Old Dads ending explained: Does Jack learn to control his anger issues? 

Bill Burr's directorial debut, Old Dads, premiered on Netflix on October 20, 2023. In addition to Burr, the film stars Bobby Cannavale, who won an Emmy for his role in Human Resources, and Bokeem Woodbine, who won a Black Reel Award for his performance in Fargo.

The American comedy film Old Dads revolves around three basic themes: camaraderie, parenthood, and one man's excessive rage. The plot revolves around a group of three friends who grow up together, become dads later in life, and become close through their shared struggles.

The plot for the film as per Netflix reads:

"The movie follows three best friends who become dads later in life and have a hard time navigating a changing world — and letting go of the ’80s."

Bill Burr's directorial debut has garnered positive reviews from fans across the globe. Here is a recap of the ending of this comedy-drama film.

Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers for the film. Avoid if you plan on watching the film.

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What happens at the end of Old Dads: Does Jack finally realize he needs therapy for anger management?

Jack (Bill Burr), Connor (Bobby Cannavale), and Mike (Bokeem Woodbine) struggle to adjust to the new cultural norms after selling their business to a millennial CEO and enrolling their kids in a private kindergarten. This causes problems at work, with their spouses, and at their kids' school.

Jack Kelly, 51, has a kindergarten-age boy and a pregnant wife. He is a Gen X-er who is blustery and foul-mouthed. His ideas on how he lives his life or raises his son irritate him.

At his son's new private school, he doesn't fit in with the millennial parents. He is advised to check his privilege as a White male, be more culturally aware, and think more inclusively. His son's academic career is put in jeopardy as a result of several anger outbursts.

Jack has to host a party to gather money to impress the principal of his son so she can write a recommendation for his next school once he loses his job. Jack loses it at the party, just like everything else in his life, and he and his wife, Leah, end up fighting again. After the party, he returns home to find the door locked, to which Leah threatens to throw him out of the house.

Following that, Jack, Mike, and Connor make the decision to go to the strip club in order to decompress. Jack starts talking to the stripper while getting a lap dance about how he realizes he needs to learn how to control his rage since without Leah and his children, he is nothing.

After receiving a call informing him that Leah had gone into labor, Jack felt bad for not being present when his daughter was born. But he begs Leah to believe that he has changed and that he will begin therapy to learn how to control his rage. Jack, Leah, and their two kids are living together and having a happy ever after as the movie draws to a close.

By the time Old Dads ends, Jack still despises the same things he did at the start, but he has developed patience and gentleness to deal with them, with the help of therapy.

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Old Dads - A light-hearted comedy exploring differences between generations

On paper, Old Dads is an R-rated comedy about a Gen X dad who runs into trouble with millennial and Gen Z culture sounds like it would be a lot more over the top and edgy than the actual product.

In the end, Old Dads depicts the contemporary challenges of people who grew up in different eras but are still trying to live in the same world together, without overtly endorsing or criticizing any one culture or generation.