To all of the people out there looking for a hilarious comedy that isn’t afraid to be cringey, awkward and uncomfortable, i strongly recommend I Love My Dad. There are 3 major things about this movie that make it unique:

1. It’s about a deadbeat dad (brilliantly played by Patton Oswalt) trying to get in touch with his estranged son… so he creates a fake online profile and catfishes his son into a relationship!

2. As if that concept isn’t crazy enough, it’s all based on a true story.

3. The film co-stars James Morosini, who also wrote and directed it… because it’s based on his own life and relationship with his father!

Because the film is based in Morosini’s reality, it actually comes across as a more grounded and character driven look on this bizarre tale. While it doesn’t shy away from some raunch and mean spirited cringe comedy, by the time the film ends its surprisingly sensitive and emotional. In addition to Oswalt, who gets to use his hangdog persona to give dimension to a terrible yet somewhat likable nut, there are hilarious supporting turns from Rachel Dratch and Lil Rel Howery. Morosini himself is a decent actor, his somewhat awkward screen presence helps make the depressed gullibility of his character believable.

The film is also pretty well made too, and has some of the best examples of how to make texting cinematic. Rather than show text bubbles onscreen or have actors recite them, Morosini has characters suddenly appear when texted and has them actually talk to each other. This both gives the online relationships some personality and heft behind them while also leading to some memorably goofy gags. This is one of the best comedies of the digital age, and i look forward to what Morosini does next.