Brad's Status (2017) User Reviews

Status Anxiety

[lavatch · 7/10 · 28 January 2018]

"Brad's Status" begins like a coming-of-age film about a young man interviewing colleges as he embarks upon adulthood. But the coming-of-age experience is more applicable to the boy's father, who is experiencing a peculiar mid-life crisis about "status."

In the bonus track of the DVD of "Brad's Status," the writer-director described the film as a personal drama about "status anxiety." Brad is overly concerned with competition and what others think about him. In a scene where he reunites with an old college chum, the friend never even recalled their relationship as competitive.

For poor Brad, the glass always seems half empty. One of his realizations in the film is that "sometimes in life, you can lose the plot." Indeed, Brad has lost his narrative, and it takes his perceptive son get him back on track.

The film stretched credibility by making Brad's son far too wise beyond his years. The same was true of a young musician friend of the son, who takes the father to school with life lessons, telling him simply, "Trust me; you have enough."

It may be difficult for most of us struggling to earn a living to relate to Brad's status anxiety. But despite its shortcomings, the film has some thoughtful dialogue, and Ben Stiller is excellent in the role of Brad. There are many heartfelt moments where the poor schlub begins to realize how full and complete his life really is.

Great story but a bit slow

[smetin · 7/10 · 4 November 2017]

I hadn't seen a Ben Stiller movie in a while and this one kind of came out of nowhere. Very little marketing and promotion meant that when I saw it was released I was surprised, but it is reflected in its low budget. The movie follows Brad (Ben Stiller) who is disappointed with his life, since all of his friends became very rich and successful in life. The plot revolves around him going to Harvard with his son, who is trying to get into the university.

The rest of the plot if filled in with learning more about Brad and his successful friends, whilst his son is really only there to move the main plot forward. It all felt a bit slow, which was not helped by the sweeping camera shots with no speaking and Brad's narration that is a bit too frequent.

However, when things eventually happen in the plot it is good. It made me feel sad for Brad at times, yet happy when he realised what was truly important in life. The key message, of course, is that money does not equate to success and this movie certainly delivers that well. What I also enjoyed was that although this message has been littered in numerous movies, Brad's Status delivers it in a refreshing format.

Although Brad's Status will not wow you, it is certainly a good movie. The plot is nothing new and it may feel slow at times, but it will bring a smile to your face in the end. Regardless of whether you like Ben Stiller's previous performances or not, this will be a worthy addition to your watchlist, especially at this time of year when it can be chilly!

Over wrought

[mannacio · 5/10 · 23 September 2017]

Most people, even successful ones,have doubts about themselves but Brad really needs a psychiatrist for his feelings of inadequacy and this movie lays it on so thick viewers may feel they have been recruited to the position. There are a few moments when some dim realization begins to set in that material success may not be everything but not enough to provide any kind of balance. If this was intended as a comedy it is too dour. If it was intended as a slice of life it is not a slice I would want to see.

Here's a mid-life crisis I can live with.

[JohnDeSando · 25 September 2017]

"We aren't poor." Melanie Sloan (Jenna Fischer)

In those three words, the titular character's wife succinctly parses his midlife crisis: Brad (Ben Stiller) needs to smell the roses, to see that what he has in his upper-middle class comfort is more than most could hope for. Brad's Status is a text book exposition of a man's midlife crisis at 47 years old.

It's not a pretty sight when he embarrasses his brainy son, Troy (Austin Abrams), at a Harvard interview opportunity by pushing too hard with the admissions staff. Besides that obnoxious parent-at-interview motif, which I have witnessed as a Georgetown alumni interviewer, Brad is struggling, mostly in voice-over narration, with an unhealthy envy of his buddies who have entered into the 1% of fame and wealth.

A Tufts grad that started his own non-profit, Brad needs a jolt to realize how good his life really is. Buds like noted author and TV star Craig (Michael Sheen0 prove to have their own issues that don't show up in the media. Too obvious a compensation from writer/director Mike White, nonetheless it is axiomatic that "the grass is greener on the other side." Will Brad learn this lesson after thinking about his accomplished wife and son? You can pretty much guess.

