Is Old Dads woke?
Old Dads (2023)
Movie
Released: January 1, 2023
Wokeness Score
2/10
Not woke
No political or woke messaging whatsoever. Focuses entirely on story, characters, fun, or escapism.
Key Summary Points
- Satirizes woke culture and political correctness through older dads' clashes with millennials and sensitive norms.
- Portrays progressive elements like safe spaces and millennial CEOs as sources of comedic frustration rather than ideals.
- Emphasizes generational humor and fatherhood struggles without promoting diversity or social justice themes.
Wokeness Analysis
Old Dads (2023) is a comedy directed by and starring Bill Burr that centers on three middle-aged men navigating late fatherhood while clashing with modern cultural shifts. The narrative highlights generational conflicts, including encounters with millennial CEOs, overly sensitive preschool environments, and evolving social norms around parenting and language. Rather than endorsing progressive ideas, the film satirizes them through the protagonists' frustrations with political correctness, safe spaces, and what they perceive as excessive sensitivity or control in contemporary society. Reviews note its alignment with Burr's stand-up style of critiquing woke culture and oversensitivity, portraying the older dads as out of step but ultimately humanized without forcing ideological conversion. Diversity elements, such as a multiracial cast including Bokeem Woodbine, appear incidental to the story and do not drive messaging. The plot prioritizes humor from everyday dad struggles, business sell-offs, and family dynamics over any social commentary promoting marginalized group representation or indoctrination. Critics from various outlets describe it as anti-woke or focused on railing against modern mores, with the comedy deriving from the characters' resistance to progressive changes rather than celebration of them. This results in minimal to no intrusive wokeness, keeping the focus on entertainment and character-driven escapism through raunchy, irreverent humor.
Plot
Three longtime friends and business partners in their fifties—Jack (Bill Burr), Connor (Bobby Cannavale), and Mike (Bokeem Woodbine)—become fathers later in life and struggle to adapt to a rapidly changing world. After selling their company, they face a new millennial CEO who pushes progressive corporate changes. At home and school, they butt heads with younger wives, preschool principals enforcing modern parenting standards, and cultural shifts around privilege, language, and authority. The story follows their misadventures as they navigate these generational divides while trying to support their young families and maintain their old-school ways.