Nate Bargatze is stretching beyond stand-up to fill a gap Hollywood left behind. <\/p>\n
Known for his clean comedy, Bargatze makes his film debut this weekend in \u201cThe Breadwinner,\u201d which he co-wrote and stars in. And producer Jeremy Latcham is betting on the comedian to help revive family comedies \u2014 a genre he says Hollywood has largely walked away from. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was a part of (\u2019The Breadwinner\u2019) very, very early on and I was dying to make a PG family comedy,\u201d Latcham said. \u201cSome of my favorite movies growing up were these kinds of films. And I was looking at the marketplace and realizing they just didn\u2019t exist anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Latcham built his career at Marvel Studios, rising to senior vice president of production and development. He started as an associate producer on \u201cIron Man\u201d and went on to co-produce \u201cIron Man 2.\u2033 He later served as an executive producer on films, including \u201cSpider-Man: Homecoming,\u201d \u201cAvengers: Age of Ultron,\u201d \u201cMarvel\u2019s The Avengers\u201d and \u201cGuardians of the Galaxy.\u201d<\/p>\n
After leaving Marvel in 2017 to launch Latcham Pictures, he produced \u201cBad Times at the El Royale\u201d and \u201cDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.\u201d <\/p>\n
While producing spectacle-driven superhero films, Latcham said he was drawn more toward the characters than the action, a perspective that pushed him to focus on reviving comedian-fronted family films, which dominated the 1980s and \u201990s box office.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was at a moment where I felt like I could be helpful in getting one of these types of movies made again,\u201d Latcham said. \u201cI have a 10-year-old daughter and I just really wanted to make a movie that she could go see and have a great time at and enjoy.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201c(\u2019The Breadwinner\u2019) was really born out of that idea of \u2014 let\u2019s bring back this type of film,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s make a throwback to the great family comedies that we used to have that were comedian-driven, in the vein of Robin Williams and Steve Martin and Chevy Chase \u2014 all these guys were comics. And let\u2019s go back to that kind of comic-led family comedy again.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Breadwinner\u201d stars Bargatze as a successful car salesman thrust into life as a stay-at-home dad after his wife, played by Mandy Moore, leaves on a monthlong business trip that could transform her career.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/PWNDCPSGPJCVPKSDKJUDIVYTGE.jpg\")
Mandy Moore, left, and Nate Bargatze, cast members of the upcoming film “The Breadwinner,” speak during opening night at the Sony Pictures Entertainment presentation at CinemaCon on Monday, April 13, 2026, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. | Chris Pizzello, Invision via the Associated Press <\/p>\n
Caring for their three young daughters with little experience running a household, he quickly learns that family life is more demanding than he expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea that dads do things differently than moms do is true,\u201d Latcham said. \u201cWe just do things differently, naturally. And the movie\u2019s just a lot about that … it\u2019s about realizing how hard the work is.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cFamily is always about balancing and figuring out who\u2019s in charge and how we\u2019re going to do it and how we\u2019re going to split the duties,\u201d he continued. \u201cBeing a parent is messy. It\u2019s hard. It\u2019s really hard. … That\u2019s a universal theme. And I think that just because Hollywood hasn\u2019t wanted to make these kind of movies for a long time doesn\u2019t mean that people aren\u2019t going through the same struggles we\u2019ve been going through forever as parents.\u201d <\/p>\n
Putting Bargatze in theaters<\/p>\n
Living outside Hollywood, Latcham said he has a clearer view of trends gaining traction beyond the film industry\u2019s bubble. Hollywood, he said, can be an insular place \u2014 but from his home in Austin, Texas, he sees what audiences outside Los Angeles are responding to. <\/p>\n
In his neighborhood, Bargatze\u2019s relatable comedy draws hordes of fans, many of whom drive hours to watch him perform multiple nights. <\/p>\n
Watching Bargatze mania unfold, Latcham became convinced the comedian could carry a feature-length family film. Helping Bargatze make that transition, Latcham said, had been \u201crewarding.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal from the outset was to make a Nate Bargatze film,\u201d Latcham said. \u201cI wanted to make Nate Bargatze\u2019s first theatrical movie. I wanted to be the one to introduce him to the world as an actor. And so I really sought him out … and wanted to collaborate with him because I felt like his comedy is so relatable.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/STZBHY3ZORBBJMSOBEWHLZJXZ4.jpg\")
A promotional poster for “The Breadwinner.” | Sony Pictures <\/p>\n
By 2025, Bargatze had become one of comedy\u2019s most commercially successful acts, with his tours grossing $77.5 million<\/a> and ticket sales nearly 50% higher than those of Sebastian Maniscalco, the country\u2019s second-highest-selling comedian.<\/p>\n In 2024, he staged the year\u2019s highest-grossing comedy show, outperforming comedy juggernauts like Jerry Seinfeld and Adam Sandler, per Billboard<\/a>. He has since hosted \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d twice and led the Emmy Awards<\/a> ceremony in 2025.<\/p>\n Bargatze and Dan Lagana co-wrote \u201cThe Breadwinner.\u201d The film is directed by Eric Appel, whose television credits include \u201cThe Office,\u201d \u201cBrooklyn 99\u201d and \u201cHappy Endings.\u201d Bargatze and Latcham also serve as co-producers. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019ve liked my stand-up and talk about my family, I think this (\u2019The Breadwinner\u2019) will relate very well,\u201d Bargatze said in a statement. \u201cI was able to use little things that I\u2019m comfortable with \u2014 it works and it\u2019s funny, so we sprinkled it in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith movies, you need big moments,\u201d he added. \u201cI didn\u2019t really think of it that way. In stand-up, I would have to describe it all, but in a movie, you can see it. It\u2019s very fun to get to do this stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n Latcham said Bargatze\u2019s transition from stand-up to film came naturally. \u201cThere\u2019s a reason he\u2019s the biggest comedian in the world,\u201d he added. \u201cHe\u2019s super smart.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s something about this kind of movie that I think just sticks with people that they love and that they watch over and over again because they\u2019re funny and they\u2019re warm and they\u2019re comforting and they\u2019re relatable and they feel like your life,\u201d Latcham concluded. \u201cMy hope is to make a lot more movies like this. It\u2019s really fun to make.\u201d<\/p>\n When does \u2018The Breadwinner\u2019 come out?<\/p>\n \u201cThe Breadwinner\u201d debuts in theaters on May 29. It is rated PG for some mild suggestive references. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nate Bargatze is stretching beyond stand-up to fill a gap Hollywood left behind. Known for his clean comedy,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":448689,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[156,409,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-448688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=448688"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448688\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/448689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=448688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=448688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=448688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}