I Love My Dad
Writer/director James Morosini plays his fictional self in this oddly moving father/son fish story.
Carpe diem: Patton Oswalt and James Morosini
Now synonymous with pretending to be someone else, often for ill-gotten gain, the term ‘catfishing’ originates from the 2010 doc Catfish, which later spawned its own MTV reality series. In the doc, a man refers to a story told by Pastor Chuck Swindoll, where the commercial codfish business benefited from placing a catfish, the natural enemy of the cod, into tanks for shipping. Instead of arriving mushy, the cod were as fresh as the day they were caught, all thanks to the disruptive catfish. Based on the real life catfish experience of writer/director (and lead actor) James Morosini, I Love My Dad garnered a lot of love from last year’s SXSW film festival, where the comedy captured both the Narrative Feature Grand Jury and Audience Awards.
Desperate dad Chuck (Patton Oswalt), eager to find a way into his son’s life, adopts the online persona of his Carl's Kountry Kitchen waitress Becca (Claudia Sulewski) in order to entice his son Franklin (Morosini) into a conversation. If that already sounds cringeworthy, consider common trends in today’s online dating scene and the inevitable consequences of a virtual relationship with your own son. #sexting
Rather than presenting a film full of text bubbles, Morosini wisely brings to life the very real relationship developing online and in Franklin’s mind. Virtual conversations suddenly become tangible interactions, with actress Claudia Sulewski serving as the Becca avatar for dad Chuck. The convention of Franklin and Becca’s virtual conversations playing out IRL (in real life), lends a romcom tone to cyberspace intimacy. As Chuck pulls wires and juggles lies behind the scenes, the manipulation of his own son provides plenty of OMG and LOL moments throughout. Yet as depraved and misguided as his actions are, there is something strangely poetic about a dad who goes to such extreme lengths to be a part of his son’s life. Morosini poignantly reels this to the surface, overshadowing the otherwise abhorrent scenario with a heartwarming, comedic touch. Oswalt takes on a role uniquely suited to his talents, giving him his best leading role since 2011’s Young Adult. Rounding out the cast are solid turns from Chicago stand-up alumni Rachel Dratch and Lil Rel Howery.
CHAD KENNERK
Cast: Patton Oswalt, James Morosini, Claudia Sulewski, Rachel Dratch, Ricky Velez, Lil Rel Howery, Amy Landecker, Sarah Helbringer, Shari Fairchild.
Dir James Morosini, Pro William Stertz, Sean King O'Grady, Sam Slater, Phil Keefe, Dane Eckerle, Daniel Brandt and Patton Oswalt, Screenplay James Morosini, Ph Steven Capitano Calitri, Pro Des Bret August Tanzer, Ed Josh Crockett, Music Jeremy Bullock, Costumes Laura Barreto, Sound Nathan Ruyle.
Hantz Motion Pictures/Atlas Industries/Burn Later Productions/American High-PLAION Pictures.
95 mins. USA. 2022. US Rel: 5 August 2022. Polish Rel: 17 March 2023. Available on Amazon and AppleTV. Cert. 15.
