namashi_1 'Brad's Status' is one of 2017's most emotionally resonant films & yet its among the least watched or talked about in common lists of the years best. Strange isn't it? Well, so is Brad's life, the protagonist here, who somehow is behind his colleagues of college, in terms of luxury & status, despite being noble & honest in life. Trust Ben Stiller to give a performance of a lifetime & he does. Its a sweeping victory for the actor.'Brad's Status' Synopsis: 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.Writer-Director Mike White ups the ante for the Common American Man in a story about life & how destiny plays out. Its not that Brad's life is boring, its just that Brad, in his own right of having ambitions, is underwhelmed with what he's given. Brad owns a non-profit organization, and lives a comfortable life with his loving wife and son, but cannot help imagining how his friends, are rich & more accomplished than him. If you look at Brad from a perspective of having a respectable life, he has it all. But ask Brad if he's happy & all he'd tell you is how he feels left behind & unfortunate for the lack of opportunities given to him. He's a husband & a father, but deep down him, despite his own standing, is a man jealous as well as clueless of knowing how he never achieved what he dreamt to be. This is a human story, and in a very strange, we all have or are going to be Brad at some point in our lives & there lies its piercingly beautiful reality.Mike White's Screenplay is relatable & engrossing. Brad is a fascinating man & his journey, along-with his Son, is truly an immersive one. White's Direction is simplistic, yet effective. Cinematography & Editing are done right.Ben Stiller conveys genuine pathos in his portrayal of Brad Sloan. Stiller is no alien to taking up challenging roles (Greenberg & The Meyerowitz Stories, remember?), but his courage to play a man who feels incomplete each day, is one for the ages. Stiller is masterful in his subtlety. What a shame that he didn't garner awards attention this year. I wonder what even qualifies as a committed performance any longer.Of the rest of the cast, Austin Abrams as Brad's Son & Jenna Fischer as Brad's Wife, are wonderful. Michael Sheen, Luke Wilson, Jemaine Clement & Mark White, portray Brad's friends/foes, to perfection. On the whole, 'Brad's Status' is a story worth watching. It takes a piece out of you.

dkish-90297 I'll start by saying I love Ben Stiller and will watch just about any movie he is in. I did not like this movie. I thought the premise was good but the movie and storyline could have been much better. I know what they were trying to get acrosss - it just didn't work for me. It's 2 hours I'll never get back and it was a waste. IMHO

jims141 I recently re-watched Walter Mitty as I had remembered it being an enjoyable movie. Because I had enjoyed it, I thought I would watch Brad's Status. Sadly Brad's Status was very poor. I am pretty easy when it comes to watching movie or reading books and I am quick to immerse myself into even the unbelievable. I can tell my level of involvement by how loud I am yelling at the entertainment, either good or bad. I usually reserve that behavior for private watching or reading. Walter Mitty in his normal existence was not a whiner, he was not a hero or famous and he daydreamed. Maybe a bit more than most, but for the most part harmless, but when it really mattered he shook himself loose from that day dream and did what had to be done. He became his own hero. Hey, sometimes it happens. Brad never got around to growing up and seeing who he really was. He just kept on whining and talk, talk, talking to justify himself. In the bar Ananya explained him exactly and he couldn't see it or believe it, blaming her opinion on her youth. But she was right, he had so much more than most and he had enough. Walking out on his friend at dinner was juvenile and if he was listening, he might have seen that his fabulous friends we not without their faults and not riding as high as he believed. He was such a sad man and as loudly as I yelled at him he still did not understand.

adonis98-743-186503 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. Brad's Status has all the right intentions with the meaning of parenting and all that but the message comes off as boring and bland to a point where viewers will fell asleep. The perfomances aren't exactly bad tho their aren't great either and in the end this is a film that will leave viewers like 'meh i've seen better'. (2/10)