By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.25 cats
Director: Kent Jones
Starring: Clark Johnson | Greta Lee | Jake Lacy | Willem Dafoe | William Hill
Year: 2026
Running time: 92
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32298494
Brett says: “There once was a guy from Soho
Who wrote a book long forgotten, oh no
A bunch of young wannabes
Invite him into their coterie
But is acting your age more important than FOMO?
“Director Kent Jones brings audiences a New York treat with an underdog story that’s not so much about overcoming as it is about relishing in being the underdog. Ed Saxberger (Willem Dafoe) goes through the daily grind at his post office job, diving into a no-name bar with no-name compatriots at the end of work shifts, and life is life. A young self-proclaimed artist eerily shows up one late afternoon outside Saxberger’s apartment with high praise for a book of poems the postal worker had written many years ago and a high opinion that’s shared among his group of aspiring artist friends. Surprising as it is, there is enough residue from times gone by for Saxberger to appreciate the naïveté and allegiance to the written word, so he is quite cordial and welcoming to the young gentleman.
“A future encounter with this adoring fan begins to give Saxberger some things to think about. At the heart of the plot is a study in time and aging: young folks with perceptions about their present world just as elders were once those same young folks emboldened to pontificate about a world of their own, however different it may seem to them after a few decades have passed. There is a part of Saxberger that surely recognizes this, but the beauty of the film is not in outright stating what might be brewing in this forgotten poet’s head, but letting it stew for audiences to make their own assumptions about what internal notions he might be considering, regarding his past and present.
“Greta Lee gives another standout performance in a supporting role as one of the members of the young group of artists who pull Saxberger into their circle. Among the group, she possesses qualities quite different than the rest, and audiences are left with quite a puzzle to piece together when it comes to her as much as they do with Saxberger himself.
:The interesting pairing of these two characters carries quite the reverberation after the reveal of how each of these two artists’ end their respective tales, at least within the confines of the film that we are given. The film’s strongest themes stem from the juxtaposition of these two story arcs, but each is distinguishable enough to where the film is not solely dependent on how just these two characters play off of each other. The fact that Kent Jones devised a film where one featured pairing does not overwhelm the main character’s own individual branches of story arcs or drown out other important supporting characters’ depths is quite the impressive triumph. There is a lot to appreciate in this layered New York story.
“3 CATS OUT OF 5”
Aaron says: “LATE FAME follows Ed Saxberger (Willem Dafoe), an aging poet whose long-forgotten work is rediscovered late in life, drawing him into an uneasy relationship with a younger generation eager to celebrate him. Director Kent Jones (the sublime Diane) seems to have unearthed a classic New York film with a satirical edge. The dialogue crackles with wit and intelligence, the literary name-dropping adds an insider buzz, and Dafoe delivers a gently humane performance recalling his work in THE FLORIDA PROJECT. A reminder that he can play so much more than weird.
“As LATE FAME starts to root out the hypocrisy in its characters, Jones seems poised to achieve something special. But it loses momentum thanks to Greta Lee’s larger-than-life performance as a mercurial actress who treats every interaction like a stage. It’s a juicy part, yet she pulls focus from Ed Saxberger’s story. You can almost feel Jones handing over the reins during Lee’s cabaret performance and drunken reading.
“Still, I admired this film a great deal. When we finally hear one of Saxberger’s poems, the scene is less concerned with the merits of the work than with Dafoe’s emotional relationship to it. Much like the subject of LATE FAME, I was left moved and changed by the end, but also wondering what might have been. Greatness has eluded both Saxberger and LATE FAME. 3.5 Cats“