Brad's Status (2017)

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.

Director:

Mike White

Writer:

Mike White

Stars:

Ben Stiller, Austin Abrams, Jenna Fischer

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Stiller	...	Brad Sloan
Austin Abrams	...	Troy Sloan
Jenna Fischer	...	Melanie Sloan
Michael Sheen	...	Craig Fisher
Jemaine Clement	...	Billy Wearslter
Luke Wilson	...	Jason Hatfield
Shazi Raja	...	Ananya
Luisa Lee	...	Maya
Mike White	...	Nick Pascale
Xavier Grobet	...	Xavier
Adam Capriolo	...	Chris Kanew
Felicia Shulman	...	Cherie Parkinson
Jane Wheeler	...	Harvard Mother
Karl Graboshas	...	Admission Officer
Jon Bernad	...	Admissions Receptionist

Storyline

Brad Sloan (Ben Stiller) runs his own non-profit organization, and lives a comfortable life with his loving wife and son, but cannot help contemplating how his old friends Craig Fisher (Michael Sheen), Billy Wearslter (Jemaine Clement), Jason Hatfield (Luke Wilson), and Nick Pascale (Mike White) are rich and accomplished. Craig works in the White House and published a best-selling book; Jason owns a hedge fund firm; Billy sold a company he founded, moved to Maui, and retired; and Nick is a Hollywood director. Brad's wife, Melanie (Jenna Fischer), tries to comfort Brad, telling him that they do not need to compare themselves with the wealthiest 1%..

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Plot Keywords:

midlife crisis | fantasy sequence | envy | father son relationship | wealth | 

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Taglines:

The success you've been searching for may be right next to you.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The script was written in November 2015 with filming beginning in September the following year.

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Goofs

Ananya is stereotyped to be Indian. But, she tells that her home is in Dili (Timor Leste) than Dilli (Delhi, India).

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Quotes

Brad Sloan: [narrating] Her friend, Maya was equally captivating, equally compelling. I suddenly felt a deep grief... for all the women I would never love and all the lives I would never live. I imaging running away with them both and starting again and what that might look like.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Ben Stiller/Fred Armisen/Little Big Town, Kacey Musgraves & Midland (2017)

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Soundtracks

Soul Sign Eight
Written and performed by Hampton Hawes
Courtesy of Concord Music Group, Inc.

User Reviews

Wonderful quirky film; almost a monologue with interludes

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brad's Status

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$89,921, 17 September 2017

Gross USA:

$2,133,158

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,816,527

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amazon Studios, Montreal Casting, Plan B Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1