Brad's Status is a challenging movie, and it's hard for me to pinpoint exactly what works and what doesn't. It's a film of contradictions, an endlessly tangled web of messages and concepts and political critiques that always seem to land with a thud. The film belongs to the "sad middle-aged man" sub-genre that has been parodied endlessly, but director/screenwriter Mike White seems to be keenly aware that this is a stereotypical version of that particular story. The protagonist, Ben Stiller's Brad Sloan, is deeply troubled and profoundly unlikable, but the film seems hellbent on calling Brad out at every possible moment. These bizarre complications make Brad's Status both fascinating and difficult- it's certainly a well-made, awkward human comedy, but I'm just not sure what the whole thing is trying to say. In my experience, all of the misery began to grate on my nerves, and the film ultimately just overstayed its welcome. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things worth commending in Brad's Status, but it all comes in the form of a somewhat messy package.
By all accounts, Brad Sloan has a pretty nice life. He manages a non-profit business, has a kind wife (Jenna Fischer) who genuinely loves him, and his son Troy (Austin Abrams) is a musical prodigy who could possibly find his way to an Ivy League school. But Brad is unhappy with the life he has chosen. His idealism led him to a career that no longer satisfies, and he finds himself wishing that he had sold out and become rich beyond his wildest dreams, just like his college friends did. Craig Fisher (Michael Sheen) became the White House Press Secretary and now has a career as a TV pundit, Billy Wearstler (Jemaine Clement) sold his tech start-up and retired at 40, Jason Hatfield (Luke Wilson) is a hedge fund millionaire with his own private jet, and Nick Pascale (Mike White) is a movie director living a life of luxury in Hollywood.
But the worst part of all is that they've all forgotten Brad- he's no longer even on the periphery of their friend groups. After searching for one of his old pals in the hope of getting Troy an exclusive interview at Harvard, Brad learns that he hasn't been invited to any of the get-togethers, or even Nick's lavish California wedding. Angry, depressed, and forced to live through it all again thanks to Troy's college tour, Brad goes on a journey of reflection and self-discovery, as he confronts his cynicism head-on and remembers what made him so idealistic in the first place. By meeting an optimistic college student (Shazi Raja) and discovering the problems that ail his powerful friends, Brad starts to come to terms with the world as he knows it.
Brad's Status is the kind of movie that has to walk a very tricky tightrope, and for a while, it miraculously pulls it off. Brad remains a mainly unlikable protagonist, a kind of whiny, overly anxious loser who just instantly puts you on edge. But director Mike White doesn't want to let us off that easy. His movie can't survive by just dismissing Brad's issues at face value and then taking the next 100 minutes to make fun of him. No, White is insistent that we can all find a bit of ourselves in Brad. The film eventually self-destructs when it attempts to quantify Brad's angst through current social and cultural ideas, but until that point, White creates a convincingly cringe-worthy portrait of a defeated, unsatisfied man. When Brad is forced to sit through a coach flight after some ridiculous airline contrivance, you feel his pain. When he dreams of the lives that his old friends must be living, we all know deep down inside that we'd be jealous too. Brad's Status confronts our inner competitive instincts and depressive tendencies head-on, and it produces some dynamic, subtly funny stuff.
And it also helps that Ben Stiller is surprisingly good in this film. Stiller has always found a way to balance his mainstream comedies (Zoolander, Tropic Thunder) with his indie ventures (anything with Noah Baumbach or Wes Anderson), and if you look at his filmography over the years, it's actually quite compelling. He channels a kind of everyman sadness that is surprisingly tangible, and even though Stiller certainly has a distinct "movie star" persona, you believe him as a strung-out suburban dad. Stiller pushes Brad's likability to the absolute limits, and in the hands of any other actor, I may not have stuck with the character for so long. Brad's little intricacies and minor jealousies make perfect sense when positioned through Stiller's performance, and his excellent voiceover gives a sense of intimacy to the proceedings. White's script has no shortage of clever ideas, and Stiller plays along until the very end.
It's only when the film is forced to confront its own narrative that the whole ordeal turns sour. White begins with a stunningly observant critique of the inner emptiness of suburbia, and then ends with the idea that this broken man should just shut up and be happy with the decent life he has. The potent dramatic concept of Brad living vicariously through his son and trying to recapture his past is thrown to the wayside in a third act that just can't put it all together. One of the more crucial scenes comes in the form of a conversation between Brad and Ananya, in which she calls him out for complaining about his first world problems and chastises his lack of devotion to the ideals he once championed. It's a poignant scene, and it feels like White is speaking directly to the audience, saying "You don't have to feel bad for this guy."
But the film backtracks, briefly shifting its attention to the problems that Brad's richer friends encounter. After essentially knocking Brad's issues as non-problems, why should we care what his billionaire buddies are going through? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of Ananya's argument? From there, White brings the story to a cliched conclusion, where Brad is forced to reckon with his misery and enjoy the little things in life. It's the kind of film that builds and builds before ending with a shrug, and I felt disappointed that White had accomplished so much before leaving us with so little.