Although I could not sympathize with Stiller's previously solipsistic hero in Greenberg, his Brad makes mid-life sense to me as he gains our sympathy over his self-centered obsessions. Xavier Grobet's cinematography, focused as it is on close ups of Brad, does very little else to further visually this universal experience, and generally none of the shots are as remarkable as the simple takes of the two coeds' classical playing in the orchestra.

Stiller should be nominated; no recent actor has shown such authentic anguish at that certain time of life when you can accept the goodness of the life you have led or drive yourself into an unpleasant status.

Interesting but too incidental

[banhei · 6/10 · 20 October 2017]

Gore Vidal notoriously said, "Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies," which could be this movie's subtitle. Interesting subject matter I think, but this movie could have used more of an outright plot. Whether I'm right or not, this movie had the feel of having been written with a vague direction in mind but no structured outline set down beforehand. (The long bar conversation with the big-brown-eyed girl kind of came out of nowhere and I suspect did, to the writer as he sat at his laptop.) Ben Stiller was okay, but I felt his regular (facial) expressions of resentment could have used more variety and nuance. Knowing both ends of: not thrilling at running into people as I puttered along with nothing to brag about, to suddenly being put in charge of huge projects covered in the international press that suddenly made me the star of dinner parties, I found this an interesting movie, but wanted more of a story than a collection of vignettes. (For those who liked them, this movie I felt could almost go together as a sort loose trilogy with Stiller's GREENBERG and PERMANENT MIDNIGHT.)

A by the numbers film that leaves a impact

[jamesives · 7/10 · 21 August 2018]

I've been on a Ben stiller hype at the moment watching films like while we're young and the secret life of Walter Mitty, but this film probably has stillers most real and best performance he has given so far. It helps that he's got a good teenage actor working together with him as his son. Although the film is by the numbers and the message of the story hits you on the head with a hammer, brads status more than makes up for it with some great performances all round that's full of comedic , charming and tearful scenes.

Touching the reality

[adgh899 · 7/10 · 17 October 2018]

I read most of the comments and i just want to add something regarding the intention of Brade and how is life should not goes around people. Your behavior and purposes in life should come from inside you, something will make you alive and has a value and if you make it to be recognized or be impressed only you will be meserable whatever you are doing even if it is charity stuff. The movie is deep and has a lot about these days kind of life. Beautiful and i liked it so much. It touches me so much :)

growing up

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 21 September 2017]

Greetings again from the darkness. Mid-life crisis has long been a popular movie topic. A list of the best would include: Fellini's 8 ½, Blake Edwards' 10, American BEAUTY, CRAZY STUPID LOVE, SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH, and THELMA & LOUISE. Some of these are outright comedies, while others are turbulent dramas. With the label 'white male privilege' being applied so broadly these days, it's impressive how writer/director Mike White (THE GOOD GIRL, SCHOOL OF ROCK, creator of TV's "Enlightened") so expertly and gracefully takes on the familiar topic.

Ben Stiller stars as Brad Sloan, a married man raising a teenage son and running a Non-Profit Organization in middle-class Sacramento. As Brad and his son Troy (Austin Abrams, PAPER TOWNS) embark on an elite northeast college visitation trip, we get the sense that Brad is only now waking up to his son's rapid approach to adulthood and remarkable talent as a student and musical prodigy. This happens congruently to Brad's mid-life realization that his own college buddies are richer and more famous than he. Self-loathing, insecurities and concern over the jealousy he feels towards his own son are the focus of Brad's inner thoughts, which we hear courtesy of his narration.

Brad's college friends who are unknowingly driving his defeatist attitude include: Jemaine Clement as Billy Wearsiter who retired in Hawaii at age 40 after selling his tech company; Mike White (the film's director) as successful movie director Nick Pascale whose house is featured in Architecture Digest; Luke Wilson as hedge fund manager Jason Hatfield who married into money; and Michael Sheen as Craig Fisher, a best -selling author and frequently seen on TV political commentator. In comparison, and by today's societal levels of achievement, Brad views himself as a failure – a man whose early idealism didn't change the world, and instead prevented him from reaching the capitalistic heights of his friends.

