It’s never too late to start a relationship with your son. Winner of a few significant prizes of late, Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Feature and Narrative Feature Competition Audience Award at SXSW, the Audience Award for Narrative Feature at the Chicago Critics Film Festival, and Best Feature Film at the Hill Country Film Festival, the indie “I Love My Dad” starring Patton Oswalt has been quietly building buzz. Directed by James Morosini and based on his true-life issues with his father, the director and Magnolia released a trailer for the film today to tie into Father’s Day this weekend.
READ MORE: ‘I Love My Dad’ Review: Patton Oswalt’s Latest Faces A Challenging Premise [SXSW]
“In honor of Father’s Day, here’s a teaser for my upcoming film, I LOVE MY DAD,” Morosini wrote in a statement. “Making something so personal has been an incredible journey, and I can’t wait for you to see it this August. I hope it makes you laugh, I hope it makes you cry, and most importantly, I hope my dad never catfishes me again.”
That’s no joke either. Again, the film, based on the filmmaker’s personal experiences, is about a hopelessly estranged father who catfishes his son in an attempt to reconnect. Yikes!
Here’s the official synopsis:
Inspired by writer, director, and star James Morosini’s true-life experience, I LOVE MY DAD follows Chuck (Patton Oswalt), a hopelessly estranged father who desperately wants to reconnect with his troubled son, Franklin (Morosini). Blocked on social media and concerned for his son’s life, Chuck impersonates a waitress online and starts checking in with Franklin. But things begin to spiral when Franklin falls for this imaginary girl (Claudia Sulewski) and wants nothing more than to meet her in person, as Chuck has inadvertently catfished his own son. A thrilling comedy with an unexpected twist, I LOVE MY DAD also stars Rachel Dratch, Lil Rel Howery, Amy Landecker, and Ricky Velez.
The film stars Oswalt, James Morosini himself, Claudia Sulewski, Lil Rel Howery, Amy Landecker, Ricky Velez, and Rachel Dratch. Magnolia Pictures will release “I Love My Dad” in theaters on August 5, 2022, and On-Demand on August 12, 2022. Watch the first trailer below.