Old Dads is a corny comedy movie about late-middle-age pops. It is comedian Bill Burr’s directorial debut, who also wrote, produced, and starred in this Hollywood film.
It seems that most of the comedy content in this movie traces its origin to Bill Burr’s stand-up and podcast. You can go ahead and check out the official YouTube channel of Bill Burr.
Synopsis [official summary] of the Old Dads (2023) Movie
Three best friends – Jack Kelly (Bill Burr), Connor Brody (Bobby Cannavale), and Mike Richards (Bokeem Woodbine) become fathers later in life. Soon after, these cranky middle-aged dads find themselves out of step in a changing world of millennial CEOs and powerful preschool principals. Thus they start battling preschool principals, millennial CEOs and anything created after 1987.
Spoiler Free Review of the Old Dads (2023) Movie
So, what is the basic story of the film?
Well, in this comedy film – Jack Kelly (Bill Burr), Connor Brody (Bobby Cannavale), and Mike Richards (Bokeem Woodbine) are best friends, business partners, and old dads.
This is the best part of my day, every day. I always wanted to be a dad. It just took 46 years to happen.
Jack Kelly (Bill Burr)
[talking about his kid in the film]
Thinking about retirement and raising their young kids full-time, these three middle-aged friends agree to sell their throwback sports apparel company to a young entrepreneur. No doubt, they are excited to punch their (big) tickets to the lives they have always dreamed of. But then things do not go exactly as they had planned.
An eccentric new millennial CEO Aspen Bell (Miles Robbins) not only takes over their company but also runs it in his own young and informal management style.
All kinds of new changes in his personal and professional life made Jack Kelly a very angry person. This in turn leads to a series of unfortunate crises at work, home, and his young son’s ultra-progressive preschool. As a result, Jack Kelly and his fellow old dads – Connor Brody and Mike Richards must fight back to win back the self-respect in their lives.
But, what we did not like about this film?
Like its storyline, some of its jokes and funny scenes were predictable. Also, the scenes involving the mid-life crisis and the rush to the strip joint seem foreseeable.
I think when it comes to guys, there’s just not a lot of layers.
Leah Kelly (Katie Aselton)
[she said in the film]
Then, there are quite a few risque and politically incorrect comedies in it. To be honest, we did not like some of the crude jokes, as they left a bad taste. Maybe, the above-mentioned dialogue perfectly sums up the story of this comedy film. We are just kidding, okay? Also, in a way, it highlights the fact – how much the world has changed in the last few decades.
No doubt, our society has grown and progressed, as far as sensitivity to certain aspects of our behaviour is concerned. But, when the lives of these three old dads meltdown, they succumb to their baser human instincts. And then, they make certain questionable life choices. As the saying goes, to err is human. And that adds and subtracts to its charm.
So, what did we like about this film?
.It is a good film for ardent Bill Burr fans. They might notice that the character of Aspen Bell is Bill Burr’s perception of Steve Jobs. Bill has cleverly used his stand-up comedy set for the “Night of Too Many Stars” piece in this film too. No wonder, we find Aspen Bell behaving like the imagined Steve Jobs in it. Furthermore, in this comedy film, Aspen even conducts a Steve Jobs-like PowerPoint presentation, and once the presentation has been concluded, he is shown to be eating a pretentious fruit like a pear.
Times have changed. They (old dads) didn't get the fax.
Such scenes are the classic revenge theme plotted by Generation X (1965-1980) guys against Generation Z (1997 – 2012) people. And we enjoyed some of those fun scenes.
Bill Burr has a lot on his plate, as he directed, co-wrote and starred in it. And he did a fairly decent job in it. Both Bobby Cannavale (Connor Brody) and Bokeem Woodbine (Mike Richards) acted like real buddies. The bro. Not to forget the supporting actresses Katie Aselton (Leah Kelly), Jackie Tohn (Cara Brody), and Reign Edwards (Britney) played their part too. We liked the following verbal exchange in the film to be hilarious.
Leah Kelly: I'm just gonna talk to her, babe. Like, mom-to-mom. That's what moms do. Jack Kelly: Mike, should she say something? Mike Richards: Three cardinal rules of friendship. Don't bring up politics, don't bring up religion, and don't try to tell people how to raise their kids. Leah Kelly: Oh, I'm sorry Mike, I didn't realize you were doing a daytime talk show.
The conclusion
Not many funny movies are being made for the Gen. X people. The world has undergone an enormous change in the last few decades. This generational and cultural divide is here to stay. No doubt of this fact. So, if you are one of those Gen. X people, go ahead and watch it. This film manages to elicit quite a few laughs with its comedic acts.
Ratings of this 2023 comedy film about late-middle-age pops
| FM’s rating | 3.25/5 |
| FM’s short comments | Although its story moves along predictable lines, we enjoyed some of its comic scenes. Mind you not all. Overall, it is a good time-pass funny film. |
Poster of this 2023 comedy film about late-middle-age pops
Key details about this 2023 comedy film about late-middle-age pops
| Genre | Comedy |
| Original language | English (USA) |
| Age-restrictions | A (18+) |
| Released | October, 2023 |
| Duration | 1 hour 44 minutes |
| Writers | Bill Burr & Ben Tishler |
| Director | Bill Burr |
| Cast | Bill Burr (Jack Kelly), Bobby Cannavale (Connor Brody), Bokeem Woodbine (Mike Richards), Katie Aselton (Leah Kelly), Jackie Tohn (Cara Brody), Reign Edwards (Britney), Miles Robbins (Aspen Bell), Rachael Harris (Dr. Lois Schmieckel-Turner), etc. |
| Taglines | Times have changed. They didn’t get the fax. |
| Network | Netflix |
Trailer of this 2023 comedy film about late-middle-age pops
Featured Image and Poster of the Old Dads (2023) Movie | Netflix.