In his assessment from the Toronto International Film Festival last month, Slate’s Sam Adams wrote, “I Love You, Daddy is likely to squick some people out whether or not they’re aware that [Louis] C.K. has himself been accused of nonconsensual sex acts. But it’s especially queasy when viewed in that light.” Now, in the wake of the stunning allegations against Harvey Weinstein and the dozens and dozens of Hollywood women who have since come forward to detail their own horrible experiences in the industry, the film’s queasiness factor feels exponentially higher. But here’s the first, quintessentially Woody Allen–esque trailer, in spiffy black-and-white, featuring an amazing cast (including Rose Byrne, Edie Falco, and Pamela Adlon) chatting away about uncomfortable things against a lighthearted jazz score.
Glen Topher (C.K.) is a TV producer whose teenage daughter China (Chloë Grace Moretz), begins dating Leslie Goodwin (John Malkovich), a much older art house filmmaker rumored to be a pedophile and rapist. Someone mistakes China to be Glen’s girlfriend, Glen’s friend Ralph (Charlie Day) comments that China dating Leslie “isn’t that weird” because “he likes young girls,” a character says that “We’re all perverts”—I Love You, Daddy probably couldn’t feel more unintentionally relevant than it does now. The industry is a way different place than it was just a few weeks ago. Perhaps C.K. is bracing himself for the uneasy questions that await him as he promotes the film, which is set for release on Nov. 17.
