Late Fame Review: Willem Dafoe Does Incredible Work in Mature Literary Drama

Former film critic and festival programmer Kent Jones has transitioned in the later part of his career to become a filmmaker. It’s almost fitting, therefore, that his second narrative film, Late Fame, explores the story of someone whose creative passion is rekindled late in life. While the screenplay is a bit uneven, particularly in the final act, Late Fame shines thanks to stunning performances from a talented cast.

What is Late Fame about?

Late Fame tells the story of a post office worker who once published a collection of poetry which he believes to have been forgotten until he has a chance encounter with a group of young artists who claim to have been inspired by his work. Samy Burch (May December, Coyote vs. Acme) writes the screenplay, adapting a novella written by Arthur Schintzler in 1895. Yet, despite the source material having been written over a century ago, Burch manages to make the movie feel decidedly cutting and modern.

Late Fame Review

The things that Burch has to say about the literary community in New York City are quite interesting. Late Fame is as much a love letter to the modern-day beatniks and bohemians as it is a satire of them. Although Burch is willing to point out the pretensions and character flaws of these people, she is just as eager to celebrate the creative spirit that unites them.

Greta Lee and Willem Dafoe in LATE FAME, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

While Late Fame will certainly appeal more to those who are creatives themselves, there are more than enough funny and endearing moments to keep it from fading into art-house obscurity. The dialogue is sharp and punchy, and the comedy lands without feeling like it is dumbing itself down for mainstream appeal, which will allow the film to connect even with audiences who wander in off the street seeing a poster for a new Willem Dafoe movie.

Unfortunately, the screenplay falls off a cliff in the last act with a conclusion that feels overly beholden to the tropes of indie dramas. There are so many storylines that the film loses track of its through-line until it ends rather abruptly. The part that comes before is so intelligent and thoughtful that it’s easy to forgive some of the more melodramatic beats towards the end, but this still holds the movie back from greatness.

That being said, Late Fame is still worth watching if only for the strength of its performances. Willem Dafoe gives some of his best, most nuanced work in years in the lead role. This is not a film that requires big, showy emotions — at least not from him — it requires a delicate balancing act between sadness and hope, and this is something that Dafoe brilliantly captures. 

Apart from Dafoe, the movie also features a small but memorable supporting turn from Greta Lee (Past Lives, Tron: Ares), who is really coming into her own as one of this generation of indie film’s most exciting performers. She’s mostly playing the role in a (purposefully) exaggerated way, but she gets one show-stopping monologue in which she gets to show the true depth of what she is doing here.

A scene from LATE FAME, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

The biggest surprise in the cast, though, is Edmund Donovan, who even steals the scene from some of the more experienced actors he shares the screen with. Burch’s writing and Donovan’s performance work brilliantly together in this character, giving us someone who is endearingly like the most pretentious person all of us know. He’s certainly a bit annoying, but there’s something ineffably charming about him, and because of that, he becomes the movie’s secret weapon. 

Is Late Fame worth watching?

Even though the final act is a bit of a letdown, the sharp dialogue and stellar performances in Late Fame make it an enjoyable satire. It isn’t often that we see low-key films about the literary community that don’t feel exhaustingly pompous, so Kent Jones’s latest is refreshing in that way.

Late Fame opens in theaters on August 7.

Late Fame Review: Willem Dafoe Does Incredible Work in Mature Literary Drama