Nate Bargatze’s new family comedy The Breadwinner centres on a successful car salesman who is left to care for his three daughters while his wife pursues a business opportunity abroad.
Bargatze, who stars in and co-wrote the film, is known for clean, family-friendly humour built on a stand-up comedy persona as an ordinary husband and father.
He has described the movie as a “love letter to moms,” saying it showcases what parents miss when they are not the primary caregiver and the learning process involved in becoming a helpful dad.
The reviews for the film are mixed. Some viewers have praised the film’s wholesome tone, relatable family themes and accessible humour, while others have argued it leans too heavily on stereotypical and tired tropes.
As fatherhood researchers, we share that concern. The film is the latest iteration of the “bumbling dad,” a portrait that does not reflect the reality of many fathers. The film reinforces stereotypes that mothers are naturally competent caregivers while fathers are lovable amateurs.
These tropes may seem harmless, but decades of developmental research suggest that they distort public understanding of father involvement.
Father stereotype hasn’t changed
Contemporary fathers spend considerably more time with their children than previous generations did, with some estimates putting it at three to six times as much. Fathers are increasingly involved in daily care, decision-making and co-parenting.
Fatherhood is also increasingly recognized as central to a father’s identity. Pew Research reports that 85 per cent of fathers say that being a parent is an important part of their identity.
This does not mean parenting has become equal. Mothers still provide more care and tend to carry more of the mental load — the often-invisible work of anticipating needs, arranging appointments, planning meals and keeping family life organized.
Read more: ‘So much mental load’: Mothers speak about school lunches
But unequal involvement is not evidence that mothers are inherently more capable parents, or that a less-involved father is necessarily incompetent at the tasks he does take on.
Yet, in The Breadwinner, as in earlier films like Mr. Mom (1983), the family’s basic functioning collapses as soon as the mother leaves because the father has apparently remained uninvolved in nearly every aspect of his family’s daily lives. The Breadwinner father cannot operate a toaster or do groceries, and does not know where his kids go to school.
The family’s functioning is treated as “Mom’s system,” rather than shared knowledge both parents should have. At one point, the kids even ask the father if he’s “the mother now” and whether he’ll start wearing makeup.
It’s important to consider the implied double standard. A mother who did not know where her children went to school would be treated as irresponsible. A father who does the same is portrayed as a well-meaning man who deserves credit for trying.
Caregiving competence is learned
Research on parental sensitivity directly challenges the idea that fathers are naturally unsuited to caregiving. Sensitivity is a parent’s ability to notice a child’s signals, interpret them accurately and respond appropriately. It’s an important foundation for children’s attachment security and socioemotional development.
In a synthesis of 93 studies involving nearly 11,000 father-child pairs, our team found that mothers were, on average, observed to be slightly more sensitive than fathers, but the difference was small.
Two findings provide important context. In studies published after 2010, fathers were as sensitive as mothers. And in European samples, where parental leave policy is more generous than in North America, mothers and fathers displayed similar levels of sensitivity.
These patterns suggest caregiving competence is not biologically fixed but shaped by experience, social expectations and opportunity for involvement. Knowing a child’s needs and routines is not a maternal instinct; it develops through sustained responsibility.
Research on parent-child attachment tells a similar story. Children are about as likely to develop secure attachment relationships with fathers as with mothers. Secure relationships with fathers, in turn, are associated with fewer emotional and behavioural problems.
Read more: The key to raising secure children: Why parental sensitivity matters for fathers and mothers
Fathers may sometimes interact differently with children — for example, through more physical play or gentle challenges — but difference is not incompetence. Fathers can still provide comfort, structure, emotional attunement and reliable care.
Media stereotypes can shape expectations
It may be tempting to dismiss The Breadwinner as just a comedy, or only one movie. It’s true that no single film determines how people parent. But entertainment can reinforce social expectations.
Research has found a small but consistent association between frequent television viewing and stronger gender-stereotypical beliefs. Small effects accumulate when similar messages are repeated across years and hundreds of stories.
Screen media also continue to associate men with paid work and public life and women with family and care. When men enter the domestic sphere, they are frequently portrayed as less competent.
In one study, researchers surveyed 201 people expecting their first child about their media habits and beliefs about family roles. Among women and men alike, greater exposure to television in general — and to programs featuring fathers — was associated with viewing fathers as less important.
The study focuses on correlational elements, so it cannot establish that television caused these beliefs. People may seek out programs that reflect attitudes they already hold.
Still, the findings suggest that portrayals of fathers are connected to the expectations people bring into parenthood, precisely when couples are deciding who will provide care, organize family life and put a career on hold.
We don’t need perfect fathers
Comedy does not need flawless dads. Competent fathers can be exhausted, make mistakes and struggle to balance work and care just as mothers do. Those experiences are realistic and can be funny.
The Breadwinner had an opportunity to portray fatherhood as genuine transformation, not lift up paternal incompetence. Instead, it asks audiences to laugh at a man who has lived with his children for years without learning how their lives work. We should expect more from fathers and the stories we tell about them.
The “dad era” should not begin when the mother leaves town. It should begin when a man becomes a parent.
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