Old Dads. 2023
Directed by Bill Burr
Starring Bill Burr, Bobby Cannavale, Bokeem Woodbine, Katie Aselton, Reign Edwards, Rachael Harris, Katrina Bowden, C. Thomas Howell, Natasha Leggero, Miles Robbins, Josh Brener, Jackie Tohn, Cody Renee Cameron, Rory Scovel, Justene Alpert, Abbie Cobb, Cameron Kelly, Angela Gulner, Chelsea Marie Davis, Justin Miles, Erin Wu, Paul Walter Hauser, Steph Tolev, Rick Glassman, Carl Tart, Dominic Grey Gonzalez, Dash McCloud, and Bruce Dern
SYNOPSIS:
Three best friends become fathers later in life and find themselves battling preschool principals, millennial CEOs and anything created after 1987.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Old Dads wouldn’t exist.
Co-writer/director/star Bill Burr (penning the script alongside Ben Tishler) is cranky and mad at the progressive evolutions of subsequent generations, which would quickly make Old Dads an aggressively unfunny excuse for whining disguised as a film if not for the apparent fact that the script is aware that this character is a bit of a toxic jackass with anger issues which will inevitably push away his wife Leah (Katie Aselton) and child Nate (Dash McCloud) who needs to grow (a point hilariously driven home by a late-game cameo from Bruce Dern.)
It also helps that some of his observations about modern-day society are, at the very least, worth taking into consideration (a character nervously reassures a Black character that he would never say the N-word while singing along to lyrics alone and in the zone, only to be caught doing so on camera suggesting that many people are only on their best behavior in public so as not to get themselves canceled from their jobs.) Bill Burr also makes for a natural comedic screen presence where, even if one doesn’t entirely agree with what he is bitching about, he is still funny, with the jokes organically coming across as an extension of his standup routines.
There is something to be said about the idea that maybe political correctness has gone too far, with too many people walking on eggshells for no reason. Maybe he does have a point that vaping is not that different from smoking. Perhaps it is harmless to let guy friends be stupid, talking amongst themselves in privacy. However, the problem is that his character Jack also too often crosses the line, whether it be through offensive language, transphobic terminology where he doesn’t seem too interested in educating and correcting himself, or plain blowing up in anger and treating his wife like garbage (for the majority of the running time, I sat there questioning why she was even with him.)
The plot is all over the place, primarily involving his attempt to prove to Dr. Lois Schmieckel-Turner (Rachael Harris) that he is a stable, loving, positive influence of a father who desires to have his son Nate accepted into a respected private school. Upon having a meltdown and calling her the C-word, he works twice as hard, heading a vital fundraiser for the school to prove himself and get back in her good graces (not that he was ever there.) Along the way, he repeatedly humiliates his wife by having more meltdowns.
Meanwhile, he sells his retro sports jersey business to pay for private schooling. The company is turned over and run by younger millennial Aspen Bell (Miles Robbins), who does admittedly have some terrible ideas for building the brand of the business, although really, it’s just more material for Bill Burr to complain about. Alongside Jack are his close friends Connor (Bobby Cannavale) and Mike (Bokeem Woodbine), who each have their own relationship woes; the former is deeply afraid of his bossy wife, Cara (Jackie Tohn), whereas the latter is unsure about having a child with his partner Britney (Reign Edwards.) It’s also worth mentioning that they generate quite a few laughs (such as a hilarious running gag that sees Connor writing letters to Jack secretly for reasons I won’t give away.)
For some inexplicable reason, the film transitions into a road trip to convince a hermit to be the new brand ambassador of the sports jersey company, which doesn’t lead to anything funny. Later on, there is another road trip to a casino involving drugs and strip joints that is slightly funnier but once again veers too far away from the amusing dynamic of watching these older, outdated fathers navigate the job in a progressive world.
Aside from the unearned happy ending that assumes therapy and fixing one’s internal problems is as simple as ordering a meal from McDonald’s, Old Dads has a frustrating narrative structure that doesn’t lend itself to what is actually funny here. Thankfully, it’s at least watchable and tolerable, considering Bill Burr is aware that these characters, his especially, are obnoxious and need to change.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
