smile waiting for company to overt their eyes? Died this make you a horrible person? Maybe the worst. Then again all those are items I enjoy. Matter of fact I hate seeing beats of a joke prior to the joke. It's uncomfortable for me when someone tries to be funny, delusion-ally thinks they're funny but they're not. That's I love my dad. This is NOT Father's Day movie fir WASPs whom never understand jokes. Maybe for my kid and I. It is absurd, but at its core it's about a dad that loves his son and wants to be part of his life. We enjoyed it.

This is one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time. Finally something very original from this extremely well put together cast. I've been looking for a movie like this for a long time. The movie is not only funny, but has elements of drama, edge of the seat thriller type components and overall parental love. This cast really knocked it out of the park on all levels. And they woven a few new components that I haven't seen in film. I never thought I would see a movie about a father who is essentially cat fishing his son to get closer to him. But it works brilliantly. And I'm also glad to see fresh faces. The actor who played his son is brilliant and is essentially the next Jake Gyllenhaal. I hope to see him more. The actress who played the waitress was also really good. And I like the whole supporting cast. This is a diamond. Amongst all of the movies that are out there right now, I just so happen to find this one. I feel very lucky tonight. I don't know what this genre is, but I really like it. Good job everybody.

IN A NUTSHELL: The movie was directed and written by James Morosini. Kudos to him! As it turns out, this movie is actually based on his personal life experiences with his absentee father. Making this movie had to have been therapeutic for him and his dad. THINGS I LIKED: There's something charming about Patton Oswalt. He does a great job in the movie and is also one of the producers of the film. I really liked James Morosini and Claudia Sulewski together. Lil Rel Howery has been showing up in all kinds of movies lately. Good for him. The film illustrates complicated relationships very well. THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: I had a hard time really liking and rooting for the dad because of the type of dad he was shown to be at the very beginning of the movie. He caused 100% of his own problems and proceeded to make them even worse. There are some cringe moments for sure. There are some equally cringe-singing moments. You have to sit through a lot of "ick" to get to the "aww" moment. TIPS FOR PARENTS: Profanity and F-bombs Super crude conversations Super sexually-charged scenes Two men kiss Phone sex THEMES: Catfishing Internet Suicide Family Pain Father-son relationship Honesty Dysfunctional relationships Social media You can see the full review on the Movie Review Mom YouTube channel.

What do you say to a movie that's a dud overall, but you don't want to discourage the creator from refining his craft? There were solid pieces here, and I'd like to see More-osini (🥁) from James in the future.

This is a solid movie. The acting is good and the plot is captivating. You feel sad and sorry for everyone all at the same time yet want to burst out laughing - brilliant. Surprised by the haters - yes it's cringy and you may not like the main character, it's what makes it so funny and makes you cover your eyes during so many parts of it. It's super unique and is well done however. All the modern Hollywood crap nowadays needs to go, we need more unique films like this that don't rely on a huge budget. Hats off to the cast and Morosini. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adding this again because apparently I have to have 600 characters... This is a solid movie. The acting is good and the plot is captivating. You feel sad and sorry for everyone all at the same time yet want to burst out laughing - brilliant. Surprised by the haters - yes it's cringy and you may not like the main character, it's what makes it so funny and makes you cover your eyes during so many parts of it. It's super unique and is well done however. All the modern Hollywood crap nowadays needs to go, we need more unique films like this that don't rely on a huge budget. Hats off to the cast and Morosini.

SXSW 2022 Greetings again from the darkness. It's difficult to know whether the biggest story here is that this is one of the cringiest movies you'll see or the fact that writer-director-star James Morosini based it on the actual relationship and events with his own father. Morosini opens the film with this: "The following actually happened. My dad asked me to tell you it didn't." That sounds kinda funny and sets the stage for some father-son conflict. But it certainly doesn't prepare us for what we are about to watch. The always terrific Patton Oswalt plays Chuck, the father. We listen to a steady stream of voicemails Chuck leaves for his son over the years, and we know immediately what kind of absentee, break-another-promise father he's been to his son. Franklin (played by filmmaker Morosini) is finishing up his stint in therapy after a suicide attempt. By his side is his protective and worried and hopeful mother (Amy Landecker). Guess who is not there. Being that it's a movie, albeit one based on real life, we wonder if this is going to be a story of redemption for the father, the son, both, or neither. As part of the boundaries set by Franklin after his therapy, he blocks his father from social media. So desperate he is to re-connect with his son that Chuck undertakes a catfishing strategy. Yep, he creates a fake account using the identity of a cute waitress named Becca (a charming Claudia Sulewski) to befriend Franklin and talk about life. Of course, Franklin is so in need of human interaction that he begins to fall for virtual Becca, and Chuck's mess just gets messier. He even involves his co-worker friend (Lil Rey Howery) and his boss/lover (Rachel Dratch), both who stand opposed to the whole thing. The story is horribly sad and pathetic, but the actors inject enough levity that we aren't wallowing in pain while watching. In an innovative step, Becca and Franklin appear together during their texting conversations - well, it's a virtual representation of Franklin's imagination. Mr. Oswalt is extremely effective at generating human emotions in a guy that could easily be vilified as public enemy number one. At his core, Chuck is just a well-meaning guy who stinks at being a parent - despite being desperate to connect with his son. As a parent, presence is crucial and much of it is about effort. Desperation can lead to bad decisions, and Mr. Morosini bravely exposes his own turmoil for a film that might hit home to more people than we imagine.

Even though there are a dozen reasons to give this film less than five stars, I am a sucker for father and son movies. This one is about average for that genre, which has been done a few hundred times in Hollywood history. Some are extravagant productions, such as Superman, which has some great father and son moments; others are independent films, which generally give us more well-rounded motivations and characters. This film falls somewhere in the middle of those variables; consequently, the five-star rating. The father is the more interesting of the two protagonists, and Oswalt does a competent job here.