Netflix is teaming up with seasoned comedian and actor from Breaking Bad and The King of Staten Island, Bill Burr, to give us one of the year’s most promising comedy films. Titled Old Dads, the film will follow three men – a grumpy middle-aged man and his two best buddies – all trying to keep up with the ever-changing world as old dads.
Ahead of the film’s December release, Netflix has given us a glimpse of the film via a newly released trailer showcasing how funny and relatable the flick will be. If the film delivers on its promise, it heralds that Old Dads will undoubtedly be another feather in Burr’s cap.
The opening scene shows Jack, portrayed by Burr, reflecting in a voiceover on his lifelong desire to be a dad, a dream that’s taken forty-six years to achieve. The scene then shows him asking his son of five or six years to rub some dirt on an injury he picked up while playing. A rough-haired, bespectacled young man joins them and suggests that the “old dad” uses a dab of Neosporin on the injury.
Jack doesn’t appreciate the help, though. Instead, he quips that he’s trying to “raise a little man here, not a pussy” just before challenging the helpful youngster to get on Twitter and paint himself as a hero. This brief encounter seems to establish a theme that is central to the film – one we’ve all experienced and seen one too many times.
This theme is the classic clash between Gen Zs and millennials, popping up repeatedly in the trailer. We also see Bobby Cannavale and Bokeem Woodbine as Jack’s inseparable pals. Together, the three men navigate the challenges that come with being parents to young children in their old age.
The three men’s struggles go beyond parenting. They also have to contend with the generational gap at their workplace. In one scene, we see a man tell them their company has now evolved to be “a gender-neutral, carbon neutral, 21st-century lifestyle brand.” Even this seemingly simple concept confuses Burr’s Jack and he responds with “I don’t even know what any of that means.”
Old Dads is a film about change, from the perspective of three men who have buried their heads in the sand while the world around them evolved. When they finally decide to stop hiding and join the world around them, they find it is no longer what they used to know. Old Dads is the story of how they handle their shock and surprise, all told from a comedic angle.
Old Dads marks Burr’s directorial debut. In addition, the 55-year-old wrote and produced the film under his company All Things Comedy. Old Dads will premiere on Netflix on October 20, 2023.
