It is somewhat unfortunate what happened to Louis CK. I liked him as a comedian and as an artist. The Louie TV show was excellent. I was disappointed he turned out to be a real life creep. Yet, it does add something to this movie. It makes it a psychological case study.
On the surface, if you're unaware of who CK is or what he did, this movie is pretty straight-forward. It is social commentary not-so-hidden inside a romantic-type movie satire. Stylistically it mocks and spoils classical romantic comedy tropes. Thematically, it wants to be a scathing commentary on modern Hollywood social norms and behaviors. However, that is where the CK me-too scandal comes in, and makes things remarkably interesting.
The grand irony is that the scandal surfaced shortly before the movie was released. The movie is really the interesting last testament of the now defunct career of Louis CK. The movie was written, directed and entirely financed by the comedian. In other words, this reads as the artist at the absolute height of his powers. It is a movie without compromise. It is the movie it wanted to make. The movie more than others, is a transparent naked expression of its artist.
Therefore it is ironic, and at least interesting, that the movie focuses on sexual attraction, consent, morality and so on. The movie describes and comments exactly on what Louis CK was involved in. Of course the moral of the film is completely invalidated, by his real life actions. However, I think the movie gives amazing insights on Louis CK and his views on morality. You almost have a sense throughout the film that he is aware of his bad behavior and that his time is coming.
The character of Glenn, played by Louis CK, almost works as an admission of guilt. Glenn is the monster that I felt CK wanted to confess he his. I got the feeling that CK wanted his avatar in the movie to be Leslie. In the movie Leslie has a lot of qualities that CK has celebrated in his used-to-be amazing show Louie. He is genius writer that does not, in the movie at least, have negative flaws. Glenn is the depressed writer that knows that he is behind his apex. It feels like two sides of Louis CK: on the one hand the unstoppable famous comedian, on the other the despicable creep hack. The genuine talent versus the deep impulses. The funny insights against the misunderstandings of basic decency.
Unfortunately, this only an ex-post breakdown. It would have resulted in a great film, but it is not the case. Firstly, the movie is not about that at all and secondly, Louis CK did in real life far worse than what the film wants to portray. It is hard to separate the art from the artist on this one.
On the surface, if you're unaware of who CK is or what he did, this movie is pretty straight-forward. It is social commentary not-so-hidden inside a romantic-type movie satire. Stylistically it mocks and spoils classical romantic comedy tropes. Thematically, it wants to be a scathing commentary on modern Hollywood social norms and behaviors. However, that is where the CK me-too scandal comes in, and makes things remarkably interesting.
The grand irony is that the scandal surfaced shortly before the movie was released. The movie is really the interesting last testament of the now defunct career of Louis CK. The movie was written, directed and entirely financed by the comedian. In other words, this reads as the artist at the absolute height of his powers. It is a movie without compromise. It is the movie it wanted to make. The movie more than others, is a transparent naked expression of its artist.
Therefore it is ironic, and at least interesting, that the movie focuses on sexual attraction, consent, morality and so on. The movie describes and comments exactly on what Louis CK was involved in. Of course the moral of the film is completely invalidated, by his real life actions. However, I think the movie gives amazing insights on Louis CK and his views on morality. You almost have a sense throughout the film that he is aware of his bad behavior and that his time is coming.
The character of Glenn, played by Louis CK, almost works as an admission of guilt. Glenn is the monster that I felt CK wanted to confess he his. I got the feeling that CK wanted his avatar in the movie to be Leslie. In the movie Leslie has a lot of qualities that CK has celebrated in his used-to-be amazing show Louie. He is genius writer that does not, in the movie at least, have negative flaws. Glenn is the depressed writer that knows that he is behind his apex. It feels like two sides of Louis CK: on the one hand the unstoppable famous comedian, on the other the despicable creep hack. The genuine talent versus the deep impulses. The funny insights against the misunderstandings of basic decency.
Unfortunately, this only an ex-post breakdown. It would have resulted in a great film, but it is not the case. Firstly, the movie is not about that at all and secondly, Louis CK did in real life far worse than what the film wants to portray. It is hard to separate the art from the artist on this one.