True Story Inspires New Comedy I LOVE MY DAD
WDCB’s Gary Zidek catches up with James Morosini, the writer, director and co-star of the new comedy, I LOVE MY DAD.
LISTEN
“The movie is ultimately about recognizing that we’re all flawed, we’re all doing the best that we can. I hope that in some small measure people are able to recognize that, and maybe forgive someone in their life who they’ve been holding a grudge against.” - I LOVE MY DAD writer/director/star James Morosini talking about what he hopes audiences take away from the film.
I LOVE MY DAD writer, director, and star James Morosini
How far would you go to stay connected to a family member who was upset with you? Would you create a fake social media account, and attempt to connect with said family member posing as a potential romantic partner in order to have some type of interaction?
That might might be a bridge too far for some of you … But the situation isn’t totally implausible.
The crazy scenario is the premise for the new film, I LOVE MY DAD. The movie won the grand jury prize for best narrative feature at South By Southwest this year. In film, Franklin, a 20-something who has just completed a stay at a treatment facility after attempting to commit suicide, cuts off all contact with his dad, including blocking him on social media. That leaves his father, Chuck, devastated. Desperate to reconnect, Chuck is struck by something a co-worker says about stalking an ex-girlfriend by creating a fake social media account to keep tabs on her. Chuck creates a fake Facebook account using the likeness of a random waitress that he interacted with once and friends his son. Soon their online communication blooms into what Franklin believes is a romantic relationship and cringe-inducing comedy ensues.
James Morosini and Patton Oswalt in a scene from I LOVE MY DAD
I LOVE MY DAD was written, directed and co-stars James Morosini. The Boston-native plays the Franklin character. The inspiration? Something very similar happened to Morosini when he was younger. Celebrated comedian Patton Oswalt plays his dad Chuck. The cast also includes several Chicago connections including Crane high school alum Lil Rel Howery, actor Amy Landecker (her dad is radio personality John ‘Records’ Landecker) and social media sensation Claudia Sulewski, who grew up in Park Ridge. Sulewski plays the waitress and the imagined version of who Franklin believes he’s communicating with.
Claudia Sulewski & James Morosini in a scene from I LOVE MY DAD.
