--- title: "The Breadwinner" year: 2026 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-breadwinner" fi1m_id: "the-breadwinner" imdb_id: "tt34459219" tmdb_id: 1440050 wikidata_id: "Q134972733" fi1m_score: 35 critics_score: 28 critics_reviews: 6 published: "2026-09-21" updated: "2026-09-21T01:28:09.310420+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Breadwinner (2026) Directed by Eric Appel · 1h 40m · MPA PG · Comedy, Family ## Identity The Breadwinner - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-breadwinner - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-breadwinner - **IMDb ID:** tt34459219 - **TMDB ID:** 1440050 - **Wikidata ID:** Q134972733 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34459219/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1440050, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q134972733 **Fi1m score: 35** · Critics 28 from 6 reviews *In a sentence:* A hundred minutes of a grown man being astonished by a washing machine > Nate Bargatze writes, produces and stars in a stay-at-home-dad comedy that borrows its premise from 1983 and adds a phone. It is bright, amiable and almost entirely without jokes, and we were bored well before the first load of laundry was done. ## Synopsis Nate Wilcox (Nate Bargatze) has a wife, Katie (Mandy Moore), three daughters and no clear idea what any of them do between breakfast and bedtime. When Katie becomes the one going out to earn, Nate stays home with Gracie (Stella Grace Fitzgerald), Hadley (Birdie Borria) and Sam (Charlotte Ann Tucker), and the house starts to get the better of him: the school run, the packed lunches, the damp towels nobody hangs up. Around them, the Ashfords, Conor and Angela (Colin Jost and Kate Berlant), appear to manage all of it without breaking a sweat. Nate’s friends Keegan (Will Forte), Peter (Martin Herlihy) and Dan (Zach Cherry) offer advice of no use whatsoever. He wants to prove he can run the place as well as she did, and the first act is a tally of the ways he cannot. ## Review Nate Bargatze writes this one with Dan Lagana, produces it and plays the lead, so what it is trying to be is his to answer for. Eric Appel directs. The idea is old and sturdy: a husband who has never run a house is left in charge of one, with three daughters, while his wife goes out to work. It is *Mr. Mom* (1983) with a group chat, and the reviews so far have been unkind about that. We are not going to argue with them. [*The Breadwinner*](https://film.one/film/the-breadwinner-2017) runs 100 minutes and we felt most of them. Bargatze’s manner as a stand-up is slow, puzzled and underpowered, a man describing the world as though it has mildly let him down. On a stage, with a microphone and a room, that is a style. On a screen it is a problem, because the camera keeps waiting for Nate Wilcox to want something and he keeps declining to. He is likeable throughout. We never once disliked him, and we never once worried about him either, and a comedy about a man out of his depth needs us to believe there is a depth. The tagline promises a dad with zero clue, and it is honest; what it does not mention is that he has zero urgency to go with it. The jokes are the trouble. There is a running gag about damp towels left on floors and beds, and it works because it is small and true, and we laughed. Then we noticed we had been waiting forty minutes to laugh and felt slightly cheated. A charades scene lets the three girls run rings round their father, and it is the liveliest stretch in the film, because for once the people on screen are quicker than the script. Stella Grace Fitzgerald, Birdie Borria and Charlotte Ann Tucker are the best things here by a distance, and the film keeps cutting away from them to show us Nate holding a laundry basket. The supporting cast is a list of people we would pay to watch and are not allowed to. Mandy Moore is given a job and a wardrobe and nothing to play; Katie leaves in the morning and returns in the evening and that is her arc. Colin Jost and Kate Berlant are the Ashfords, the couple who have it all together, and Berlant, who is an odd and precise comic, gets one scene to be odd in before the film tidies her away. Will Forte, Martin Herlihy and Zach Cherry are Nate’s friends, three men with faces attached to a chat thread. Kumail Nanjiani’s Peyton and Brett Cullen’s Walter each turn up, say something the plot needs said, and leave. We were irritated on their behalf. Eigil Bryld lights every room of the house as evenly as a kitchen showroom, no shadow anywhere, so nothing can be hidden and therefore nothing can be revealed. Jon Billington’s production design gives the Wilcoxes a large, tidy, beige home in which the appliances face the camera, and by the midpoint we had started counting the brand names and stopped counting the laughs. Evan Henke’s cut holds on Bargatze a beat after each line, waiting for a reaction that does not arrive, and then moves on as if it had. Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson’s score is plucked strings and handclaps, and it tells us when to feel warm about a scene that has not earned it. Alexis Forte dresses Nate in soft greys and Katie in office tailoring, which does most of the film’s storytelling for it. Taylor Swift’s song ‘Opalite’ plays over a montage, and it is the most energetic minute in the picture, which is not a compliment to the other 99. Against the standards of the genre this is a thin thing. *Mr. Mom* had the same jokes and could at least claim they were new. Some critics have called this film regressive, even damaging, and we think that is more weight than it can bear. It is not angry or certain enough about anything to do damage. It simply assumes that a man in charge of a house is funny in itself, and then does nothing to find where the funny is. It is PG, it is harmless, and a family that already likes Bargatze will find him doing what he does at a slightly larger scale. Watch it with the children if you must; they will like the daughters, and so did we. The rest is a man standing in a bright kitchen with a laundry basket, waiting for something to happen to him, and we waited with him. *Fi1m score 35, published 21 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics find The Breadwinner a dated, largely unfunny comedy: a bungling-dad premise that several compare unfavourably to Mr. Mom and that few think belongs in a film released now. The complaints run to the same places: repetitive gags, stale observations about men and housework, and direction described as sloppy or lazy. Praise is thin and scattered. Variety allows a few chuckles from the film’s stranger moments and from the daughters, and The Guardian picks out a running gag about damp towels as one of the few relatable jokes. Nobody praises a department or performance at any length. The spread is narrow and clustered at the low end. The one mixed notice, from The AV Club, still calls the film toothless and regressive. RogerEbert.com goes furthest, arguing the gender stereotypes do cultural damage rather than merely bore. The Guardian doubts Nate Bargatze convinces as a lead, while The Hollywood Reporter regrets a wasted supporting cast. ## Straight answers **Is The Breadwinner worth watching?