8 Movies Like The Breadwinner You Must See

Directed by Eric Appel, ‘The Breadwinner’ is a comedy film that centers on Nate Wilcox (Nate Bargatze), whose life suddenly turns upside down after his wife Katie Wilcox (Mandy Moore) achieves unexpected business success. Known for effortlessly keeping their lively household under control, she lands a major deal on Shark Tank for one of her inventions, forcing her to leave home for an extended work trip. With Katie away, Nate is left alone to care for their three young daughters despite having almost no experience managing their daily lives. As household responsibilities quickly spiral out of control, he struggles to adapt to the demanding realities of being a stay-at-home father.

While trying to prevent everything from collapsing around him, Nate slowly begins discovering his own way of handling family life, even if it looks very different from Katie’s approach, and lands the family in hilarious situations and misadventures. In this list, we bring you movies similar to ‘The Breadwinner’ that shed light on the complex institution of family, while also delivering humor and entertainment in equal measure.

8. Yes Day (2021)

Netflix’s ‘Yes Day’ chronicles the life of married couple Carlos Torres (Édgar Ramírez) and Allison Torres (Jennifer Garner), whose habit of constantly refusing requests from their children gradually turns them into overly strict parents. Their controlling behavior frustrates their kids, Katie Torres (Jenna Ortega), Nando Torres (Julian Lerner), and Ellie Torres (Everly Carganilla). Of the three, Katie feels increasingly distant from her parents because of their parenting style. After being encouraged to loosen up and reconnect with their children, Carlos and Allison agree to dedicate one entire day to saying yes to every request their kids make.

What begins as an attempt to strengthen family bonds soon turns into a wildly chaotic adventure filled with bizarre situations and mischief. Shaped by the vision of Miguel Arteta, the comedy film is based on the eponymous children’s book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld. While ‘The Breadwinner’ is about a father giving up his leisure and hilariously trying to handle his kids’ wishes, ‘Yes Day’ twists this idea by giving kids total freedom to do what they want, leading to chaos and unpredictable scenarios.

7. Playing with Fire (2019)

Helmed by Andy Fickman, ‘Playing with Fire’ is the story of Jake Carson (John Cena), a fire superintendent who leads a team of smokejumpers working in the remote forests of California. His crew members are Mark Rogers (Keegan-Michael Key) and Rodrigo Torres (John Leguizamo). Their carefully organized lives take an unexpected turn after the firefighters rescue three siblings who become separated from their parents during an accident.

Forced to temporarily care for the mischievous children, the team quickly discovers that handling kids is far more chaotic than battling wildfires. As the youngsters cause complete disorder, Jake and his crew struggle to adapt to a challenge that they are not prepared for. The comedy film reflects the essence of ‘The Breadwinner’ by placing three adult men in a situation where doing their hazardous job seems easier than handling kids. This is similar to Nate’s experiences and to the ways he struggles to take care of his kids.

6. Instant Family (2018)

‘Instant Family’ deals with married couple Peter Wagner (Mark Wahlberg) and Elinore Wagner (Rose Byrne). They begin exploring adoption after realizing that something feels incomplete in their lives. During an adoption event, the two meet teenager Elizabeth, AKA Lizzie (Isabela Merced), whose remarks about older children rarely being selected by adoptive families leave a strong impression on them. As Peter and Elinore learn more about Lizzie’s difficult upbringing, they seriously consider welcoming her into their home. However, they soon discover that adopting Lizzie also means taking responsibility for her younger siblings, Juan and Lita.

Although the sudden transition into parenthood proves more difficult than expected, the couple remains committed to building a stable family despite the challenges of raising three children at once. Sean Anders steers this comedy-drama film, which comments on the emotional cost of building a family. ‘Instant Family’ utilizes humor and a warm visual flavor to convey its serious themes on family, which ‘The Breadwinner’ does through the ways in which the kids and the father experience life in the mother’s absence.

5. The Pacifier (2005)

‘The Pacifier’ explores the journey of Navy SEAL Shane Wolfe (Vin Diesel), recovering from injuries sustained during a failed rescue mission involving government scientist Howard Plummer. After the scientist’s death, Shane receives an unusual new assignment to protect the five Plummer children while searching their home for a classified device connected to Howard’s secret work. Shane quickly realizes that handling rebellious children is far more challenging than military missions.

