I have no earthly idea why THE BREADWINNER is getting dragged this hard. Critics have been rough on it, while audiences have been much warmer, and honestly, I’m with the audience on this one. The movie stars Nate Bargatze in his feature debut as Nate Wilcox, a dad who suddenly finds himself holding down the home front when his wife Katie, played by Mandy Moore, lands a life-changing Shark Tank deal and heads overseas. Eric Appel directs, and the supporting cast includes Colin Jost, Zach Cherry, Martin Herlihy, Kumail Nanjiani, and Will Forte.

Going in, I was worried this might lock in my Nate Bargatze fatigue. I’ve been a little Bargetze’d out the last few years, and I figured this might be the movie that finally tipped me into full-on “okay, I get it, enough already” territory. Instead, to Nate’s credit, he does not hog the stage. He knows the lane, the supporting cast blends in beautifully, and the whole thing works because it plays like an ensemble comedy instead of a one-man stand-up set awkwardly stretched into a feature.

I’ve also seen people say, “I can’t believe this movie was made in 2026,” and I genuinely do not know what that is supposed to mean. That criticism feels like it’s searching for controversy that isn’t there. This movie is sweet. It’s easygoing. It wants to leave you smiling. There is a reason audiences are responding so much more positively than critics are: sometimes a heartwarming summer comedy is enough. Not everything has to be a Best Picture contender to justify its existence.

For me, THE BREADWINNER is a reminder that it is easy to hate on things and harder to walk into a movie hoping to love what is on the screen. I do the latter every time. This one rewarded that optimism. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a funny, warm, family-friendly comedy with some real heart.

Check out the podcast page where I chatted about this on the KVNU For The People Movie Show. You can also listen live each Friday from 5PM to 6PM. Trailer below for those who have been hiding under a rock for a year.