** *The Breadwinner* is not worth watching unless you are already a Nate Bargatze admirer, and we scored it 35. It is bright, amiable and almost without jokes, and the three daughters, played by Stella Grace Fitzgerald, Birdie Borria and Charlotte Ann Tucker, are the only people on screen quicker than the script. Children may like them; adults will be counting appliances. **How long is The Breadwinner, and what is it rated?** *The Breadwinner* runs 1h 40m and is rated PG by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy and family film. **Where can I watch The Breadwinner in the US?** *The Breadwinner* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $5.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How does The Breadwinner compare to Kramer vs. Kramer?** *The Breadwinner* and [*Kramer vs. Kramer*](https://film.one/film/kramer-vs-kramer) both put a father in charge of a house he has never run, but the earlier film is a drama that earns its tears while the newer one is a comedy that rarely earns a laugh. *Kramer vs. Kramer* is the better film by a wide margin, carried by Dustin Hoffman and Justin Henry's closely observed relationship. Choose Bargatze only for a harmless PG evening with the children. **What should I watch after The Breadwinner?** After *The Breadwinner*, try [*Mr. Mom*](https://film.one/film/mr-mom) (1983, Fi1m 62): The premise this one borrows, with Michael Keaton finding real panic in it. Then [*Kramer vs. Kramer*](https://film.one/film/kramer-vs-kramer) (1979, Fi1m 82): A father learns to make French toast, and nobody is laughing; and [*Parenthood*](https://film.one/film/parenthood) (1989, Fi1m 78): A large family comedy that lets the parents be frightened as well as funny. ### Reviews we read (6) - **The AV Club**, Matt Schimkowitz (C-): The film is a toothless, regressive comedy that fails to deliver laughs, relying on surface-level observations and product placement. Praises nothing specific, complains about the lack of bite and originality. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-breadwinner-review) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Frank Scheck (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film inoffensive to the point of total boredom, bland and lazy compared to better family comedies like Mr. Mom. Singles out the repetitive, unfunny gags and waste of talented supporting cast for complaint. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-breadwinner-review-nate-bargatze-1236606120/) - **Variety**, Natalia Winkelman (30/100, inferred): The review calls it a dated, unimaginative Mr. Mom update with puerile humor and bungling dad gags that mostly fall flat; singles out some chuckles from surreal moments or daughters but complains about the regressive, boring premise. [Read](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/the-breadwinner-review-nate-bargatze-1236759814/) - **The Guardian** (20/100, inferred): The review finds the film a largely unfunny and old-fashioned sitcom-style comedy that fails to make Nate Bargatze convincing as a movie star. It singles out a running gag about damp towels as one of the few relatable humorous elements amid broader complaints about sloppy direction and dated tropes. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/may/28/breadwinner-movie-review-nate-bargatze) - **RogerEbert.com**, Matt Zoller Seitz (10/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a dated, ghastly Mr. Mom remake with tired gender stereotypes and incompetent dad humor that does cultural damage. Praises nothing substantial, criticizing the premise and execution heavily. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-breadwinner-nate-bergatze-movie-review-2026) - **The Wrap** (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the comedy outdated and unfunny, relying on stale clichés about men struggling with housework and parenting. They single out the film's retro premise as particularly hackneyed and question its relevance in a modern release. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/the-breadwinner-review-nate-bargatze/) ## Details - **Director:** Eric Appel - **Director:** Eric Appel - **Writer:** Nate Bargatze, Dan Lagana - **Cinematography:** Eigil Bryld - **Editor:** Evan Henke - **Music:** Leo Birenberg, Zach Robinson - **Production design:** Jon Billington - **Costume design:** Alexis Forte - **Producer:** Nate Bargatze, Dan Lagana, Jeremy Latcham - **Cast:** Nate Bargatze as Nate Wilcox; Mandy Moore as Katie Wilcox; Stella Grace Fitzgerald as Gracie Wilcox; Birdie Borria as Hadley Wilcox; Charlotte Ann Tucker as Sam Wilcox; Colin Jost as Conor Ashford; Will Forte as Keegan; Martin Herlihy as Peter - **Runtime:** 1h 40m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG - **Release (the US):** 29 May 2026 - **Genres:** Comedy, Family - **Budget:** $25 million - **Box office:** $20 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m76VzoDfQWQ ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $5.99, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $19.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-21.* Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, CA, CH, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, KR, LT, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Mr. Mom* (1983), Fi1m 62: The premise this one borrows, with Michael Keaton finding real panic in it — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/mr-mom.md) - *Kramer vs. Kramer* (1979), Fi1m 82: A father learns to make French toast, and nobody is laughing — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/kramer-vs-kramer.md) - *Parenthood* (1989), Fi1m 78: A large family comedy that lets the parents be frightened as well as funny — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/parenthood.md) - *Outnumbered* (2007), Fi1m 78: British sitcom in which the children are quicker than the adults and are allowed to be — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/outnumbered.md) - *About a Boy* (2002), Fi1m 77: A man with no clue about children, in a film that has one about him — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/about-a-boy.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-breadwinner