REVIEW: Nate Bargatze’s ‘The Breadwinner’ offers big laughs and family-friendly fun
Nate Wilcox is a middle-aged businessman at the top of his game.
A star performer at the local Toyota dealership, he has earned Salesman of the Year honors six times. Legend has it he once sold…
Nate Wilcox is a middle-aged businessman at the top of his game.
A star performer at the local Toyota dealership, he has earned Salesman of the Year honors six times. Legend has it he once sold a car to a customer who stopped in only to use the restroom. His success even landed him coveted seats to watch his beloved Tennessee Titans play.
But Nate’s seemingly perfect world is about to be turned upside down.
It all begins when his stay-at-home wife, Katie, creates a customizable organizer for children called the Star Minder, designed to help her three daughters stay on top of their morning routines. The product is such a hit with friends that they encourage her to take it to the broader market.
Katie does just that and soon lands a deal on Shark Tank when businesswoman Lori Greiner offers her $100,000 for a 20% stake in the company. There’s only one catch: Katie must travel overseas to oversee the product’s manufacturing and distribution. That leaves Nate stepping away from his comfortable routine and into an unfamiliar role as a stay-at-home dad responsible for keeping the household running and the kids on track.
Will this delicate life-work balance survive the upheaval? Probably not – but it will be fun watching them try.
It’s all part of the new comedy The Breadwinner (PG), which stars comedian Nate Bargatze in the lead role and Mandy Moore as his wife alongside a handful of other comedians in supporting roles: Colin Jost, Zach Cherry, Kumail Nanjiani, Will Forte and Martin Herlihy.
It marks Bargatze’s feature-film debut and the first movie from his companies, Nateland Entertainment and One Man Canoe. The project is a partnership with Wonder Project, the studio behind the hit series House of David.
The good news for families? The movie is as clean as the stage comedy that made him famous.
Nate soon is fired by the dealership manager for being too distracted by family life, only to discover that being a full-time stay-at-home parent isn’t nearly as easy as it looks.
He accidentally hires a roofer whom Katie had sent over merely as a low-ball bid, knowing the man – a relative – had little idea what he was doing. Nate falls hopelessly behind on the laundry – and eventually resorts to spraying his daughters’ clothes with Katie’s perfume to make them seem fresh. (They soon catch on.) He even buys his youngest daughter a horse as a reward for improving her behavior at school, only to panic when the animal apparently dies in the backyard.
The film’s zaniness reaches its peak when Nate tries to attend his daughter’s spelling bee while simultaneously making an appearance at a dealership event.
Critics, no doubt, will complain that The Breadwinner offers little that’s new to the genre and follows a familiar formula seen in Mr. Mom and similar films. This Nate Bargatze film, though, has plenty to make it stand out – Bargatze’s deadpan humor, for one – while also offering parents a more family-friendly film than most entries in this category (including Mr. Mom, which was littered with language.) In The Breadwinner, viewers will hear little more than a couple of barely heard OMGs.
The movie delivers several worthwhile messages as well. It affirms the value of stay-at-home moms (and dads, too). It underscores the vital role both parents play in a family’s success. It also reminds us: You can’t have everything in life. Raising a family requires teamwork.
“We finally found the right work-life balance,” Nate says in the film’s closing scene. “We’re in this together now, which is how families should be.”
It gets off to a slow start before it finds its footing. When the credits roll, you’ll be glad you stayed.
Entertainment rating: 4 out of 5 stars. The Breadwinner is rated PG for some mild suggestive references.
