The Breadwinner review – Nate Bargatze’s dated dad comedy loses us entirely https://ift.tt/2qvxfCK Jesse Hassenger The comedian makes an unconvincing bid for movie stardom in a largely unfunny and old-fashioned feature-length sitcom episode
The popular standup comedian Nate Bargatze uses his appealingly deadpan demeanor to convey relatable, family-friendly jokes about his own middle-class doofiness. Funny as he can be, his affect doesn’t seem ideal for performing with others. Back in the 90s, an American sitcom would have been built around him anyway; today, the form isn’t quite so ubiquitous, and sold-out standup tickets have remained his bread and butter. Yet Bargatze has done surprisingly well as a two-time Saturday Night Live host, especially for more writerly pieces that other celebrities might not so perfectly underplay.
For his film debut The Breadwinner, Bargatze takes cues from an earlier SNL player – specifically and unfortunately, the suburban dregs of Adam Sandler’s late-2000s/early-2010s middle period. As in vaguely sour-spirited Sandler vehicles like Grown Ups or Jack & Jill, Bargatze co-writes a movie for himself where he plays a suburban dad married to a woman who seems way out of his league – in this case, Katie (Mandy Moore, occupying territory held by previous Sandman love interests Katie Holmes, Salma Hayek and Jessica Biel). And just like in those films, the movie tries to make up the deficit by assuring us the husband figure is beloved and successful, in a field that happens to allow for maximum product placement (here for Toyota, who employs Bargatze’s character as a top salesman). Following the spirit of the aforementioned 90s sitcoms, Bargatze’s character is also named Nate.
