Bill Burr doesn’t exactly overwhelm himself with his leading role in his new film, which he also co-wrote, produced and directed. The acerbic comedian who makes WC Fields look like the epitome of tolerance plays a (hopefully) exaggerated version of himself Old fathersabout three middle-aged men coping with a politically correct society where their old-fashioned attitudes turn them into dinosaurs.
The film’s premiere on Netflix is predictable in virtually every way, but Burr’s sophisticated comic style and amusing gags should make it particularly popular with men of a certain age, especially if they have plenty of beer and pizza on hand.
Old fathers
The conclusion: A full-length “OK Boomer” joke.
Release date: Friday, October 20th
Pour: Bill Burr, Bobby Cannavale, Bokeem Woodbine, Katie Aselton, Reign Edwards, Jackie Tohn, Rachael Harris, Katrina Bowden, Josh Brener, Natasha Leggero, C. Thomas Howell, Justin Miles, Miles Robbins, Paul Walter Hauser, Bruce Dern
Director: Bill Burr
Screenwriters: Bill Burr, Ben Tishler
Rated R, 1 hour 44 minutes
Inspired by Burr and co-screenwriter Ben Tishler’s experiences becoming fathers later in life, the film centers on best friends and business partners Jack (Burr), Connor (Bobby Cannavale) and Mike (Bokeem Woodbine). The three find themselves sidelined after selling their vintage sports jersey company to Aspen (Miles Robbins), a millennial, self-proclaimed “disruptor” who makes it his first order of business to fire all employees of the pre-1988 company.
The three friends also have personal problems. 51-year-old Jack, who became a father for the first time at 46, is married to the younger Leah (Katie Aselton), who is now pregnant with their second child. Connor’s young son has major impulse control issues because his wife (Jackie Tohn) overindulges him. And Mike is dating Britney (Reign Edwards), who is decades younger and who, despite having a vasectomy, tells him that she is pregnant. Jack and Connor try to comfort him by complimenting his masculinity and pointing out, “That’s a lot.” Brave heart-level sperm.”
This line is indicative of the film’s general humor, as are the three men who engage in a spirited discussion about a sexual fantasy involving former First Lady Barbara Bush and pop singer Samantha Fox (you really have to be a certain age to see it all). to understand). the jokes).
Jack is the proverbial bull in a china shop who can’t leave the house without getting annoyed by modern phenomena like road-hogging e-scooter riders and self-righteous vapers. And don’t get him started on social media, where he has an arsenal of profane insults at his disposal. He’s also not afraid to intentionally trip up a little boy or tell the obnoxious principal (Rachael-Harris) of his child’s preschool that she’s a “burly jerk.”
Old fathers is amusing enough as he delivers a barrage of jokes about the culture clash between younger and older generations (I particularly enjoyed when Jack responded to the taunting “OK Boomer” by angrily insisting that he was “Generation X !”). But it falters when it comes to more ambitious plot elements, such as when friends try to recruit an eccentric hermit living off the grid to serve as the company’s new “brand ambassador” (C. Thomas Howell, in a role, which is funnier in concept than in execution). or they are fired under a “morals clause” after their politically incorrect diatribes are secretly recorded.
Some of the scenes are so pro forma that they seem to come from an algorithm, such as a mandatory strip club trip that provides opportunities for female nudity. Or the inevitable moment when Jack tries to rush to the hospital before his wife gives birth, unassisted by an irascible, elderly Uber driver (Bruce Dern, now in the Walter Brennan phase of his career). who tells him this contemptuously be When the baby was born, he was in a bar drinking beer and eating fried clams.
If you find Burr’s stand-up acts funny (and since his arenas regularly sell out, it’s obvious a lot of people do), you’ll have fun Old fathers, which also benefits from Cannavale’s hilariously distressed reactions, Woodbine’s solid underplaying, and some very funny turns from various comedians in small roles. The film translates Burr’s comic personality into cinematic terms so accurately that it could serve as the opening act for his live performances.
Full credits
Production: Miramax, All Things Comedy, All of Us
Distributor: Netflix
Cast: Bill Burr, Bobby Cannavale, Bokeem Woodbine, Katie Aselton, Reign Edwards, Jackie Tohn, Rachael Harris, Katrina Bowden, Josh Brener, Natasha Leggero, C. Thomas Howell, Justin Miles, Miles Robbins, Paul Walter Hauser, Bruce Dern
Director: Bill Burr
Screenwriters: Bill Burr, Ben Tishler
Producers: Monica Levinson, Ben Tishler, Bill Block, Bill Burr, Mike Bertolina
Executive Producers: Jamie Boscardin Martin, Andrew Golov, Thom Zadra, Dave Becky, Steven Farneth, Joshua A. Foster
Cinematographer: Sean McElwee
Production Designer: Jenny Moller
Editor: Patrick J. Don Vito, Adriaan Zyl
Composer: Christopher Willis
Costume designer: Christopher Lawrence
Cast: Jeanne McCarthy, Nicole Abellera Hallman
Rated R, 1 hour 44 minutes
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Source : www.hollywoodreporter.com