There are a couple of elements that allow the film to work. First, Ben Stiller softens his usual snark, making him more relatable than his usual woe-is-me character. Next, the film isn't as harsh on the white man as we've come to expect. There is no feeling sorry for Brad, but there is at least compassion … space for him to explore what he's feeling and take stock in his life. The difference maker is Mr. White's script. The underside of human nature is explored with a deft comedic touch and incisive societal observations.

Stiller's tightly wound Brad contrasts with Troy's easy-confidence leading to some unusual father-son scenes. When Troy questions whether his dad is having a breakdown, we understand that the existential crisis is actually fairly common. We certainly enjoy watching as Troy's Harvard friend, and fellow musician Ananya (Shazi Raja) listens patiently before slapping Brad with the dose of reality he so desperately needs. Ananya's beyond-her-years wisdom leads Brad to a moment of self-awakening during her concert of Dvorak's "Humoresque". Ms. Raja's role is given much more weight than that of Jenna Fischer as Brad's wife/Troy's mother, who inexplicably only appears about every 20 minutes as a check-in during the boys' trip.

Keeping up with the Jones is a no-win approach to life, and if a Hollywood film can help a few more people understand this, then it's a beneficial way to spend a couple of hours. The Mark Mothersbaugh score has a sharpness to it that mirrors Brad's tarnished idealism and search for self. We are reminded that normal insecurities can blow up if we focus too much on what others have, and not enough on what we do.

Mind's Status

[Jithindurden · 8/10 · 7 November 2017]

Brad is the type of guy who doesn't belong in any kind of social circle really. For some he is too low for their class, for others he is too high. While his problems are laughable compared to problems that are solved by the funds he raises, that doesn't make his problem mom existent. People generally tries to classify this type of films as futile attempts by privileged people. But human mind is always in a fight with itself to achieve more in life and whatever the world around is going about ultimately it's your mind that decides if you have failed yourself or not. Even though the film deals with familiar themes the script is powerful enough to keep you uncomfortable throughout the film. Ben Stiller again proves his best characters are dramatic roles with a light touch of comedy.

Not for everyone, and what makes it good is that it points out that it's not for everyone.

[subxerogravity · 6/10 · 18 September 2017]

Very interesting composition by Mike White, wrote and directed it.

Not as good as when he wrote School of Rock but I enjoined it for what it was

The movie points out the bubble of white privilege, which I think was brilliant considering the movie itself is a bubble of white privilege.

Ben Stiller plays a middle age hetero white man (it's important to note that for the story as it turns out) whose going through a bit of a crisis as he tours his son around prospective colleges and overthinks where he is in his life in comparison to those he went to college with.

It's a good role for Stiller who pin points that point in life where we all overthink the moments of our lives and ponder what could have been, based on superficial info and forget how good life is where you are.

At times it can be annoying watching as Stiller narrates his characters voice, which complains about a life I don't really see a problem with but then the movie points out the concept of how someone always has it better than you like you always have something better than others, and gives it a balance. The movie had this low tone that made for some brilliant short yet effective conversations with Stiller and other cast members, a lot of good dialog. And I'm happy that the movie was not as predicable as I was expecting.

It does seem like a certain movie for a certain crowd that I'm not a part of, but I did get something out of it, and enjoyed what I got.

Surprised at the positive reviews.

[WhipGibson · 2/10 · 11 July 2018]

SPOILERS. This is a liberal wet-dream, and in that context was incredibly predictable. The movie tells the story of a middle-aged white guy having a mid-life crisis. He takes his kid on a visit to several colleges. He has a nice job running a non-profit, but his thoughts wander to his 4 college friends who are more wealthy and successful than him. During his predictable journey he learns that his friends all have problems worse than his. He bonds with his kid. In the end he concludes that his like is a-okay. Marvelous, right?

But let's think about how he arrives at the destination of his journey.

