Fourth of July Review

For obvious and well-known reasons, Fourth of July is a difficult watch for many because of the man behind and subsequently in front of the camera. Louis C.K.’s undeserved redemptive arc has seen the former funnyman launch a career renaissance through sheer willpower alone and lean into other audiences that were not unaware of him, but were not engaged in his rise and fall. Taking to podcasts instead of talk shows, C.K. has accidentally stumbled on a better promotional run for Fourth of July than appearances with Kimmel, Fallon or the whole host of others could have offered. It does not make Fourth of July any better, but it is slightly better than his debut effort, the on-the-nose and post-irony clad I Love You, Daddy.

Very American in its humour, the “old guy from Home Alone” visual gag quote is a weak introduction. So too is Joe List and his leading role, a flaccid and loser-esque portrayal that sees as New York a setting as possible. Jazz melodies as an encouragement for sudden fear are an interesting angle but the performances are incredibly poor. List’s portrayal of a recovering alcoholic and jazz musician has much potential but is given little space to flourish. His return home for the American vacation is of even less interest. C.K.’s on-screen and brief portrayal as a therapist is meant to be a guiding launchpad, the big name in the small role for an independent piece that may hold brief promise. It does not, and Fourth of July, while getting its mood and tone right, does not get its script and acting on point.

Human flaws are experienced and focused in on but with relatively little confidence in the people portraying them. List is on hand to produce an articulate representation of what C.K. would be showcasing if he were offered up another series of Louie. Jazz reliance and a time out of step with the rest of the world is a solid consistency and the music takes control of the pacing in a painfully uninteresting piece. Should the head be poisonous, so too will the rest below it, the trickle-down of List’s performance being that everyone is out of step and relatively sullen. Practical and unengaged stereotypes of the New York living style as List attempts a blur of Woody Allen and Larry David’s impersonation of himself from Curb Your Enthusiasm. Neuroses presented as a justifiable offset rather than what they are, a projection of C.K. onto his starring role.

Regardless of that, there is a disfigurement to Fourth of July that can never be shaken. A colour scheme and technical impression leave the hands behind the camera dealing with far more complexities than should ever be noted for the lack of quality embodied by it. Solid framing devices, a family in the throes of an explosion and the unit cycle is complete. Fourth of July is a technically interesting piece that has more than a handful of coy and intimate moments with this on-screen family, it is just a shame that the underbaked writing kills off both the momentum and care necessary to latch onto them.