Netflix to Release Highly Anticipated Documentary on Iconic Wisconsin Dive Bar Titled “THE UNIVERSAL BAR” — Set to Premiere Globally April 25
By Clara Jensen | April 8, 2025 | Milwaukee, WI
In a move that’s already sending waves through the documentary and cultural storytelling world, Netflix has announced the upcoming global premiere of a powerful new film titled “THE UNIVERSAL BAR.” The feature-length documentary, set for release on April 25, 2025, chronicles the emotional, gritty, and enduring legacy of one of Wisconsin’s most beloved and iconic dive bars—The Universal, located in the heart of Milwaukee.
More than just a film about a bar, “THE UNIVERSAL BAR” is a cinematic journey through time, tradition, and togetherness. It’s a story of working-class America, of neighborhood bonds formed over pints and pool games, and of how a smoky little bar became a safe haven for generations. Netflix calls it “a love letter to the soul of the Midwest and the spirit of dive bars everywhere.”
A Landmark of Community and Culture
Nestled on the corner of 7th and Walnut in Milwaukee’s Bronzeville district, The Universal has stood since 1965. What started as a small, blue-collar tavern serving Schlitz on tap and sausage sandwiches quickly became a cornerstone for locals of all backgrounds. For nearly 60 years, it has been a hub of laughter, stories, celebrations, heartbreaks, and the occasional bar brawl.
The film, directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Tessa Langford, weaves together decades of history with intimate interviews and rare footage, chronicling the evolution of the bar through the eyes of those who knew it best—bartenders, musicians, veterans, bikers, poets, single moms, and dreamers.
“The Universal Bar is more than a watering hole,” Langford said in a press statement. “It’s a museum of lived experience. You walk in and you’re stepping into the stories of hundreds of lives.”
From Hidden Gem to National Spotlight
The documentary explores the unexpected rise of The Universal from a modest local dive to a subject of national interest. In recent years, the bar gained media attention after it became a sanctuary during the COVID-19 pandemic. When surrounding businesses closed their doors, The Universal stayed open—not for profit, but to serve hot meals, distribute supplies, and offer a place to talk during isolation.
“There were days when I’d come in not to drink, but just to see another face,” said James Holloway, a retired factory worker and longtime patron. “We became each other’s lifelines.”
It was this grassroots resilience that first caught the eye of Langford and her production team. Originally in Milwaukee to shoot a short film about small businesses during the pandemic, Langford stumbled upon The Universal and was struck by the tapestry of humanity she found inside.
“We came for a day,” she said. “We stayed for three years.”
Raw, Real, and Reverent
Shot over four years, the film offers a raw and unfiltered look at life inside The Universal. Much of the documentary unfolds in a verité style, with long, observational sequences showing regulars laughing, crying, and reflecting at the bar. One notable segment captures the final night of service for Mary “Mama Bear” Costanza, who tended bar at The Universal for over 40 years.
In an emotional scene, the regulars gather to toast her retirement. She fights back tears as she pours the “last shot I’ll ever serve”—a Jameson on the rocks for a patron who came in every day since the late ’80s.
“You don’t work here for the money,” she says in the film. “You work here because this bar knows your name, even when the rest of the world forgets it.”
The film also includes interviews with musicians who got their start playing acoustic sets in the backroom of The Universal, including now-famous Wisconsin folk artist Emery Wade, who says the bar “gave me the only stage that mattered when nobody else would listen.”
A Cast of Characters as Diverse as the State
From tattooed truckers to elegant elderly widows, the array of people featured in “THE UNIVERSAL BAR” makes it feel less like a documentary and more like a novel. The regulars are complex and endearing, including:
• Curtis “C.J.” Jenkins, a former Marine who now volunteers to fix the bar’s HVAC system.
• Tonya Lewis, a local nurse who dances every Friday night like it’s her last.
• “Coach” Anderson, a retired high school football coach who still wears his whistle.
Each of these individuals is given the space to tell their stories in their own words—stories of triumph, loss, addiction, love, and resilience. It’s in these honest moments that the film achieves its greatest strength: showing how the local dive bar becomes a sanctuary for the overlooked and underheard.
A Bar Surviving the Times
In a time when chain bars and trendy gastropubs are replacing mom-and-pop establishments, The Universal has defied the odds. The film captures the struggles of keeping a dive bar alive in the 21st century—from rising rent and changing liquor laws to gentrification pressures and aging infrastructure.
In one scene, bar owner Reggie “Big Reg” Collins, who took over the bar after his father passed in 1997, sits at the counter and says:
“People tell me to clean it up, make it hip. But that’s not what this place is. You can’t bottle soul and sell it in a mason jar.”
Langford told press that Reggie’s refusal to sell out was a key reason the story felt urgent to tell. “He’s not running a business. He’s safeguarding a sanctuary.”
Netflix’s Dive into Americana
Netflix’s decision to greenlight “THE UNIVERSAL BAR” is part of a broader effort to showcase authentic Americana and underrepresented voices in its documentary lineup. After the massive success of “Chef’s Table,” “Tiger King,” and “The Last Blockbuster,” the streamer is turning its lens toward ordinary people in extraordinary places.
“Dive bars are dying,” said Netflix’s VP of Original Documentaries, Leah Marchand. “And yet they hold the DNA of American culture. The Universal Bar is a film that reminds us why these places matter—because they’re where stories begin, end, and come alive.”
Buzz, Festivals, and Awards
“THE UNIVERSAL BAR” has already made the rounds at select film festivals in advance of its Netflix debut. It received standing ovations at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. Critics are praising the film as “gritty, poetic, and unexpectedly profound,” with Variety calling it “an ode to the heartbeat of small-town America.”
Rumors are circulating that the film may receive Emmy nominations and even Oscar consideration for Best Documentary Feature.
A Bittersweet Timing
Tragically, just weeks before the release of the documentary, the real-life Universal Bar suffered a fire in the early hours of March 31. The blaze, believed to have been started by an electrical short, caused significant interior damage. No lives were lost, but the bar has been closed for repairs since.
The timing adds a poignant resonance to the film, which ends with a toast: “To the places that raise us, hold us, and never let us forget who we are.”
According to Reggie Collins, Netflix has offered to support restoration efforts through donations and a forthcoming charity screening in Milwaukee, with proceeds going directly to help rebuild the bar.
A Toast to the Past, Present, and Future
As April 25 approaches, fans across the Midwest—and indeed across the country—are eagerly awaiting a chance to raise a glass to the bar that has become a symbol of endurance, inclusion, and unapologetic authenticity.
“This film isn’t just about The Universal,” says Langford in the closing minutes of the documentary. “It’s about every bar you’ve ever walked into after a hard day. Every bartender who remembers your drink. Every song on the jukebox that made you feel like home.”
Conclusion: One Last Round
In a world rapidly digitizing, sterilizing, and standardizing, “THE UNIVERSAL BAR” is a stunning reminder of what we lose when we forget the places that made us. It’s a love letter to dive bars and the people who bring them to life—imperfect, unpolished, but undeniably real.
Whether you’ve been to Milwaukee or not, whether you drink or don’t, the film taps into something universally human: the longing for connection, the need for sanctuary, and the joy of finding a place where you belong—even if just for one drink.
So on April 25, millions of viewers will sit back, press play, and take a trip into a smoky, neon-lit world full of stories. And if they’re lucky, they’ll come out remembering their own.
“THE UNIVERSAL BAR” premieres April 25, 2025, exclusively on Netflix.
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