It happens again and again that critics and audiences don’t see eye to eye and the ratings for films are miles apart. With “Old Dads” by comedian Bill Burr, such a film has now conquered the top of the Netflix weekly charts.
Yes, critics and audiences often disagree. Time and again, a film that has been scolded by the trade press turns into an absolute smash hit – and on the other hand, critics’ favorites regularly fail at the box office because hardly any viewers buy a ticket for them.
This phenomenon can also be observed among streamers. On Netflix, the comedies of funnyman Adam Sandler in particular are known for becoming hits in terms of viewer numbers, while the films sometimes receive subterranean ratings in the reviews. Now, “Old Dads” is another title that has climbed to the top spot at the streaming giant, with such a difference in ratings.
“OLD DADS” AT THE TOP OF THE NETFLIX CHARTS
What you’re feeling now is what you’re feeling….
: Old Dads, from the mind of Bill Burr, is now streaming! pic.twitter.com/lTZlqn6ike
– Netflix (@netflix) October 20, 2023
In “Old Dads”, three friends and late fathers Jack Kelly (Bill Burr), Connor Brody (Bobby Cannavale) and Mike Richards (Bokeem Woodbine) decide to sell their business to some young businessmen. But they quickly discover that they are no longer up to snuff. When it comes to education, morals and working conditions, they keep bumping into each other. Are their ideas outdated or is it society that has gone mad?
“Old Dads” was penned by stand-up legend Bill Burr, who also directed and stars in front of the camera here. Since its release on October 20, 2023, the comedy has reached a total of 13.3 million views, which equates to a watch time of 23 million hours. More exciting than the bare Netflix numbers, which already show audience interest, however, are once again the different ratings for the film.
On the American review site Rotten Tomatoes, “Old Dads” is not well received by the trade press at all. Just 23 percent of the reviews (out of a total of 35 ratings) were positive about the film. The public, on the other hand, is a different story: the film is well received here and achieves a score of 88 percent. And the audience reviews also speak a clear language.
BILL BURR DOESN’T CARE ABOUT POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
In particular, the culture clash between Generation X and the Millenial generation seems to go down well. One user writes: “A really good movie. Bill Burr got to the heart of the culture clash between Generation X and the Millenials.” In addition, users positively point out that Bill Burr seems to whistle at so-called political correctness: “Enjoyed it and thought it was funny and entertaining. Reminds me of the movies I enjoyed before the political correctness era. […]”
There is at least currently no evidence that the large number of positive ratings is so-called “positive review bombing”, in which a small group of users* try to drive up a film’s score through overly positive reviews. The film seems to have hit a nerve with the audience – and Bill Burr is a very popular comedian, especially in America.
It should be noted, however, that the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes reflect a slightly distorted rating picture, as this only measures whether someone basically rates the film as positive or negative. A film is quickly rated as “quite nice” and thus still positive, in a detailed review one then quickly becomes aware of the many weaknesses and the picture is not so good after all.
On other sites, where the audience can give a more precise rating and from which an average score is calculated, a more differentiated picture emerges: “Old Dads” on IMDb, for example, achieves an average score of 6.3 out of 10 possible points with just under 10,000 votes cast. Although this score is still higher than the critics’ opinion (average score is 4.3), it clearly shows that most of them had rather short fun with a solid film than celebrate it as a big revelation.
The next few days will show whether the film will be able to stay in the top 10 of the Netflix charts for a longer period of time and perhaps even go one better in the coming week. Interest in “Old Dads” seems to be there in any case…
If you want to get an idea of the movie yourself, you can watch the trailer here to get in the right mood.
