Is Louis C.K.’s Fourth of July This Year’s Hidden Gem?
Bottom line, Louis C.K.’s Fourth of July is an engaging film, that can be enjoyed as a light summer movie with some real heart and big laughs, or as something deeper with a message. The exceptional performances, universal themes and terrific writing all position Fourth of July as one of the best movies of the summer and definitely worth the drive to see one of the screenings around the country.
Fourth of July opens with a quote that perfectly sums up everything you’ll see for the ninety minutes that follow: “How you feel about your family is a complicated thing.”
Jeff is a Boston born thirty-something who moved to New York to pursue a career as a jazz pianist, and brought with him a lifetime of baggage courtesy of his coarse collection of parents, cousins, aunts, uncles and one grandparent. He’s an alcoholic in recovery and in therapy dealing with crippling anxiety. He seems to have a great marriage but his past keeps him from fully connecting with his present and future. Worse yet, July 4th is approaching, a time when he traditionally joins the rest of his family for a two week Maine vacation at his grandfather’s cabin. It’s an annual event that he dreads and considers skipping this year. He ultimately decides that this will be the year he will confront his family and heads north to set things straight, hoping it will help him move forward with his wife.
Fourth of July feels closer to realism than some of CK’s past projects. Stripped of the big surreal moments we see in FX’s “Louie”, the film plays out more like a 70’s film, along the lines of movies like Ordinary People. The family CK has created for his lead character feels like a real Massachusetts family. This is not the over-the-top heightened version of a Boston family we see portrayed in so many films set there. CK also gives us a very nuanced and real feeling glimpse into The Program. Alcoholism is often portrayed in extremes in Hollywood, with amped up moments of train wreck or redemption. But in reality, recovery is a grind, and a daily one at that.
At the heart of the movie of course, is family. Louis and Joe have zeroed in on the micro-aggressions our families perpetuate that prevent us from feeling like complete and accomplished adults. As a director, CK highlights that awful way only your family can diminish or even destroy everything you are proud of in your life with one snide remark. Jeff’s family thinks he’s a pussy for having feelings, for quitting booze, for being an artist, and worst of all, for living in that f****t town, New York City.
If you’ve ever been the outsider in your family, at work, or in any group, you can’t help but relate to what Jeff experiences, wanting approval from people who simply aren’t built to provide it. They say and do horrific things to someone they clearly care for. But Jeff is no picnic for anyone who interacts with him either. Before we even meet his family, characters like The Therapist, his sponsor Bill, and wife Beth help us see the toll that Jeff’s fears take on those in his life who love and support him and his needs.
To pull all of this off, takes a great cast, and CK’s unconventional casting is flawless. One thing that he has always done well is to cast people who are under the radar of the Hollywood Industry. Everyone gets to shine in Fourth of July and no part is wasted, from his lead performer, Joe List, who is in almost every scene, to Grandpa (Spotlight’s Richard O’Rourke) who only has one major line but it gets a huge laugh in theaters.
This is List’s first starring film role and he carries the movie beautifully. If you know him from stand up comedy, his podcast or even as a friend, you will soon forget all of that and see him only as Jeff- raw, vulnerable, angry and unbalanced. In fact, all of the comedians in the film deliver strong performances, like Nick DiPaolo, who plays the looming antagonist in Jeff’s life, Kevin. DiPaolo adds many of the film’s big laughs, but his performance also works as the bullying older uncle who Jeff dreads interacting with. Boston comedy legend Tony V is hilarious and lovable on screen as Tony (he’s Italian), a boyfriend of one of Jeff’s aunts. And always the scene-stealer, Robert Kelly plays Bobby, a newcomer to AA who looks to Jeff for guidance, not only providing giant laughs, but also incredible vulnerability and heart. Kelly comes through every second he’s on screen, even when he’s blurry and in the background. List’s real life wife, Sarah Tollemache shines as his wife Beth, who clearly loves Jeff but struggles with the enormity of his issues. Lynne Koplitz, as Kevin’s wife Aunt Trisha, has some of the funniest moments in the film. Bill Scheft who was a part of Letterman’s team for years, is great as Jeff’s sponsor. Chris Walsh of the Walsh brothers is outstanding as Uncle Marky, and delivers a pivotal and unforgettable monologue in the film. This is his first movie role, which is hard to believe once you see him on screen. It absolutely should not be his last.
The cast isn’t all stand-up comedy-based. Robert Walsh (no relation) plays Jeff’s dad, a withdrawn and largely silent figure who delivers a powerful performance while rarely saying a word. And award winning stage veteran Paula Plum is electric as Jeff’s castrating mother. Plum masterfully inhabits this role as the matriarch who dominates the family, and can dole out cruelty but is also the backbone of this family and is fiercely protective of her brood. Cortlandt Jones as Cousin Brenda, and Dorothy Dwyer as Aunt Darlene are both funny and relatable and add to the realism of the family.
One of the most interesting characters in the film is that of Naomi, played by Tara Pacheco. Naomi is a friend of cousin Brenda, who serves as the outsider- the fair witness to the action that takes place in Maine. Pacheco beautifully presents as a neutral observer whose reactions to the family tribulations add weight to every scene she’s in.
Louis’s direction is creative and seductive, using the camera to bring the audience inside the scenes and inside the mind of the characters. The best use of this device is the way CK is able to put us in the head of someone going through an anxiety attack without confusing the viewer about what is real and what is illusion. Later in the film, Jeff’s father is almost stoic but through the camera work we are able to understand that like his son, he is suffering. The subtlety of this device gives the audience the chance to put together the story behind the story themselves.
Louis’ frequent use of background dialogue throughout the movie– particularly in the cabin scenes– is brilliant. Hearing music, conversation or even arguments coming from another part of the house add to the feeling that you are there, in this rustic, uncomfortable cabin, experiencing all of these cringe-worthy moments. That feeling of being there, of feeling crowded or even trapped all contribute to your investment in these characters, their lives and their choices.
Once you’ve been through the journey, you may hate his family, or you may agree with them. Louis C.K. presents the facts and the scenes that he feels are significant or interesting. The lessons you take from Fourth of July will depend on you.
The movie premiered in front of an audience of thousands at New York City’s iconic Beacon Theater, and it was cathartic to both laugh, and cry with a crowd. Sometimes the laughs are so big the audience never hears a great tag to a funny moment. But that only gives us another reason to stream the movie when it becomes available. Whether you are a film lover, or just like a good movie, there’s plenty to love. And if you can appreciate both things, this just might be your favorite movie this summer.
The film is playing in limited release around the continent, with the bulk of screenings popping up for one night only on July 6th. You want to see this on the big screen, not just because it’s a beautiful looking and sounding movie, but also because you want to experience it in a crowd. Screenings are limited, but to find out if there’s one anywhere near you go to Fandango or louisck.com for locations, dates, and ticket links.
