The stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze has become one of the most in-demand comics in the world, regularly selling out arenas; he’s on a nationwide tour right now, in fact. He’s also been memorable in small-screen performances, including viral sketches from SNL. As with every rising comic, though, a jump to the big screen is a major test … particularly when that jump involves wading into a pair of struggling genres: broad comedy and live-action family fare.
One Man and Three Babies in The Breadwinner Movie
In The Breadwinner, which is co-written by Bargatze and Dan Lagana and directed by The Office and Brooklyn Nine-Nine helmer Eric Appel, Bargatze plays a hapless dad tasked with caring for his three daughters when his wife (Mandy Moore) launches a business. It’s familiar comedic territory, dating back to any number of ’80s and ’90s comedies: a clueless father must learn to appreciate and accomplish the innumerable tasks of modern homemaking, with mishaps and gender-stereotype jokes aplenty.
Unfortunately, The Breadwinner is neither wacky enough to escape its ho-hum concept nor realistic enough to say anything noteworthy. Yes, there are a handful of laughs generated by Bargatze’s witty rejoinders (as well as the efforts of supporting players Will Forte and Kumail Nanjiani), but the script is locked into a modicum of reality. Any approach that amplified the zaniness would’ve been helpful — and might’ve actually generated some laughs for the younger viewers clearly targeted by the film’s overall tameness.
What’s a Family Comedy If No Families Go to See It?
The core problem, though, is that families have largely abandoned this mode of entertainment. For decades, movies targeted at younger audiences have almost exclusively been the territory of animation; the few all-ages comedies that have made it into production lately have wound up on streaming services.
Blame whatever you like for this development — the fact that the price tag for a family trip to the movies has risen considerably is certainly one potential culprit — but it’s unlikely that many will find The Breadwinner worth putting on those crowded weekly activity calendars the film takes time to skewer. (One sign of trouble: major multiplex chains have already offered substantial discount codes for purchasing tickets to The Breadwinner. That’s never a sign that the box office looks promising.)
Bargatze is as personable and charming here as he is on stand-up stages and the small screen, but his obvious enthusiasm for this project hasn’t translated into anything memorable. There’s nobility in an attempt to make a movie the whole family can enjoy together; the execution here, however, is lacking.
Journey Into the Backrooms, or 20th-Century History, at Cinemas
The concept of mysterious, liminal Backrooms is an internet invention. Arising from message boards and copied collections of text and uncanny images, the idea is as alluring as it is unsettling: Round the wrong corner, and you’ll slip out of our dimension and into one where things don’t make much sense … and go on forever, or seem to. It’s the sort of thing that can be truly terrifying when encountered online, particularly late at night; will it translate to a narrative feature? A24 thinks so. Online creator Kane Parsons, who helped propagate the idea via viral YouTube clips, directs Backrooms for the indie distributor; he’s got a strong cast, led by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve.
In somewhat more traditional fare: The wartime drama Pressure concerns a quirk of World War II history: The successful execution of the D-Day landing depended largely on the weather forecast, and weather forecasting wasn’t all that great back then. Andrew Scott, Brendan Fraser and Kerry Condon lead a cast of sturdy performers in this film from director Anthony Maras. Screenwriter David Haig adapts his own play (with help from Anthony Maras); the production was well-received in the West End.
Story by Sean Collier
Featured Photo Courtesy of Frank Masi / CTMG, Inc.
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