Fourth of July (film) explained

Director:Louis C.K.
Producer:Louis C.K.
Music:Matt Kilmer
Cinematography:Christopher Raymond
Editing:Louis C.K.
Production Companies:Circus King Productions
Distributor:Abramorama
Runtime:90 minutes
Country:United States
Language:English
Budget:$2 million[1]
Gross:$325,070[2]

Fourth of July is a 2022 American comedy drama film directed and produced by Louis C.K., who co-wrote the screenplay with Joe List. The film stars List as Jeff, a New York City-based jazz pianist and recovering alcoholic who visits his family in rural Maine for Independence Day, and confronts them about the emotional traumas he experienced with them starting when he was a child. The film's $2 million budget was self-financed by C.K.[3]

Fourth of July premiered at New York City's Beacon Theatre on June 30, 2022.

Cast

Reception

Box office

The film earned $218,722 from two theaters in its opening weekend and $16,014 in its second.[4] [5]

The film was released in theaters on several cities across the country for one night only. Though some cities continued to show the film due to positive audience response, 4th of July never saw a wide release in theaters. On the Joe Rogan Experience, Louis CK explained that most of the revenue was generated by streaming the film on CK's website.

Critical response

Reviews of the film have been mixed. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 36% of 22 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.10/10.[6] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 40 out of 100, based on reviews from eleven critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7]

Owen Gleiberman of Variety called Fourth of July "a millennial indie trifle".[8] Glenn Kenny of The New York Times stated that the film goes too far in portraying Jeff's family as terrible people, writing, "The family dynamic here is so unrelentingly brutal that it's an actual shock to see how glib the movie is in papering it over."[9]

Kyle Smith of The Wall Street Journal lauded the film as "one of the best films of the year", calling it "acutely observed".[10]

Several reviewers unfavorably compared the film to Tracy Letts's 2007 play , which is similarly about an extended rural family forced to confront its dysfunctions.

The film was also notable for having almost universally favorable audience reviews while most critics panned it. The film has been used as evidence of the disparity between "ivory tower" critics and regular audience members. [11]

Notes and References

  1. Louis C.K. on This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #425 . . January 11, 2023 . 2:04:04 . October 25, 2023 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20231018165056/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41DHmRZy28E . October 18, 2023 . live.
  2. Web site: Fourth of July . . . October 25, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231003214720/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt20851874/ . October 3, 2023 . live.
  3. Web site: Louis C.K. Premieres Indie Drama 'Fourth of July' In New York . Hollywood Reporter . Kyra . Alessandrini . July 1, 2022.
  4. Web site: Domestic 2022 Weekend 26. Box Office Mojo. July 12, 2022.
  5. Web site: Domestic 2022 Weekend 27. Box Office Mojo. August 22, 2022.
  6. Web site: Fourth of July . . . 2023-01-26 .
  7. Web site: Fourth of July Reviews . . . 2022-09-11 .
  8. Web site: 'Fourth of July' Review: Louis C.K.'s Home-for-the-Holiday Comedy Sidesteps His Scandal. Or Does It? . Variety . Owen . Gleiberman . June 30, 2022.
  9. Web site: 'Fourth of July' Review: Fraught Family Dynamics From Louis C.K. . Glenn . Kenny . The New York Times . June 30, 2022.
  10. Web site: June 30, 2022 . Kyle . Smith . 'Fourth of July' Review: Family Fireworks From Louis C.K. . .
  11. Web site: Fourth of July . . . 2024-08-03 .