I Love My Dad

Last updated

I Love My Dad
I Love My Dad.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by James Morosini
Written byJames Morosini
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySteven Capitano Calitri
Edited byJosh Crockett
Music byJeremy Bullock
Production
companies
  • Hantz Motion Pictures
  • Atlas Industries
  • Burn Later Productions
  • American High
Distributed by Magnolia Pictures
Release dates
  • March 12, 2022 (2022-03-12)(SXSW)
  • August 5, 2022 (2022-08-05)(United States)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$103,343 [1] [2]

I Love My Dad is a 2022 American comedy film written and directed by James Morosini, inspired by actual events in his life. [3] It stars Patton Oswalt, Morosini, and Claudia Sulewski. The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 12, 2022, and in theaters in the United States on August 5, 2022.

Contents

Premise

After Franklin blocks his father Chuck on social media, Chuck "catfishes" his son by impersonating a waitress named Becca online. Chuck then agrees to drive Franklin to Maine to meet Becca, knowing that it might be the last straw in their father-son relationship.

Cast

Production

Principal photography took place in Syracuse, New York. Filming wrapped in June 2021. [6] [7]

Release

The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 12, 2022. [8] [9] [10] In April 2022, Magnolia Pictures acquired the film's distribution rights. It was released in theaters on August 5, 2022, and on demand on August 12, 2022. [11]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 72% of 89 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10.The website's consensus reads: "I Love My Dad may take its cringe comedy too far for some viewers, but Patton Oswalt's fearless performance keeps the story anchored in honest emotion." [12] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 58 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [13]

Todd McCarthy at Deadline Hollywood praised Oswalt's performance, Morosini's screenplay, and the use of social media to refine the show, don't tell technique. [14] The Hollywood Reporter 's John DeFore gave positive notes to Morosini's direction and called it "a surprisingly gentle take on a potentially explosive premise." [15] Nick Allen at RogerEbert.com gave it a 3.5/4 and praised Sulewski as the movie's "comic MVP", adding that she "plays into both 'Becca' exaggerations so thoughtfully, that by the third act her actual Becca has a special poignancy and agency." [16] David Ehrlich at IndieWire gave it a B−, praising Morosini for "keeping the perversity of it all intact" and Sulewski's performance to be "elastic", while adding that it would have "been a more satisfying experience had it swerved away from decency and good taste even harder than it already does[...]" [17]

Accolades

At the South by Southwest film festival, the film won the Jury and Audience Awards in the Narrative Feature Competition. [18] [19]

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References

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  2. "I Love My Dad (2022)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved August 26, 2022.
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  4. Simon, Rachel (November 2, 2021). "Claudia Sulewski's Journey From YouTube to the Big Screen is Just Beginning". W . Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  5. Yuma, Jennifer (September 15, 2021). "Claudia Sulewski on Making the Transition From YouTube to Film: 'It Won't Be This Immediate Switch'". Variety . Retrieved September 18, 2021.
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