The Breadwinner (2026)    TriStar/Comedy    RT: 95 minutes    Rated PG (some mild suggestive references)    Director: Eric Appel    Screenplay: Nate Bargatze and Dan Lagana    Music: Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson    Cinematography: Eigil Bryld    Release date: May 29, 2026 (US)    Cast: Nate Bargatze, Mandy Moore, Colin Jost, Zach Cherry, Martin Herlihy, Kumail Nanjiani, Will Forte, Stella Grace Fitzgerald, Birdie Borria, Charlotte Ann Tucker, Brett Cullen, Kate Berlant.

Rating: *

In the words of animated film critic Jay Sherman, it stinks.

I’m referring to The Breadwinner, a moldy new family comedy that serves as the film debut of stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze. I can see it being used in a film class someday as an example of how not all material translates to the big screen. During the closing credits, we see snippets of Bargatze’s routine blended with outtakes. He shares anecdotes about his wife and daughter. It’s funnier than anything in the movie proving conclusively that some jokes are better told than acted out.

The Breadwinner is an update of Mr. Mom minus the laughs. What made the 1983 surprise hit comedy work so well was it dealt with a situation not seen in too many households. The idea of a stay-at-home dad was ideal for comic treatment. Nowadays, it’s not so unusual. Plenty of dads have taken on the role once owned exclusively by moms. Theoretically, the premise could still be mined for laughs, but now it’s as fresh as day-old bread. It still might have worked in more capable hands, but none of those hands are on deck for this turkey.

Bargatze, continuing his tradition of clean comedy (no dirty stuff, no politics), stars as Nate Wilcox, a car salesman who agrees to pick up the slack for his wife Katie (Moore, This Is Us) after she lands a deal on Shark Tank. He’ll take a leave of absence from the Toyota dealership (one of many, MANY shameless product plugs sprinkled throughout) and tend to domestic matters while she travels to get her product in production and on the market. His duties include taking care of their three daughters, perennially embarrassed teen Gracie (Fitzgerald, Rebel Moon 1 & 2), neurotic middle schooler Hadley (Borria, The Fabelmans) and cute troublemaking baby of the family Sam (Tucker).

Predictably, Nate finds out immediately he’s in over his head. Before his wife even walks out the door, he botches breakfast and makes a mess. This is followed by the usual things clueless guys do while the wife’s away. He can’t figure things out at the supermarket. He can’t do laundry to save his life. He can’t keep track of the girls’ schedules. He doesn’t even know where their schools are. He tries to improve his wife’s system only for his idea (a reward system of some kind) to fail spectacularly.

The movie ends with one of those situations that only happen in hackneyed comedies. The house is basically destroyed by a combination of mishaps, Nate’s hubris and a wild horse. That’s when Katie calls to let her family know she’s coming home early to do a live-stream from guess where? The solution Nate comes up with can only go one way. But it’s okay. Nate learns a lesson about family and stepping up for them. Everybody’s happy and huggy. The end.

I did not laugh once during The Breadwinner. It’s not just unfunny; it’s insufferable. Directed by Eric Appel (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story), it looks and plays like a sitcom. All that’s missing is a laugh track. All things considered, it should have had one. It’s not like anybody in the audience will be laughing. To be fair, maybe I shouldn’t say that. It’s conceivable some might find The Breadwinner amusing. With its PG rating (for one mildly suggestive remark that will fly right over the heads of the little ones), it’s being marketed as a family movie. Kids might get a kick out of the silly slapstick; I’m not so sure about the parents.

I have a passing familiarity with Bargatze’s work. I saw the two SNL episodes he hosted. I know he works clean. I know he’s immensely popular with Christian audiences. He has a quiet, low-key way that unfortunately works against him in The Breadwinner. He doesn’t project the image of a selfish, self-centered job-focused guy who needs to be humbled. He’s the quiet one in a room full of loud people. He’s all wrong for this role. It’s more suited to a comic with an edge. Bargatze lacks that edge.

I see no point in commenting on the acting in The Breadwinner. I’m not even sure you can call it acting. The characters are all clichés, especially Moore who can and has done better (e.g. A Walk to Remember). Here she plays the sweet, organized wife who holds the family together while hubby plays superstar at work. To her credit, she’s more believable in that role than a budding entrepreneur who slays it on Shark Tank despite her bumbling “bozo” husband. I didn’t buy it, not for a second.

Appel loads the supporting cast with other comedians including three from SNL- Will Forte as an incompetent roofer, Martin Herlihy (of comedy team Please Don’t Destroy) as a goofball Door Dash driver and Weekend Update’s Colin Jost as a fellow domestic dad. Talented though they might be, they’re unable to generate anything close to amusement. Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) is wasted playing Nate’s main competition at work, an extremely annoying character.

I can’t, in all good conscience, say that I hated The Breadwinner. It’s bad, but not quite that bad. I definitely didn’t enjoy it. It’s impossible to enjoy a comedy that isn’t funny. It doesn’t just strain for laughs; it gets on its knees and begs you to laugh at it. It gives you situations that haven’t been funny since the dawn of television. It’s the cinematic equivalent of stale bread.