‘Fatherhood’ Is Based On A True, Gut-Wrenching Story

Kevin Hart’s role in Netflix’s new drama, Fatherhood, wasn’t his typical job. Known for his edgy, self-deprecating comedy, the father of four plays Matt, a man suddenly and unexpectedly widowed one day after the birth of his daughter. Based on a true story, the film explores Matt’s struggles with single parenthood and grief, at times heartbreaking and funny, following father and daughter in the days, weeks and years after losing her.

hart’s character is based on matthew logelin, a father & widower

After a multi-year long-distance courtship that began in high school, Matthew Logelin married Liz Goodman in 2005. The couple settled in California, where Liz was a Disney executive and he worked at Yahoo!. They were able to travel extensively, especially as Logelin’s work often took him to India, and Logelin documented their travels and his life together on his (now defunct) blog, Mattlogelin.com. In 2007, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child, and the blog went from documenting distant travels to keeping distant relatives informed about Liz’s pregnancy.

on March 24, 2008, madeline “maddy” elizabeth was born via emergency cesarean section. Although Maddy was seven weeks early, both she and Liz seemed to be doing well. But tragedy struck when, 27 hours later, as she was heading to pick up her daughter for the first time, Liz collapsed and she died of a pulmonary embolism no one knew she had.

logelin’s blog became an outlet for his pain

logelin’s blog, which he renamed matt, liz and madeline: life and death, all in a 27-hour period, attracted a lot of attention during the early stages of his fatherhood and duel. trip. at the height of the site’s popularity, it would reportedly receive more than 40,000 hits per day. Readers became something of a lifeline for him, offering advice, comfort, and even sending him gifts: formula for Maddy, beer for him. In 2009, the same year he gained additional notoriety after appearing on Oprah to share his story, he started the Liz Logelin Foundation, which provides financial support to widowed families.

In 2011, he published his memoir, Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love, which documents his life with Liz and the year after her passing, including the experience of building an online community through his blog. . this book provides the backbone of parenting, although there are some deviations.

fatherhood goes beyond the scope of two kisses for maddy

While Two Kisses for Maddy focuses heavily on Logelin’s parenting experiences in the year after Liz’s death, parenting sees the story set in Maddy’s school years. Hart’s character finds himself struggling with his daughter’s school, his late wife’s family, her career ambitions, her lingering pain, and the prospect of finding love again.

there is a big change that logelin wants to clarify

A notable departure from Logelin’s life is the character of Marion. Played by the ever-fabulous Alfre Woodard, Marion is Matt’s well-intentioned but exaggerated mother-in-law, which Logelin says isn’t true, not even on her behalf. “She is the exact opposite of my real mother-in-law,” she said hi! magazine. “candee is not dominant. so that’s a big departure from reality.”

In an interview with Anna Menta of the decider, Logelin explained that the character was changed because “it’s great for the movie, but it’s not something that happened in real life.”

“The film shows some of the tensions one would expect to have between a mother-in-law and a son-in-law that never really existed in our relationship,” he told the ruling judge. “maddy’s grandmother is the sweetest, most wonderful person, and alfred woodard did an amazing job playing her.”

logelin has praised the film’s emotional accuracy

despite some changes, logelin has praised the film’s emotional accuracy, including some of the more difficult material. “That scene in the hospital where she collapses is where I really start to lose my mind, because it’s incredibly accurate to my experience, with that kind of speed,” she said hi! magazine. “That was exactly how it happened in real life. it was horrible”.

But what she likes most is that the film highlights “universal themes” that all families can relate to. “The important thing about this film is that there are universal themes,” Logelin told the deciding judge. “There is love and joy, and sadness and death, and that is what remains. you can change everything about this movie as long as you keep those feelings.”