I Love You, Daddy

TIFF Journal: ‘I Love You, Daddy’

'I Love You, Daddy'

Movie Rating:

4

From the moment it was announced that Louis C.K. had made a secret movie over the summer that would play at TIFF, it was safe to say the film wouldn’t exactly be a safe bit of light entertainment or a ‘Pootie Tang’ sequel (even if the latter would’ve been welcome). Even so, what he made is pretty remarkable. ‘I Love You, Daddy’ is a deeply personal, strange and resonant comedy about the exact sort of subject matter you wouldn’t think this guy would tackle at this time.

In addition to writing and directing, Louis C.K. stars as Glen Topher, a TV writer struggling through his latest project (as well as whether or not to enter a relationship with that show’s leading lady, played by Rose Byrne), but struggling even more with his daughter, China (Chloe Moretz). She loves him (saying it constantly), but has grown up in such luxury and privilege that she has no direction. Glen knows it’s his fault on some level; he just hasn’t quiet figured out how to deal with that yet. But he’s got bigger issues at the moment. China has suddenly become enamored with a legendary filmmaker (John Malkovich) whom Glen reveres. The artist also has a notorious reputation regarding young women, even accusations of child abuse. While Glen is dealing with the “Respect the art not the artist” debate, his daughter is directly involved, which makes it a bit trickier.

It goes without saying that Woody Allen is a subtext subject of the movie (not to mention recent scandals of his own that C.K. has denied). The whole film is even shot to look and feel like ‘Manhattan’ (beautifully on 35mm, by the way; Louis has turned into a hell of a director over the years). The ultimate conclusion is that you’ll never really know. It’s implied but unclear what Malkovich’s character does, but more importantly he’s such a fascinating and brilliant character with a non-judgmental and adventurous approach to life that it’s hard not to like the guy, especially when played by such a charismatic actor. That theme runs deeper. No one ever really knows anyone here. Assumptions are made that are frequently wrong. Everyone has their own perspective. Just like life, no one quite agrees. It’s very smartly conceived and deliberately ambiguous.

The film is also hilarious. Louis C.K. is one of the great comedians of this or any time, so laughs are a given. The combination of human insight and craft makes ‘I Love You, Daddy’ so special. The film deliberately hits on touchy issues thoughtfully and without concrete answers. It’s a provocation designed to spark debate. In C.K.’s typical broken way, a very sweet and human movie emerges that shows how we’re all just struggling to get by in our own corner of the sandbox, never as good or as bad as others see us. He might be channeling Woody at times, but C.K. has a very distinctly thoughtful voice as a filmmaker that translates his comedy beautifully to the screen. This is an entertaining and insightful movie filled with big questions that have no answers. No one else would dare to touch this stuff given his own controversies. Maybe someday that’ll make this movie a gross artifact in retrospect. For now, it’s just a damn fine Louis C.K. film and hopefully far from his last.

And yes, it’s even better than ‘Pootie Tang’. Somehow that’s possible.

5 comments

    • Phil

      He told the New York Times last weekend that it was just a rumour and that the only reason he hasn’t discussed it is because that only gets more attention. That story didn’t spread. Just the reviews and think pieces about the movie and accusations. I know that where there’s smoke, there’s generally fire but until he actually gets accused rather than one podcast that didn’t name him (and was recounted) or an interview with a different comic saying that he needed to address the allegations (which he subsequently did, but again no one noticed or cared), I’m remaining skeptical about the whole thing.

        • Phil

          I think it’s more of an exploration of the themes than an apology for them. It’s not like Malkovich’s character isn’t a creep. It’s just that you never know what really happened. And that’s thrust against a dark comedy about how difficult it is to ever know anyone, including ourselves. Again, I’ll happily eat my words and consider this thing a gross output from a perverted mind if accusations emerge that are more concrete. For now, it feels like a daring work from someone introspectively stuck in a difficult place.

  1. Phil

    yep, time to eat my words. I was wrong. I didn’t want to believe this was true. It’s truly sad, especially since Louis seemed aware that what he’s done was wrong and did actually lie about it when finally prompted. I shouldn’t have defended him. it’s such a shame.

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