Comedian and filmmaker Louis C.K. has a new film out that’s set almost entirely in Maine, his first movie since five women accused him of sexual harassment at the height of the #MeToo movement.
“Fourth of July” came out last week in a limited run in movie theaters, and tells the story of a jazz musician named Jeff (Joe List) who returns home to Maine for a weekend with his family for their annual Fourth of July vacation, during which things quickly turn antagonistic.
The film is set in an unnamed Maine town, on an unnamed Maine lake, in a picturesque family camp where the assembled extended family engages in a knock-down, drag-out fight about long-held grudges, betrayal, guilt and anger. Critical response has been mixed, with some calling it an entertaining family comedy-drama and others calling it C.K.’s self-indulgent attempt at redeeming his name.
The film is set in Maine, but as with so many other movies set in the state, it was not filmed in Maine, instead being shot in Lake George, New York, in the Adirondack Mountains. Despite that, it does show a kind of Maine camp weekend that many Mainers may be familiar with, full of boating, food and, likely, lots of drinking.
In 2017, Louis C.K. was accused by several women of sexual harassment. His debut feature film, “I Love You, Daddy” was shelved in the wake of those accusations, and C.K. disappeared from the spotlight for close to a year. Since then, however, he has attempted to remount his career, with two stand-up specials and “Fourth of July,” his second feature film.
“Fourth of July” will screen on July 12 at movie theaters in Augusta and Brunswick.