Act 1: Brad is filled with a sense of failure. He is envious of his friends. The director sets up the friends as wealthy and happy. Of course they are. One consults with the White House and wrote a bestseller. Another is a famous director. The third is a wealthy hedge fund manager. The last has sold his business and retired at 40 to Hawaii where he runs around with two young girls. How could we not feel envy, right? Brad is missing out and his life is a failure.

Act 2: Brad's son has an appointment to visit Harvard, but he got the date wrong. His appointment was yesterday. Oops! So Brad calls his friend who works in the White House because he also teaches at Harvard. Great! The friend gets Brad's kid and appointment with the Dean of Admissions and an interview with a music teacher. It goes great, but the son is not impressed. They aren't "cool" like he thought they would be. Brad is angry at his snot-nosed millennial kid who thinks he knows it all. Brad and his kid meer up with some friends of his kid who go to Harvard. Young hot musicians. Brad creeps on them. It is awkward. Brad sneaks out at night to meet one of the girls at a bar. It is weird. Brad tells he to stop being an idealist and just go make money. She loses respect for him and calls him "white privilege."

Act 3: Brad meets his friend (the White House) guy for dinner at a swanky restaurant to thank him for the interviews. Brad is feeling left out because he's lost touch with the guys. And here is where all predictions come true. The White House/author is a real jerk. He runs down all his friends. The guy in Hawaii is a drud addict and alcoholic. A real bad dude. The hedge fund manager is is a crook and under investigation. Of course he is! "You can't get that rich unless your a thief." The director is a flaming gay guy who uses his home for a "sci-fi gay porno" lifestyles. So this reveals that the White House guy is a real homophobe. Yep! Why wouldn't he be. Brad leaves the restaurant. "We aren't even friends anymore. I don't even know you." Brad rushes to his kid and the story conclude with Brad realizing that he has an amazing life. Ta-da!

This movie brings out all the liberal tropes. All his friend's wealth = bad. Hedge fund = bad. Bad guys make homophobic slurs, no jokes allowed. But Brad creeping on the young girls; not so bad, just part of the journey. Lots of white privilege nonsense. Idealism is better than money. Money = white privilege. And Brad has to learn this from the strong female minority women. "Stay golden, Pony-Boy!" Am I right? And Brad's son swears like a drunken sailor. He drops f-bombs at his dad like it's not a problem. He just so hip and cool and talented.

In the end, we really learn that Brad is a creep. Brad is filled with envy, pride, lustful thoughts, and doesn't recognize all the good in his life. He arrives at redemption because he realizes that all his idols, those with money and fame are all homophones, drunks, drug addicts, thief's and awful people. He learns about life from the young, incredibly intelligent, enlighten, talented, minority women who teache him about his white privilege. And he also learns from his cussing son. "What the f*** is wrong with you dad?"

So it all comes together in the end. Of all his friends, Brad is the one who had success. A success of the spirit.

so real. flawless performance

[hiyangbo · 10/10 · 25 September 2017]

So real. Flawless performance. One of the best movie this year so far. It's not a movie for everyone. I understand why some people could fall asleep while watching it. Its depth could be understood only if one have had several years fighting and climbing in the society and have a family and children to cherish and thankful for. I felt the echos in my soul and could foresee what I would look like in Brad's age. Everyone is relatively poor; the circle can be one percent, or one millionth or one billionth. And vice verse everyone is relatively happier and richer compared to the rest. And the "real pains" come from those meaningless comparisons and competitions that we impose on ourselves. Everyone have a choice of how to live their lives and how to plan and realize their futures. It's just a bunch of unique decisions that we have made and are making for ourselves. When you are jealous about someone's success in career or something, you don't know how much they sacrifice on their life balance or health or something else that you weigh way more over the former. There's no better or worse life. There is always shadow behind sunshine. It's just a matter whether you like it or not, grateful or regretful. And if you like your life and are grateful, you already win the competition if you really want such a comparison.

"Everyone is thinking about themselves. Nobody cares about you. The only person cares about you is me. So you should only care about my opinion."

I love the ending. There's no silver bullet to avoid so called midlife crisis. Can Brad have a sound sleep that night? Not sure. What I am certain is that we have to make every seconds in life count and always gives thanks to God, life and everyone in our life, to live a life which we will never regret.