As he attempts to maintain order within the family, he also has to deal with suspicious outsiders searching for the hidden device. Shane’s experiences, while messy, may teach him the real value of life and love. With Adam Shankman in the director’s chair, the action comedy film places the main character in an unlikely position. Shane’s experiences reflect Nate’s troubles in ‘The Breadwinner’ and the uncertainty he faces.

4. Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)

‘Cheaper by the Dozen’ revolves around Tom Baker (Steve Martin) and Kate Baker (Bonnie Hunt), parents who struggle to balance their personal ambitions with the responsibilities of raising 12 children. The family’s routine is disrupted after Tom accepts a football coaching position at his alma mater, forcing the Bakers to relocate to the city. At the same time, Kate’s book finally gets published, requiring her to travel for promotional work. Left to manage the household, Tom finds himself overwhelmed as chaos and noise begin taking over.

The Shawn Levy directorial is a remake of the eponymous film and is inspired by the semi-autobiographical book of the same name by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. Both ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’ and ‘The Breadwinner’ are about fathers who have to go beyond their comfort zones and take care of their children in the absence of the mother. The spiritual connection between the two films is complemented by the visual elements.

3. Three Men and a Baby (1987)

Crafted by the vision of Leonard Nimoy, ‘Three Men and a Baby’ or ‘3 Men and a Baby’ is a comedy film inspired by the short story ‘The Three Godfathers’ by Peter B. Kyne and the French film ‘Trois hommes et un couffin.’ It sheds light on three carefree bachelors living together in a luxurious Manhattan apartment. The three are architect Peter Mitchell (Tom Selleck), artist Michael Kellam (Steve Guttenberg), and actor Jack Holden (Ted Danson). Their comfort is disrupted after Jack leaves for a film shoot overseas, and an abandoned baby girl named Mary is unexpectedly left at their doorstep.

Completely unprepared for parenthood, Peter and Michael are forced to care for the child while trying to figure out who she belongs to. As the men struggle with sleepless nights, Mary gradually begins transforming their attitudes towards life and family. Men discovering the importance of fatherhood, learning more about the female experience, struggling to handle the needs of children, and seeking meaning in life are among the many commonalities between ‘The Breadwinner’ and ‘Three Men and a Baby.’

2. Daddy Day Care (2003)

‘Daddy Day Care’ centers on Charlie Hinton (Eddie Murphy) and Phil Ryerson (Jeff Garlin), two fathers whose lives are disrupted after they lose their jobs. With financial pressure mounting, they are forced to remove their sons from the expensive Chapman Academy and adjust to life as stay-at-home dads. Struggling to manage childcare on their own, Charlie and Phil come up with the idea of opening an unconventional daycare center called “Daddy Day Care.” Using highly unorthodox methods to handle energetic children, the duo slowly turns the business into a surprising success.

However, their growing popularity attracts the attention of Gwyneth Harridan (Anjelica Huston), the head of Chapman Academy, who sees the daycare as a threat to her business. Steve Carr assumes the director’s chair in this comedy film, which is an over-the-top and funny story of men trying to take care of children. This is a major point of spiritual connection between this movie and ‘The Breadwinner,’ which is similarly engaging, features relatable and quirky male characters, utter confusion, and children with a penchant for troublemaking.

1. Mr. Mom (1983)

‘Mr. Mom’ is the story of Jack Butler (Michael Keaton), a Detroit automobile engineer living a suburban life with his wife Caroline Butler (Teri Garr) and their three children, Alex, Kenny, and Megan. Comfortable with his routine, Jack’s world is suddenly disrupted after he unexpectedly loses his job. As he struggles to find employment, Caroline secures a position at an advertising agency, where she gradually begins advancing professionally. Meanwhile, Jack takes over managing the household and caring for the children, quickly realizing how exhausting and chaotic domestic responsibilities can be.

While Caroline adapts to the pressures of corporate life, Jack finds himself overwhelmed by childcare and the need to keep things balanced. Directed by Stan Dragoti, the comedy film has much in common with ‘The Breadwinner.’ Both movies feature an unstable family environment, a working mother, a stay-at-home father, the overwhelming demands of parenting, the emotional balance between children and parents, the examination of gender roles, and commentary on the meaning of life.