SPOILER-FREE PLOT SUMMARY
When housewife Katie Wilcox (played by Mandy Moore) designs a reminder tool for her three daughters, she’s encouraged to take it on Shark Tank. But, while she’s pitching to the sharks, they ask to meet her husband Nate (Nate Bargatze) to make sure he can handle things at home while she’s off developing her product. If he can, Lori Greiner will offer her the deal she walked in asking for. Trying to be a supportive partner, Nate insists he can take a leave from his job and do what needs to be done around the house in order for her to chase her dream. Shortly after getting back home, Katie flies to South Korea for two weeks and Nate’s challenge begins. Can he be the stay-at-home dad he believes he can be? Can he be responsible enough to get the kids to and from school while still doing all the laundry, cleaning and other chores around the house? Can he hire a competent roofer (Will Forte) to repair the roof, crossing one more thing off her to-do list?
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
Bargatze, in his feature-film debut, succeeds where a lot of stand ups fail. Pauly Shore, Dane Cook and even the great Dana Carvey are just some of the names of successful stand up comedians who could never really transition to silver screen leading man. Here, the Old Hickory, Tennessee native seems to be comfortable in an acting role. To be clear, nobody’s suggesting he can be a dramatic actor that shows emotional range but, for what THE BREADWINNER is, Bargatze surprises with how well he fits in.
As a fan of stand up, it’s great to see cameos from comedians Brian Bates, Aaron Weber, Dusty Slay and Derrick Stroup sprinkled throughout. Throw in supporting roles for Kumail Nanjiani and Kate Berlant as well as SNL alums Will Forte and Martin Herlihy and THE BREADWINNER is loaded with funny people all rowing in the same direction.
As comfortable as Bargatze looks and as solid as Moore is, this comedy hinges on the three daughters. Nearly every key scene revolves around the challenges the kids present so if any one of them — let alone all three — comes across as amateur or unengaged, THE BREADWINNER falls off the tracks. Casting directors Nicole Abellera and Jeanne McCarthy deserve serious flowers for finding Stella Grace Fitzgerald, Birdie Borria and Charlotte Ann Tucker as they really are the glue that holds the movie together.
As with most comedies, this isn’t a movie for everyone. It’s not an instant classic like CHRISTMAS VACATION or TOMMY BOY or GROUNDHOG DAY where, even if you didn’t enjoy yourself, you at least come away thinking “Yeah, I can see how people would like that.” That said, it is a perfect comedy for families. Parents and grandparents of all ages can take kids at any stage of life and everyone will enjoy themselves to some degree. It’s a very safe movie in that way and that’s a good thing to have in theaters, especially during summer break.
At the end of the day, THE BREADWINNER doesn’t feature a rhythm of consistent belly laughs like the best comedies do. But it does provide consistent smiles and, when you’re looking for something to do as a family, that’s all you can ask for.
JKG SCORE: 6.5 out of 10
Untitled Film Project 