YOU NEED TO APPLY TO LIFE AS WELL AS COLLEGE...!

[masonfisk · 7/10 · 18 August 2018]

Ben Stiller continues to cultivate his lost, unsure persona which has reared its head in a trio of Noah Baumbach films, his own (The Life of Walter Mitty) & now this one from writer/director Mike White (School of Rock/Chuck & Buck). A father decides to accompany his son on a tour of colleges but finds himself at odds w/the choices he's made in his life (he runs a non-profit concern) as compared to his richer, more affluent college mates who are now kings of the world. An easy going jaunt through the land of regrets & lost possibilities, this film works at a minor key but its message is still potent enough to get across.

Days of Whine and Neuroses.

[JLA-2 · 4/10 · 23 September 2017]

Are we supposed to feel sympathy for a guy who has chosen to start a non-profit, has a loving wife, a nice house, a great son, and then whines about his life for most of the movie? I didn't. He is determined to make himself miserable by seeing nothing, but the lives of his buddies, who have seemingly been more materially successful.

He is taking stock of his life as he takes his smart, talented, decent son on his college tour, which includes his dream school, Harvard. (I am sick of Harvard being deified. Yale, Amherst, Williams, etc. are all viewed as lesser schools. They're not.)

In some ways, this is the modern, neurotic version of, "It's a Wonderful Life." A guy who has become bitter about his missed opportunities has the revelation that he's pretty lucky. But, somehow, Jimmy Stewart was charming. Ben Stiller is just irritating.

On one hand, he doesn't look down the social ladder to see how much better off he is than most people. He has a socially fulfilling job of his own making, not forced to work as a night janitor in an abattoir. And when he looks up the social ladder, he can only see an illusory world of wealth and happiness. It is beyond his imagination that people with more money - which is all he really knows about his old friends - can also be unhappy and unfulfilled. He doesn't know that there is "no there, there."

This is an aggravating, annoying movie. At one point, a young woman points out that his disappointment is really based on his white, male sense of entitlement. She says he should get pleasure from what he has done. I could barely contain myself from saying out loud, "Damn right!"

My Plan B

[michaeltrivedi · 6/10 · 5 January 2018]

I was watching Along Came Polly when I decided to see Brad's Status afterwards. I guess it was the hype of Brad Pitt separating from his wife, and then producing this movie titled "Brad's Status" which caught my attention.

Anyways, it starts off as a well made movie, but slowly gets boring. I only reached halfway, but I would not say it was a bad effort at all. I was especially pleased with the Stiller character and his philosophizing of life. It was my favorite part of the movie actually, and something I seldom see in movies.

6 Stars

A comedy that hurts a lot

[ravitchn · 7/10 · 26 March 2018]

I suspect not many will find this movie and its "hero" very familiar. But to people like myself, retired from academia, they are very close to home. Brad may not be an academic strictly speaking but his background and choice of vocation are very much like that of a professor or college administrator. He has had a fine education, remembers college with joy and nostalgia, has a loving wife who in the film is rather a nonentity, and a talented young son about to enter college. Clearly his relationship with his son has taken precedence over everything else -- except his disappointments with his achievements when compared to his college friends. He is definitely neurotic in a way very familiar on the academic scene. The only cure for his psychological woes is superficially the success of his son in getting into a first-rate university; but the real cure is his son's wise, even brilliant, explanation at the end that the only thing which should matter to Brad is not what others think of him, not even curiously what his wife thinks of him, but what his son Troy thinks of him. And what does Troy think of him? I will leave this to those who have yet to see the flick. Troy at his age of about 18 has more wisdom in his little finger than all the Ph.D.'s and successful people who plague his dad and give him the tremors. I cannot say I enjoyed the movie but I do say that it had a true spiritual message and a valuable one.

