Brad's Status - movie review

Brad's Status

Plot: A father takes his son to tour colleges on the East Coast and meets up with an old friend who makes him feel inferior about his life's choices.
Cast: Ben Stiller, Austin Abrams, Jenna Fischer
Director: Mike White
Certificate: 15 (strong language)
Runtime: 1hr 42 mins
Release Date: Friday 5th January 2018

Into the indie scene we go as Brad's Status has hit UK cinemas after having a brief stint in theatres across the pond. Starring Ben Stiller as the titular Brad, this film isn't what some may think it is. Advertised as a father-son bonding movie as they visit colleges and universities with Ben Stiller coming to terms that his life hasn't been that successful and watching his son grow into a man, Brad's Status is a lot more philosophical than anticipated and unfortunately, the film hasn't got the legs to answer the gigantic questions it poses.

Someone awkwardly brought their Dad along to the sesh as the chaperone.

Allow me to give you a word of caution if you're planning to see Brad's Status; if you're hoping for this to be a very positive, uplifting dramedy or you see Ben Stiller in a new film and think that it'll be a laugh, you're very much mistaken. This is not a comedy. There are very few laughs to be found. Instead, Brad's Status is a deep character study that questions what it means to be successful in life by placing Ben Stiller's character in a mid-life crisis. Whilst I'm not overly glowing about the film, it's Stiller who works wonders. I've always preferred Stiller's dramatic roles over his comedic ones. I wouldn't say he's got a tremendous range but he's always had a knack for playing weary middle aged men that are unsure of themselves. As Brad, Stiller is superb as he gives a very understated, hurt and realistic performance. Having witnessed anxiety and paranoia first hand myself, seeing Stiller fumble over his words, avoid any forms of confrontation whatsoever and magnify the smallest things within his own mind is a testament to the level of detail he's applied to the role. It also helps that the central dynamic between Ben Stiller and his onscreen son, Austin Abrams, share a very tender and heartfelt bond. Abrams, similar to Stiller, is very quiet and reserved in his performance but I would have preferred more of an insight into the character of Troy. Understandably, this is Brad's film but to garner more of a development for Troy, I feel like the film was lacking in some clear focus on him. We're told he's a musical prodigy and wants to go to Harvard but that's it, whereas for Brad, I almost feel like we're given too much information about him to the point where segments of the film seem pointless and could have been cut out entirely. For example, there's an entire sequence dedicated to Brad reminiscing on his past friends and how rich and wealthy they are and aside from letting us gain an insight into the paranoia Brad feels, seeing the verbal and physical interactions with Michael Sheen, Luke Wilson and Jemaine Clement added nothing to the overall film.

He regretted not going to the toilet beforehand.

FACT: According to Writer/Director Mike White, his father worked as a minister and, at times, questioned his own success. White made the film partially to thank him and to show that he considered him very successful.

Something I did not expect in the film was the narration by Stiller that explains his own inner thoughts. To begin with, the narration serve as soliloquies that initially help us get an understanding of Brad as a character yet the more they start to dominate the script, it morphs almost into a new personality. This leads into one of my main faults with the film and that's to do with tone. Not that this was a light-hearted flick but there were some cheerier moments that were almost immediately swiped down as Stiller's inner monologue crept in, plummeting us back down to the harsh and depressing world of reality. Based on the concept, there was a way that this application could have benefited the film but because it wasn't executed in that much of an intriguing fashion, it often came across as very stale, amateur-ish and fairly pretentious. Sometimes, it would have been better for the film to show us the pain, suffering and confusion Stiller is feeling rather than spoon feed everything to us. Also, I know that people who suffer with anxiety and paranoia blow the smallest of things up to a gigantic size but often, the movie takes a very dark turn as Brad begins questioning the meaning of his very existence, whether or not he should cheat on his wife with girls that are young enough to be his daughters and if he should crush his son's dreams of success so as to make him feel better about himself, meanwhile I'm sitting in my seat, trying to grab the reins back and pull the movie out of a deep, dark philosophical hole that it may never escape from. Furthermore, putting Mark Mothersbaugh's eerie and unsettling score behind it all and it came across like I was watching the makings of a serial killer. The message Brad's Status is trying to present is appreciated. It discusses the idea of acceptance, living up to expectations and judging what defines success but despite the subject matter being handled delicately, the point gets lost as the film flip-flops back and forth between Stiller having an existential crisis and him and his son applying for colleges. In addition, there was also one moment in the trailer that seemed as if Stiller would crack in a theatre and break down as he realises his son had grown up. Unfortunately, the trailers mismarketed that moment and had nowhere near the emotional impact it had for me compared to the trailer.

I can't work out which is brighter. The sun? Or that shirt?

Overall, Brad's Status had great intentions of wanting to shine a light upon the notion that success isn't always measured in money and wealth but of how stable you are and those you surround yourself with. Stiller produces one of his best performances in a very quaint, little film that tries as much as it can for its voice to be heard. Sadly, it cannot quite overcome a number of clichés and formulaic storytelling resulting in Stiller's narration gradually graining on you as you wait for the film to take its spoon out of your mouth.

My Verdict: 5/10

What did you think of Brad's Status? What is your favourite Ben Stiller performance? Sound off in the comments below.

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