The Breadwinner

I am not the biggest fan of Nate Bargatze’s stand-up. He has built a successful career on “clean comedy,” often mocking himself for being uncultured or a philistine who admits he has a challenging time getting through novels due to the large amount of text. He also relies heavily on dad jokes, and while he is likable as a “regular guy,” his humor can sometimes fall a little flat.

Going into his feature film debut, The Breadwinner, I more or less knew what to expect, and I was ready for it. The setup is straightforward: Bargatze plays Nate Wilcox, a top-selling car salesman whose traditional household dynamic is flipped on its head when his wife, Katie (Mandy Moore), scores a massive deal on Shark Tank for her side business. When her newfound success sends her away on a prolonged corporate tour, the lifelong breadwinner is forced to quit his job, stay home, and manage their three young daughters.

Here, however, Bargatze brings a distinct charm to his deliberately constructed sketch of a goofy, oblivious everyman who often finds himself bewildered by normal situations. His humor is harmless, driven by a “buffoonish” persona centered around his own confusion and poor domestic decision-making. The comedy leans heavily on this fish-out-of-water routine, populated by wacky supporting characters like Keegan (Will Forte), an incredibly unqualified roofer who only adds to the household chaos.

Courtesy Sony Pictures Releasing

Some of the jokes involving Nate being out of touch and selfish are genuinely interesting and clever. For me, the funniest material comes in the form of little throwaway one-liners, like when he uses perfume to spray his daughters’ dirty clothes because he’s overwhelmed by the massive, never-ending mountain of laundry. Unfortunately, the main structural humor is not nearly as amusing; we get a lot of tired gags like food being burnt or Nate ordering a takeout lasagna and pretending he prepared it himself. A live horse is eventually introduced for predictable slapstick and destructive humor, though it does pave the way for perhaps the funniest moment in the film: a panicked Nate mistakenly thinking the animal is dead, completely unaware that horses actually lay down to sleep.

Ultimately, the film is certainly a throwback to the “regular guy” vibe of ’80s and ’90s comedy movies, heavily echoing other films about fathers maturing into parenthood, such as Mr. Mom. However, this overdone trope—an ordinary man struggling with fatherhood and basic housework—just isn’t refreshing, highly comedic, or exciting anymore.

In their attempt to borrow humor and recycle tropes, director Eric Appel and Nate’s jokes just feel too familiar; I laughed at times, but many viewers will find it forgettable. It’s too bad that Bargatze didn’t realize his full potential and carry a more surrealist approach to the material the way Tim Robinson did so well with last year’s Friendship. While Bargatze has chemistry with the cast, the humor just doesn’t land due to the excessive use of recycled jokes. While Bargatze’s stand-up shows have become a phenomenon with him selling out arenas, I doubt his film will have legs, and word of mouth will continue to slow it down. At that point, we will be rooting for Bargatze to come back next time with something more unconventional and original.

GRADE C

The Breadwinner is now playing in theaters everywhere