First-world problems.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 20 December 2020]

'Brad's Status (2017)' is, essentially, an exploration of first-world problems, the sort of issues that seem trivial in the grand scheme of things yet also hold great importance for those experiencing them. The movie balances both sides of this equation remarkably well, never feeling as though it looks down on those like its protagonist but also keeping their problems in perspective. It's a very insular sort of experience; we're firmly inside the head of our hero throughout. He narrates his ruminative inner thoughts, struggling to come to terms with his place in life. It's often somewhat downbeat but always manages to avoid feeling 'depressing', for want of a better word. The experience is often rather funny and it renders its characters in a realistically multi-faceted way. Its central father-son dynamic is believable and, even, affecting on occasion. It's really what holds the film together, alongside an excellently grounded lead performance from Stiller. In the end, the affair is engaging and enjoyable, despite being a little deflating. 7/10

You should watch this at home

[dawitfikadu · 7/10 · 31 October 2017]

I saw this movie yesterday and it really got me thinking about myself. I've seen that it didn't do well at the box office as it shouldn't. Movies like this are not the reason you go to the cinema. You go to the cinema because you want to be entertained and forget the life you already have and watch other men do something that you physically can't or God forbid you're afraid to do. This movie, however, has a different approach. It reflects on who we are as a person. Most of us had high hopes when we get out of college but that hope gets a little dimmer everyday as we learn that not everybody gets to be a hero. So we end up resenting ourselves for not being who we wanted to be. But as life constantly shape and reshapes us we have to change our plans accordingly. As the movie truly dictates there's nothing worse than all your friends moving up in life with you being stuck at the same dead end job. I like how he said he felt "physical" pain. But in the end it tries to tell us subtly that even those friends have their own problems that are much bigger than what we have. This is the point where I'd like to digress and state that not everybody that makes money have problems. We all have problems of different variety and they are all problems. Even though it ends abruptly leaving the audience to their ideas to finish the story, ultimately  it tries to teach us that being content what we have is the greatest favour we can do ourselves instead of resenting ourselves and the world. But that doesn't mean we should strive for something better, it just means to be happy with what we've got until the next better thing happens.

Wonderful quirky film; almost a monologue with interludes

[inkblot11 · 8/10 · 6 October 2017]

Brad (Ben Stiller) has lately been fretting about his "status" in the world of middle-agers. As he and his son Troy (Austin Abrams), a gifted musician and composer, are about to embark from Sacramento to a Boston tour of colleges, Bradley is in a funk. This is because he has been pondering the so-called more successful lives of his college pals. Jason (Luke Wilson) is a jet-setting, rich hedge-fund manager while Billy (Jemaine Clement) made a tech fortune and retired, at 40, on Maui. Worst of all, Craig (Michael Sheen) is a best-selling pundit on political issues and teaches at Harvard. What has he, Brad, done? For wife Melanie (Jenna Fischer) and himself, its strictly the mundane bourgeousie. Brad manages a non-profit that finds funds for other non-profits while Mel works for the California government. So, while Troy and his dad go to Harvard and Tufts for interviews, Brad upsets the apple cart by embarrassing Troy in front of friends and administrators. This is doubly so when Brad actually needs Craig's help to gain a 2nd interview with a dean! But, in truth, is Brad's status beyond lame? This wonderful, quirky film is almost a monologue as the viewer gets a running commentary by Brad of each and every situation. Yes, there are interludes of actual conversations and happenings and Abrams, Wilson, Clement, Sheen, Fischer and all of the rest do good work. But, its up to Stiller to carry the film with his wry, self- deprecating analysis of life and he does so beautifully. We bow to you, Ben! Scenery, costumes, illuminating script and deft direction all bring the film satisfying results. Most importantly, the movie truly gets it "right" on what makes a life well-lived. Go, go to Brad, film lovers! Hollywood rarely bestows gems like this anymore.

