Bill Burr Is Topping Netflix Charts With A Raunchy New Comedy
What are the odds that a movie about a "cranky middle-aged dad and his two best friends" finding themselves to be "out of step in a changing world of millennial CEOs and powerful preschool principals" is good? Well, a 17% Rotten Tomatoes score should tell you all you need to know about Bill Burr's "Old Dads," the latest project from the, I think it's fair to say, legendary stand-up comedian.
While Burr's comedy specials will forever be held up as some of the best ever performed, his irascible funnyman schtick hasn't always transferred well to his movie and TV projects. The Bostonian has demonstrated an impressive knack for dramatic roles in the past, appearing in "Breaking Bad," "The Mandalorian," and even showing up in a "Barry" cameo. But with "Old Dads," Burr tried to harness his own experiences being an older father and turn them into a movie which he wrote, directed, and starred in – bringing the comically jaded and quick-tempered persona that worked so well in his specials to the role of lead old dad, Jack Kelly.
Unfortunately, the resulting film just kind of proves that just taking his stage persona and turning it into a movie isn't the best formula for success. At least, not according to most critics who have seen the movie. But who cares what the critics say when you've got the number one movie on Netflix? "Old Dads" is an original film from the streamer, and it's quickly shot up the charts to claim the number one spot since it debuted on the service on October 20, 2023. While the reviews have been pretty unforgiving, it seems Netflix viewers have been much more open to giving ol' freckles a chance.
Old dads is just what the world's been waiting for, apparently
To be clear, this isn't one of those times a movie hits Netflix in the U.S. and becomes the most-watched film for a day or two before receding into obscurity (like how Pierce Brosnan flop "The Misfits" recently made a small stir in the streaming sphere). No, according to streaming data aggregator FlixPatrol, "Old Dads" clinched the top spot the day after it first arrived on the service in the U.S., and it has been sitting pretty ever since. But it's not just the yanks that are loving this raunchy comedy.
Bill Burr is seemingly a hit with audiences around the world, with "Old Dads" sitting at number one since its debut in 23 countries, including such unlikely places as The Bahamas, Cyprus, Serbia, and Hungary. The movie has also climbed its way to number one in a further seven countries, making for an impressive debut that will surely have the Netflix suits on the phone to Billy about a sequel.
In total, "Old Dads" is charting in 81 countries around the world, and according to FlixPatrol has an average ranking of 3.3 globally. Not bad for the film one critic called "barely a movie." At the time of writing, the film's popularity shows no signs of slowing down, so it'll be interesting to see how long it takes for "Old Dads" to become old news and disappear into the void occupied by so many Netflix original movies of times past.
Does any of this mean anything?
What does it mean that the streaming crowds are seemingly in love with "Old Dads" while the critics mostly hate it? Well, not all that much, considering Netflix's viewing metrics don't mean much of anything, and the Top 10 website was basically launched to distract from that fact. But relative to other films' performances on the platform, "Old Dads" has clearly struck a chord. What's interesting is how well the film is doing around the world, with Burr clearly demonstrating a global appeal that's even got Kenyans streaming away and propelling his film to number one in their country.
"Old Dads" has a very clear perspective, tackling the rise of what Burr obviously sees as a frustratingly progressive parenting style that he and his fellow old dads feel alienated by. Most of the jokes in the film center around this topic and the clash of the dads' outlook with modern society. While critics have called this approach outdated and merely an excuse to "grind dull culture-war axes," the streaming audiences clearly have a different opinion. That's reflected in the Rotten Tomatoes scores, where "Old Dads" manages to balance its 17% critic score with an impressive 90% audience score.
Perhaps it isn't entirely fair to say that Burr's stage persona doesn't work within the confines of a movie. It might not have been the critical hit the comedian might have been hoping for, but something tells me he's not all that surprised about the bad reviews for "Old Dads" considering the content of his film. In fact, knowing Burr's personality, he probably doesn't really care all that much either. In the meantime, he can revel in his Netflix success and should probably think about booking some venues in Kenya and Serbia for his next tour.