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Fourth of July (film)

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Fourth of July
Poster
Directed byLouis C.K.
Written by
Produced byLouis C.K.
Starring
CinematographyChristopher Raymond
Edited byLouis C.K.
Music byMatt Kilmer
Production
company
Circus King Productions
Distributed byAbramorama
Release date
  • June 30, 2022 (2022-06-30)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2 million[1]
Box office$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[1] was self-financed by C.K.[3]

Fourth of July premiered at New York City's Beacon Theatre on June 30, 2022.[3]


Cast

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  • Joe List as Jeff
  • Sarah Tollemache as Beth, Jeff's wife
  • Paula Plum as Mom
  • Robert Walsh as Dad
  • Tara Pacheco as Naomi, a friend of Brenda's
  • Robert Kelly as Bobby, a new Alcoholics Anonymous sponsee of Jeff's
  • Richard O'Rourke as Grandpa
  • Dorothy Dwyer as Darlene
  • Nick Di Paolo as Uncle Kevin
  • Chris Walsh as Uncle Mark
  • Tony Viveiros as Tony
  • Lynne Koplitz as Tricia
  • Courtland Jones as Brenda, Jeff's cousin
  • Bill Scheft as Bill, a long-time sponsor of Jeff and drummer in his band
  • Louis C.K. as Therapist
  • Allan Havey as Dentist

Reception

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Box office

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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

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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 August: Osage County, which is similarly about an extended rural family forced to confront its dysfunctions.[8][9]

References

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  1. ^ a b Theo Von (January 11, 2023). "Louis C.K. on This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #425" (Podcast). Event occurs at 2:04:04. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ "Fourth of July". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Alessandrini, Kyra (July 1, 2022). "Louis C.K. Premieres Indie Drama 'Fourth of July' In New York". Hollywood Reporter.
  4. ^ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 26". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  5. ^ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 27". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  6. ^ "Fourth of July". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  7. ^ "Fourth of July Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  8. ^ a b Gleiberman, Owen (June 30, 2022). "'Fourth of July' Review: Louis C.K.'s Home-for-the-Holiday Comedy Sidesteps His Scandal. Or Does It?". Variety.
  9. ^ a b Kenny, Glenn (June 30, 2022). "'Fourth of July' Review: Fraught Family Dynamics From Louis C.K." The New York Times.
  10. ^ Smith, Kyle (June 30, 2022). "'Fourth of July' Review: Family Fireworks From Louis C.K." The Wall Street Journal.
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