"The world hates me, and the feeling is mutual"

[paul-allaer · 6/10 · 24 September 2017]

"Brad's Status " (2017 release; 101 min.) brings the story of Brad and his HS senior kid Troy on a college-shopping trip. As the movie opens, Brad, a middle-age guy in Sacramento who runs a very small non-profit agency, tosses and turns in bed while he thinks about the wealth and fame his college friends from yesteryear gained. Next morning, Brad and Troy fly out to Boston for the first of several college campus visits and interviews. Troy's HS adviser thinks that Troy is Harvard-worthy, much too Brad's delight. But when they get to Harvard, it turns out that Troy had mixed up the dates and hence he is denied an interview. Brad decides to pull out all stops and contacts his erstwhile college friend (and now TV personality) Craig… At this point we're less than 15 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the second directing stint from writer and sometimes actor Mike White, who just earlier this year wrote the interesting (and divisive) "Beatriz At Dinner". Here White tackles the insecurities of a guy approaching 50 and wondering whether he is a failure in life ("the world hates me, and the feeling is mutual", Brad ponders in the movie's voice-over). Or whether he's missed out on what could have been {"all the lives I would never live", Brad sighs, and "there is no more potential, this is it!"). If you are looking for a feel-good movie, you are definitely not interested in this movie. Brad, as portrayed by Ben Stiller, is brooding and moody almost the entire time throughout the movie, as he simply cannot get over the fact that life seems to have passed him by. The movie is billed as a comedy-drama, and I think that must be an unintended typo, as there really is nothing funny about the movie (unless a grumpy middle-aged white guy is your idea of funny). All that said, the movie flashed by in no time, as we're curious to find out of course whether Troy makes it into Harvard. Austin Abrams, best known for his TV role in the Walking Dead, more than holds his own in his portrayal of Troy. But the movie is frankly stolen by relative newcomer Shazi Raja (as the Harvard student), and surely we have not seen the last of her. Last but not least, there is a nice orchestral score, composed by none other than Mark Mothersbaugh (yes, he of Devo!).

"Brad's Status" opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati and I couldn't wait to see it. The Saturday matinée screening where I saw this at was attended so-so (even taking into account it was a matinée). Frankly, given the gloomy atmosphere that seeps throughout the movie, I can't see this playing long in theaters, but maybe this will gain a wider audience on Amazon Instant Video (already playing there as well—this is after all an Amazon Studios release) or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray. Check it out and draw your own conclusion.

Brad's status, depressed.

[Quietb-1 · 3/10 · 25 September 2017]

Mike White the writer and the director gets a little credit and all the blame for this one. The lead character is so shallow and difficult to be around. If that isn't bad enough he is constantly revealing his thoughts and feelings in voice over dialogue. It's a perfect movie for a blind audience. Little is shown, every aspect of an inferiority complex is verbally expressed.

There's a sophisticated score that sounds classical. The music is loud and often distracting. The movie is slow with multiple scenes of the bottom of a curtain moving slowly in a draft. There's a restaurant scene near the end that is way to long and tedious.

If you want to see a movie that evokes the emotion you want to shake or slap the protagonist this is for you. It doesn't take long to realize you are wasting your time watching someone that would benefit from a therapy session.

The movie is annoying to sit through. There is no need to see it in a theater as it will play just as bad on a home platform.

Walter Mitty 2

[Kishere-film · 9/10 · 10 October 2018]

Nice film and very thought provoking. It is a slow paced film but necessary with the narrative. Ben is such a versatile actor and this is evident in this film. In a world of money grabbing Hollywood Avenger-type franchises, this was a nice find. I often find these days that the lower the budget the stronger the narrative. Worth a watch for sure and I really enjoyed it.

a whimsical interior monologue about mid-life inadequacy

[CineMuseFilms · 7/10 · 22 November 2017]

If your cup is always full don't waste your time with this film. For the rest of us, it is a guilt-inducing reminder that our cup may be fuller than we think. Although it is light on big laughs and it does not have a big narrative, Brad's Status (2017) delivers a film-length interior monologue that probes our obsession with aspirational lifestyles.

Brad Stone (Ben Shiller) is not ageing well. When he starts comparing his half century of life with a few of his classmates he feels like a failure. Despite owning a small non-profit agency that helps people, having an attractive and loving wife Melanie (Jenna Fischer), and a remarkably well- adjusted teenage son Troy (Austin Abrams), Brad has a gnawing sense of inadequacy. He sees his old high school friends living fantasy lives, like retiring to a tropical island, wallowing in celebrity, and flying around in private jets. Troy's visit to the east coast to pick a college is a chance for father-son bonding but all it does is remind Brad that he is a loser. He cannot score an airline seat upgrade to impress his son, he can't seem to even win the respect of hotel check-in staff; in fact, nobody really notices Brad. But through Troy's mature young eyes, Brad is a great dad.

