Saturday, April 18, 2020

Louis C.K.'s I LOVE YOU, DADDY: Teen Girls with "Boners" for Older Dudes | Old\Young


This is IMDb's plot summary of Louis C.K.'s I Love You, Daddy (2017):

"When a successful television writer's [Glen (Louis C.K.)] daughter [China (Chloë Grace Moretz)] becomes the interest of an aging filmmaker [Leslie Goodwin (John Malkovich)] with an appalling past, he becomes worried about how to handle the situation."

Wikipedia elaborated:

"C.K. plays television writer and producer Glen Topher, who becomes disconcerted after his teenage daughter is seduced by a much older film director. The film premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2017. Initially scheduled to be released in the United States on November 17, 2017 by The Orchard, the film was dropped following sexual misconduct accusations made against C.K. a week prior to the intended debut."


[Note: Although I Love You, Daddy (2017) was never released, we were able to do a review after a critic shared his or her copy.]

Towards the beginning of the film, Maggie (Pamela Adlon) complimented China on her tan. China developed that tan while on her senior year of high school spring break where she participated in "Mother May I" - a (teen) sex game:

Maggie: "Oh my God! Look at you. You got so fucking tanned. Fuck off! Baby. It's March in New York, and you look like a Schvartze came all over you."
China: "What's a Schvartze?"
Glen: "It's Jewish for n_gger."
Maggie: "No it's not. Yes it is. But not in a bad way."

Later, Grace (Rose Byrne) threw a party at her house in The Hamptons for the famous writer and director - Leslie Goodwin (John Malkovich). Grace admitted, "I like to throw him these parties so he can scam on all the young girls [...] He loves it. He's an old perv."

Upon entering the party, the following conversation took place between China, China's dad, and China's schoolmate - Zasha (Ebonee Noel).

Glen: "Oh my God."
China: "What?"
Glen: "That's Leslie Goodwin. I've wanted to meet him my whole life."
China: "Eww, wasn't he a child molester?"
Zasha: "Allegedly."
Glen: "That's just a rumor."
China: "Dad. He's a child molester."
Glen: "You don't know that China. That's just a story."
China: "Ah. God, he's gross."
Zasha"Yeah, but he's sexy."
China: "Zash, come on."
Glen: "You know China, you shouldn't say things like that about a person you don't know - who you just heard rumors about."
China: "OK, well. He also dates really young women. And he's, what, like 80-years-old?"
Glen: "He's a great artist. Probably the best writer filmmaker in the last 30 years or more."

Subsequently, Leslie sparked up an engaging conversation on feminism with China by asking her what type of feminism she followed. And China appeared to be smitten when Leslie asked, "What do you think?" Eventually China shared, "I feel really weird talking to you [...] and I don't like you [...] It's what I've heard about you."

Leslie replied, "OK, well look, I haven't heard anything about you - for instance. I can only go by what I see in front of me - in meeting you. In my experience, that's the best thing to go by. And as far as I can see, you seem like a boorish and rude person with no boundaries. In other words, I think you're terrific. And if I read something terrible about you later, I won't believe it."
*****
Glen was supposed to have lunch with his idol Leslie, but Glen was disappointed after Leslie's office called and canceled. But Glen was shocked that his daughter knew why Leslie canceled. 

China: "Oh well, he's going to Europe tonight [...] I was just with him."
Glen: "You were with Leslie Goodwin?
China: "Yeah. Isn't that weird." 
Ralph (Charlie Day): "Well, it's not that weird. He likes young girls."
China: "Oh. Yes. He. Does."
Glen: "Why were you with Leslie Goodwin?"
China: "I was shopping for shorts at Barneys, and there he was [...] he goes there to, get this, to look at young girls."


In a flashback to Barneys, Leslie shared with China, "Oh, I actually come her quite often, because this is where all of Manhattan's elite girls come, and I like looking at them."
China: "You like looking at young girls?"
Leslie: "Sure, who doesn't. I mean if you had a choice between looking at a pretty girl your age or a retired bus driver, who would you choose?"

Leslie confessed to China that he was different than the other nympholepts who go to Barneys to leer at nymphets. Leslie, "[...] I'm interested in the whole person. It's not just about your perfect body, it's about where you are in this journey of life and humanity." 

Subsequently, Leslie encouraged China to try on a Barneys bikini before they went to Madison Square Park where Leslie purchased and distributed ice cream to the park-goers.  Afterwards, China shared with her dad, "God, it was the best fucking time I have had in years."


Later, Glen found out that China had plans to go to Paris with Leslie. Despite Glen's objections, "You're a minor! And you're 17!", China went to Paris on a private jet with Leslie. (Note: Actually, the age-of-consent in New York is a 17.)

After her birthday party that was held in Central Park, China went to Leslie's place to inform him, "Well, I'm officially 18. No longer a minor." (Once again, the age-of-consent in New York is 17.) After China straddled Leslie, she repeated, "I'm 18. I'm 18, and you're 68. And my friends. My friends think I'm crazy. They go, "China!" And I'm like, "Yeah, I know. He's 68. That's how long it takes to make a good man."

In the end, Glen told China that he had forbidden her from seeing Leslie. After a heated talk, Glen asked his daughter, "What about Leslie?" China chuckled and replied, "That's none of your business Glen," and left the house.

When Zasha arrived to pick up some things for China, Leslie reiterated to Zasha that he didn't want China to have a relationship with Leslie, because Leslie's is a pervert.


Zasha replied, "China's the real pervert here."
Glen: "China's a pervert?"
Zasha: "Yeah, she has such a boner for Leslie. Hilarious. That's always been our thing. She had a teacher in 9th grade who she tried to get to come on to her. Mr. Hoffman [...] Older dudes are sexy."

Lastly, Zasha shared with China's dad: "I used to have a boner for you throughout my teens. It's so normal [...] Who cares how old you are and who you are? [...] I had a thing for you when I was 14. So what?" 

The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw gave I Love You, Daddy four stars and opined that Louis C.K.'s film: "[...] contrives to be a very funny and recklessly provocative homage to Woody Allen, channelling his masterpiece Manhattan and brilliantly finding a fictional way to tackle his personal reputation head-on."

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