Synopsis: A supermom lands a Shark Tank deal, switching roles with her breadwinner husband. He struggles to adapt as a stay-at-home dad to their three daughters.
Director: Eric Appel
Stars: Nate Bargatze, Mandy Moore, Colin Jost, Zach Cherry, Kumail Nanjani. Will Forte
Whether you like The Breadwinner comes down to two things: first, do you like the comedic stylings of Nate Bargatze? If you do, then you will probably enjoy this movie. The second being, have you seen the trailer? Because if you’ve seen the trailer, you have seen the film.
This movie is essentially a love letter to mothers. In a bold stretch, Nata Bargatze plays someone named . . . Nate, a successful car salesman who constantly wins salesperson of the year. He is The Breadwinner of the family. His wife, Katie, played by Mandy Moore, keeps the household running. She manages the schedule of their three daughters, and everything runs like clockwork due to Katie’s effectiveness.
An opportunity arises for Katie to pursue a professional role, and while she wants to do that, it means her husband will have to look after the kids. Being supportive of his wife, Nate doesn’t hesitate to take on the extra workload, and Katie is off, leaving him with the girls.
Well, how do you think he does? No great!
It isn’t long before Nate realizes how hard Katie works. Between drop-offs and pick-ups, extracurricular activities, etc, he is significantly overwhelmed.
The supporting cast outshines Bargatze, and they probably should; his acting credits are minimal. Moore is fine as the mom, and coming off This Is Us, her on-screen maternal instincts are on point. Colin Jost once again proves he is funny and shouldn’t just be regarded as Mr. Scarlett Johansson. Kumail Nanjiani plays Nate’s rival at work, but they could have fleshed out this feud a little more.
The three actors who play the daughters, Stella Grace Fitzgerals, Birdie Borria and Charlotte Ann Tucker, are all very good. My VIP goes to Will Forte. He is the Silent Bob of this film, and many of the poignant lines are delivered by his character.
This movie is ideal for a family outing, but overall, it is just passable for me. The film isn’t terrible by any means, but there is nothing memorable about it either. It’s essentially a 90-minute stand-up routine transformed into a film.
I’m not overly familiar with Bargatze’s standup, but watching the trailer, you’ve seen the movie.
Grade: C-
Watch the movie trailer:
