THE BREADWINNER
Starring: Nate Bargatze, Mandy Moore, Colin Jost, Zach Cherry, Martin Herlihy, Kumail Nanjiani, and Will Forte
Director: Eric Appel
ROBERT
History has been littered with the skeletons of failed projects from comedians hoping to take the next step. I think it is safe to say The Breadwinner should firmly be planted in that graveyard. I came to Nate Bargatze’s stand-up late, but with YouTube clips of his routines and his SNL appearances, I found enjoyment. Unfortunately, that didn’t translate here as a thin comedy throwback neither made me laugh nor tickled my nostalgia bone. The travesty of this whole ordeal is that it made a roster of really funny people appear unfunny due to the material. Turns out, big dumb eyes equals big dumb movie.
ADRIANO
I’m not a Nate Bargatze fan, but even if you are, I can’t find anything of value in The Breadwinner. It’s a “comedy” (though if it’s not funny, can we call it that?) that’s from another time entirely, filled with shameless product placement and a bizarrely mean-spirited lead that contradicts the sweet family vibe the film is aiming for. The “what a clumsy idiot this guy is” approach is traded for a selfish, lying protagonist who doesn’t seem to like his kids, which makes The Breadwinner cruel instead of wholesome. It’s a cinematic disaster that was a genuine pain to get through.
