Director Eric Appel could have had a sure-fire crowd pleaser on his hands with the new movie, The Breadwinner.
It has a humorous story and likable characters. However, it goes to the dogs at the end with a conclusion that should be delivered with less schmaltz, less craziness, and more edge — both dramatic and comedic. You don’t go to a comedy looking for realism, but this movie tests the viewer’s patience with concluding scenes that are way more over-the-top than they need to be.
Mandy Moore stars as a mother named Katie. She is married to a top car salesman at a Toyota dealership, Nate [Bargatze]. Katie goes on Shark Tank and gets a $100,000 advance to develop her family calendar project from one of the show’s sharks, Lori Greiner.
Katie must leave on business, and Nate is in charge of their three young daughters. Thus, the film’s high-concept plot sets into gear.
In this Mr. Mom-type comedy, one can see the jokes are coming fast and furious, thanks to funnyman Nate Bargatze. Bargatze gets some moments to truly shine as his character bonds with his daughters as the plot progresses.
However, the movie gets nasty at the end as one too many things happen that should easily destroy the marriage at the core of the film rather than salvage it.
Nate can’t properly do laundry because Stella Grace Fitzgerald’s character uses 8 towels a day, and Katie told Nate to do towels before clothes in the washing machine. Nate can’t get the kids to their proper schools and struggles with the task of raising the kids as well as their mother does.
When his character leaves his daughter’s spelling bee to attend a party at the dealership for himself, it all plays very awkwardly.
Nate tries to do the right thing, but messes up — a lot. He comes across as an unbelievable character, considering he sells so many cars but can barely take care of his kids.
The viewer can probably guess that Nate, the character, can’t cook and orders out a lot for the kids in his wife’s absence. So the viewer can only become frustrated by the film’s further plot developments.
A roofer can’t help Nate fix his home right away when the family’s home is destroyed, and it all goes downhill from there with inane plot details. And this movie becomes impossible to take seriously despite its good intentions.
That being said, Mandy Moore is a delight as the wife. Moore’s appeal as an actress can’t be denied, and the movie works whenever she’s on-screen.
Additionally, there’s Peyton (Kumail Nanjiani), Nate’s chief competitor at the dealership, who takes the top salesman award away from Nate while Nate tends to his kids’ many needs. Nanjiani has fun with his role, but never really takes off despite his pedigree of funny movie roles in the past.
Out of the actresses who play the daughters, it is Charlotte Ann Tucker who steals the show as the youngest, Sam, who wishes for a horse and receives one with often funny results.
The Breadwinner is harmless fun for the first hour, but goes too far with its exaggerated plot details.
Don’t expect a well-written ending, and take note that the film often feels improvised in terms of the way the characters speak to one another.
That said, The Breadwinner is a hard movie to hate. Its heart is in the right place, but those destructive scenes where the house falls apart make the movie feel cheap and manipulative. When it works on the emotions the family feels as a unit, it’s a stronger film than when it’s trying to be so hysterically zany.
This film’s biggest problem comes when Nate wants to use a neighbor’s house to showcase a required Shark Tank interview without telling his wife. All the scenes surrounding this interview feel rushed, and that detracts from the quality of the film as a whole.
If you enjoyed Mr. Mom, then give this film a try if you want something lightweight and easy to digest, despite the film’s thematic flaws.
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The Breadwinner is now playing only in theaters.
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Thomas Duffy
Thomas Duffy is a Critics Choice member who has written film reviews for most of his life, starting at age 11 when he crafted his first full length movie critique on the film, "Roxanne," a Cyrano story featuring Steve Martin. As a result of that review and other movie obsessive writing, Thomas was awarded a creative writing award in sixth grade. Thomas is the proud author of nine books, including two highly acclaimed novels, "To Never Know" and "Social Work." Thomas can be found on X (formerly known as Twitter) or at a New York City movie theater watching the latest hit or independent movie. You can also run into him at Tribeca or at the New York Film Festival.