‘I Love You Dad’: How James Morosini Turned Being Catfished Into Movie

James Morosini actually does love his dad, and he proves it when his father calls within the midst of our dialog. Morosini takes the decision and explains he’s on an interview. “I’ll name you again,” the youthful Morosini says earlier than including: “Love you.”

The difficult father-son relationship impressed Morosini’s acclaimed new movie, “I Love My Dad,” which hits theaters this week and arrives on VOD Aug. 12 after profitable each the grand jury prize and viewers award at this 12 months’s South by Southwest Movie Competition. Patton Oswalt stars as Chuck, a person who’s lower off by his son Franklin (performed by Morosini) and creates a social media profile primarily based on a waitress he is aware of, Becca (Claudia Sulewski.) Although Chuck is simply attempting to attach with Franklin, his son finally ends up falling onerous for Becca – and Chuck goes to more and more elaborate lengths to maintain up the ruse.

Listening to the premise, individuals are inclined to giggle or wince — generally each. It’s a fragile steadiness stored afloat by Morosini’s expert script and route in addition to a implausible ensemble that additionally consists of Amy Landecker, Lil Rel Howery and Rachel Dratch. It’s additionally primarily based on a real story – in actual life, Morosini’s father despatched him a good friend request underneath the guise of a pretty younger girl. And whereas it does make for some uncomfortable (if hilarious) on-screen moments, it’s additionally surprisingly empathetic towards all of its advanced characters.

Most not too long ago seen in “The Intercourse Lifetime of School Women,” the 32-year-old actor’s earlier enterprise behind the digital camera was the 2018 comedy “Threesomething,” which he says was shot on a price range of “round $10,000.” So whereas helming “I Love My Dad” was a steep studying curve — Morosini calls it “the toughest factor I’ve ever accomplished” — he says it was additionally “probably the most rewarding.”

I do know that is primarily based on one thing that basically occurred to you, however from what I perceive, your actual story didn’t go fairly this far.

It went farther than I’d have appreciated. (Laughs.) I form of took a kernel of what occurred and tried to extrapolate upon it and requested myself what would I’ve accomplished if it had gone even additional. Emotionally, the entire film could be very, very true.

This occurred fairly some time in the past, across the age of 20?

Yeah. I finished speaking to my dad — he lied about one thing and we had an enormous battle and I lower him out of my life. I feel if you’re 20, you see issues in a really black-and-white means and I used to be very absolute about issues. At that time, I didn’t know the best way to set clear boundaries in my life. I acquired house someday and this actually fairly lady had despatched me a good friend request. She was superior and had all the identical pursuits and all these wonderful photos. After which I quickly came upon it was my dad.

That’s horrible, however did the author in you instantly notice it was a superb story?

I positively acknowledged one thing in there on the time. I’m actually thinking about tales being instructed from a perspective we wouldn’t usually see. For me, that’s the worth of storytelling. I’m someone that likes to contemplate the opposite perspective and attempt to perceive what individuals are doing. So I felt prefer it was a worthwhile train in empathetically exploring what he should have been going by means of on the time and why he would ever do that.

The movie is shockingly empathetic towards Chuck, whereas by no means pulling any punches about how horrible he could be.

I can perceive why lots of people see Chuck as a horrible father or horrible individual, however I don’t actually see individuals in that means. I feel individuals have restricted instruments and we use them how we’ve been taught to make use of them. No person is aware of the best way to be an ideal dad or mum, particularly in the event that they didn’t have good dad and mom. So for me, the is about forgiving individuals for being restricted and looking for methods to attach with them, even when it appears not possible to take action.

Did you speak to your father if you had been writing to essentially get his perspective?

I did fairly a bit. I went to Colorado and I spent a variety of time with him. He additionally gave me his journals from earlier in his life, and people had been so informative in crafting the character’s perspective as I used to be writing it.

Did he converse to Patton earlier than taking pictures?

No, I feel Patton needed it to be a separate character than my precise dad, so I perceive. And actually, Chuck is sort of totally different from my dad.

I perceive that initially you didn’t intend to behave within the movie, however Patton inspired it?

Sure. We had been speaking, and the thought of it got here up. After which I went to his home and we learn just a few scenes on digital camera, simply to see if it made sense. And we each loved performing collectively. I’m in the end glad I did, simply because it made it a lot extra private for me. And since I used to be capable of do issues in it that I wouldn’t essentially know the best way to convey to an actor.

There’s so many moments the place the viewers is on edge questioning how far issues are going to go. It walks a precarious steadiness; how did you grasp that tone? Was it within the writing or taking pictures, and even the modifying?

I feel it was a mixture of all of these issues. Within the writing, I felt let’s go so far as we are able to. After which we are able to pull it again if it doesn’t work. Once we had been taking pictures, it was essential to ensure that the performances aligned and Chuck might by no means be having an excessive amount of [fun] together with his deception. He at all times wanted to be form of tortured by going by means of with this with solely glimmers of satisfaction, as a result of he’s getting nearer to his son, not as a result of he’s having fun with pretending to be this individual. That’s the place Patton and Claudia are so invaluable with these performances as a result of she’s saying what Patton is typing and it must be so exact. In modifying, it was concerning the juxtaposition between the characters. When Franklin is having his finest moments, Chuck is having his worst moments. As a result of for Franklin, the extra intimate he’s with Becca, the happier he’s, and the extra intimate Chuck is having to be as Becca, the extra tortured and freaked out he’s.

Are you okay with the movie being known as a “cringe comedy”?

Certain. You may put one thing down by saying it’s cringe but when the intent is for it to be cringe, then I assume it’s a praise. It’s like calling a horror film scary — for some individuals, it’s going to be too scary. And for some individuals, this film is perhaps too cringey. However for individuals who like that, I feel they’ll actually take pleasure in it.

I’m an enormous fan of Reddit cringe, which is a subreddit of Reddit the place it’s simply all of the cringy finest issues ever. I’ve been attempting to know why I’m so thinking about cringe. I feel it’s as a result of it’s simply so relatable. We will see someone working too onerous to or mendacity to make it appear to be they’re another person, and it’s very human. It’s so sincere it virtually hurts.

In fact I’ve to ask: what does your actual dad consider the film?

He noticed it for the primary time at South By and I used to be very nervous about displaying it to him. I used to be frightened that he wouldn’t prefer it, or he would take it personally or get his emotions damage. After which midway by means of the film, he leaned over and mentioned: “It is a actually good film!” And he has an ideal humorousness — I feel I get my humorousness from my dad. And so he loves the movie and will get it and is ready to giggle at himself. I’m pleased with him, that he’s capable of have a humorousness about this. This complete course of has strengthened our friendship and our relationship. And, you understand, the title of the film is true. I really like my dad.