This is not a film for everyone. The action and tension curves are close to flat, while Brad's introspective narration is a mid-life crisis tale that sounds like middle-class aspiration syndrome. It's possible to see Brad as an avatar for the ills of modern society. The dialogue is self-indulgently immersed in the politics of envy and the quest to self-legitimise through material possessions and public success. He is a victim of conservative individualism where self-interest has a higher moral value than public interest. His self-doubt will resonate for many and Ben Shiller is cast perfectly for the role. He plays Brad with a kind of Woody Allen-style angst-tinged whimsy which may tire some while amuse many. His son is his emotional foil, and young Austin Abrams plays the part with deadpan wisdom beyond his years and amusement that his weird father should struggle so much over so little.

The message of this film lies buried under its comic treatment of a bland story. The blessings in Brad's life are obvious to us but not to him, as are the several reasons to doubt the people he admires. Brad's Status is a warm-hearted tonic for anyone afflicted with anxiety over what life has not provided. When taken in the right dose, it is both uplifting and entertaining.

Slow and Depressing

[grglmn · 2/10 · 14 January 2018]

I don't mind movies with lots of dialog or little action, or movies that make you think, but this was way too slow and depressing for me. I guess I would rather have a little escape rather than a hard dose of reality. Not entertaining, didn't tell me anything I didn't know already, so basically the proverbial two hours of my life wasted. Soundtrack was excruciatingly annoying, sounded like it was written by a music student who decided any sounds you could remotely enjoy wouldn't be "art" Calgon take me away....

An easy to watch slice of life tale

[eddie_baggins · 7/10 · 5 August 2018]

In a long-standing career that has spanned a number of comedic touchstones, Ben Stiller has in his later age taken a hold of the mantle of the go to man for roles that require some middle aged musings on life, love and the great wide world.

Very much continuing on this trend that has seen the funnyman shy away from the Something About Mary's and the Meet the Parent's of this world and instead feature in such films as Greenberg, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, While We're Young and The Meyerowitz Stories, Mike White's Brad's Status see's Stiller playing mid-life crisis suffering Not-For-Profit worker Brad Sloan on a trip with his son Troy, as the two begin to decide where Troy will go to college as Brad suffers from regrets and thoughts about his life weighed up against his seemingly more successful friends.

Produced by Brad Pitt, there's certainly nothing new about this type of film, we've seen this thing done a million times before but there's a sincerity to White's film, both in its direction and writing and while it's not always easy to nod in agreement to Brad's internal life musings and bewailing of his life that really isn't that bad, Brad's Status remains a relatable and touching examination of what the important things in life are and that no matter how hard we try, there's no turning back the clock on our past; the decisions are made, the decisions are final.

Importantly also for the film, it finds Stiller operating near the top of his game as he brings Brad to life, it's a performance that requires more than we're use to from the well-regarded performer and his interplay with Austin Abram's Troy provide the film with some of its real highlights, whether the two are simply having fun or whether they are engaged in a more confrontational manner, Brad and Troy are the heart and soul of the film and ensure that we as an audience are constantly invested in their slice of life tale.

White has made sure these two centrepieces aren't alone in this character driven story as we get some brief yet memorable turns from the likes of Michael Sheen, Luke Wilson and Jemaine Clement as Brad's grown-up college buddies while female co-stars Jenna Fisher and Shazi Raja make their marks with relatively brief supporting turns.

Brad's Status is the type of project that clearly resonated with its cast and it shines forth in the ensemble right the way through.

Final Say -

A small film in many ways but one that has some heartfelt and moving examinations of life as we know it, Brad's Status is an easy watch with an all-round collection of solid performances and is one of the best films Mike White has been a part of outside of his involvement in School of Rock, The Good Girl and cult TV show Freaks and Geeks.

3 1/2 Harvard hoodies out of 5