Brad's Status is definitely an accomplished film in some regards, and White creates a character study that is both annoying and alluring. Xavier Grobet's cinematography is almost unsettling in its documentary-like approach, Mark Mothersbaugh's musical score is surprisingly effective, and Stiller creates an honest, frank portrait of a midlife crisis. But the film's careful balancing act grows increasingly shaky as it continues, falling into shambles as it reaches an unsatisfying conclusion. A reasonably compelling narrative slowly slips into tedium and redundancy, and at a certain point I just wanted it to stop. Brad's Status has its merits, but I just wish that White had stuck the landing. If the finale lived up to the rest of the film, I probably would be writing a completely different review right now.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.5/10)
Images courtesy of Amazon Studios
By all accounts, Brad Sloan has a pretty nice life. He manages a non-profit business, has a kind wife (Jenna Fischer) who genuinely loves him, and his son Troy (Austin Abrams) is a musical prodigy who could possibly find his way to an Ivy League school. But Brad is unhappy with the life he has chosen. His idealism led him to a career that no longer satisfies, and he finds himself wishing that he had sold out and become rich beyond his wildest dreams, just like his college friends did. Craig Fisher (Michael Sheen) became the White House Press Secretary and now has a career as a TV pundit, Billy Wearstler (Jemaine Clement) sold his tech start-up and retired at 40, Jason Hatfield (Luke Wilson) is a hedge fund millionaire with his own private jet, and Nick Pascale (Mike White) is a movie director living a life of luxury in Hollywood.
But the worst part of all is that they've all forgotten Brad- he's no longer even on the periphery of their friend groups. After searching for one of his old pals in the hope of getting Troy an exclusive interview at Harvard, Brad learns that he hasn't been invited to any of the get-togethers, or even Nick's lavish California wedding. Angry, depressed, and forced to live through it all again thanks to Troy's college tour, Brad goes on a journey of reflection and self-discovery, as he confronts his cynicism head-on and remembers what made him so idealistic in the first place. By meeting an optimistic college student (Shazi Raja) and discovering the problems that ail his powerful friends, Brad starts to come to terms with the world as he knows it.
Brad's Status is the kind of movie that has to walk a very tricky tightrope, and for a while, it miraculously pulls it off. Brad remains a mainly unlikable protagonist, a kind of whiny, overly anxious loser who just instantly puts you on edge. But director Mike White doesn't want to let us off that easy. His movie can't survive by just dismissing Brad's issues at face value and then taking the next 100 minutes to make fun of him. No, White is insistent that we can all find a bit of ourselves in Brad. The film eventually self-destructs when it attempts to quantify Brad's angst through current social and cultural ideas, but until that point, White creates a convincingly cringe-worthy portrait of a defeated, unsatisfied man. When Brad is forced to sit through a coach flight after some ridiculous airline contrivance, you feel his pain. When he dreams of the lives that his old friends must be living, we all know deep down inside that we'd be jealous too. Brad's Status confronts our inner competitive instincts and depressive tendencies head-on, and it produces some dynamic, subtly funny stuff.
And it also helps that Ben Stiller is surprisingly good in this film. Stiller has always found a way to balance his mainstream comedies (Zoolander, Tropic Thunder) with his indie ventures (anything with Noah Baumbach or Wes Anderson), and if you look at his filmography over the years, it's actually quite compelling. He channels a kind of everyman sadness that is surprisingly tangible, and even though Stiller certainly has a distinct "movie star" persona, you believe him as a strung-out suburban dad. Stiller pushes Brad's likability to the absolute limits, and in the hands of any other actor, I may not have stuck with the character for so long. Brad's little intricacies and minor jealousies make perfect sense when positioned through Stiller's performance, and his excellent voiceover gives a sense of intimacy to the proceedings. White's script has no shortage of clever ideas, and Stiller plays along until the very end.
It's only when the film is forced to confront its own narrative that the whole ordeal turns sour. White begins with a stunningly observant critique of the inner emptiness of suburbia, and then ends with the idea that this broken man should just shut up and be happy with the decent life he has. The potent dramatic concept of Brad living vicariously through his son and trying to recapture his past is thrown to the wayside in a third act that just can't put it all together. One of the more crucial scenes comes in the form of a conversation between Brad and Ananya, in which she calls him out for complaining about his first world problems and chastises his lack of devotion to the ideals he once championed. It's a poignant scene, and it feels like White is speaking directly to the audience, saying "You don't have to feel bad for this guy."
But the film backtracks, briefly shifting its attention to the problems that Brad's richer friends encounter. After essentially knocking Brad's issues as non-problems, why should we care what his billionaire buddies are going through? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of Ananya's argument? From there, White brings the story to a cliched conclusion, where Brad is forced to reckon with his misery and enjoy the little things in life. It's the kind of film that builds and builds before ending with a shrug, and I felt disappointed that White had accomplished so much before leaving us with so little.
Brad's Status is definitely an accomplished film in some regards, and White creates a character study that is both annoying and alluring. Xavier Grobet's cinematography is almost unsettling in its documentary-like approach, Mark Mothersbaugh's musical score is surprisingly effective, and Stiller creates an honest, frank portrait of a midlife crisis. But the film's careful balancing act grows increasingly shaky as it continues, falling into shambles as it reaches an unsatisfying conclusion. A reasonably compelling narrative slowly slips into tedium and redundancy, and at a certain point I just wanted it to stop. Brad's Status has its merits, but I just wish that White had stuck the landing. If the finale lived up to the rest of the film, I probably would be writing a completely different review right now.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.5/10)
Images courtesy of Amazon Studios
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