Louis CK’s bland comeback on the big screen – The Hollywood Reporter

When Louis CK tried to restart his career after his sexual abuse scandal, he did so carefully by appearing unannounced in small comedy clubs. He does basically the same thing with his return to film production. This low-budget indie drama, released in a host of cinemas (currently not scheduled to be shown by any of the major chains), reveals the controversial comic that works in an uncharacteristically subdued way. Missing the sharp edge of his brilliant work on sitcom Louie and web series Horace and Pete, Fourth of July turns out to be something we would never have expected from its director / co-author – bland.

In part, it appears that he is working in collaboration with comedian Joe List, who co-wrote the script, executive produced and starred as Jeff, an alcoholic in recovery and an anxious jazz pianist. CK only appears in a few scenes as Joe’s therapist, a bit of casting that feels ironic given his problems.

Inspired by List’s own experiences, the film begins by revealing the myriad personal problems that plague Jeff’s life, some of which emerge during a therapy session, where he frustratingly recounts his shrink: “You suck! You’re like the worst therapist!” He’s sober for three years and has a marriage to Beth (comedian Sarah Tollemache, List’s spouse) who suffers from her unfulfilled desire to have a child. Jeff is recruited by his AA sponsor (Bill Scheft) to sponsor Bobby (Robert Kelly), an emotionally demanding fellow musician.

Encouraged by his therapist to confront his unresolved emotional issues with his parents, Jeff travels alone to their annual July 4 celebration in their lake house with numerous extended family members present. Things do not start well: Encouraged by his mother (Paula Plum) to say no, as he starts to toot and toot about wanting a serious conversation with her and his father, he exclaims that he felt unloved when he was growing up , and that they are the cause of his problems. And then things get even worse as she soon after humiliates him by mocking his distress towards all the others.

This kind of dysfunctional family reunion is stuff in endless autobiographical dramas, saddling Fourth of July with a familiar feel further exacerbated by its lack of sharp dialogue and well-drawn characteristics. The negotiations mainly feature a lot of quarrels, where the eternally gloomy Jeff deals with several annoying relatives, including his disgusting uncle Kevin (Nick Di Paolo), who thinks it’s funny to tear Jeff’s shorts down during a volleyball match, and his uncle Mark (Chris Walsh), who is only two years older because his father is Jeff’s grandfather. He finds solace in the company of the lively Naomi (Tara Pacheco), a colleague who has recently become a widow from one of his cousins.

It does not take long before the numerous scenes in which family members behave badly feel repeated. The intentional dramatic moments, such as Jeff’s seemingly emotionally closed father (Robert Walsh), who suddenly reveal surprising depths, do not really land. And a meeting in a pizzeria where Jeff miraculously overcomes his doubts about paternity using a short pep talk is not so convincing.

The film feels like it must have been personally therapeutic for its star and co-author, but List never manages to get us to relate to his character’s eternal navel-gazing. And while he is necessarily hampered by playing someone suffering from depression, his monochromatic deadpan performance proves more boring than engaging.

CK has populated the film with a number of his fellow comedians, who occasionally reap some gentle laughs with their raucous sides, but true humor is in short supply. If this undeniably talented multi-dash really wanted to impress with its first film since the unreleased I love you dadperhaps he should have dived into his own psyche instead.