Synopsis
Although Brad has a satisfying career, a sweet wife and a comfortable life in suburban Sacramento, things aren't quite what he imagined during his college glory days. When he accompanies his musical prodigy son on a university tour, he can't help comparing his life with those of his four best college friends who seemingly have more wealthy and glamorous lives. But when circumstances force him to reconnect with his former friends, Brad begins to question whether he has really failed or if their lives are actually more flawed than they appear.
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Cast
- Ben StillerBrad Sloan
- Austin AbramsTroy Sloan
- Jenna FischerMelanie Sloan
- Michael SheenCraig Fisher
- Jemaine ClementBilly Wearslter
- Luke WilsonJason Hatfield
- Shazi RajaAnanya
- Luisa LeeMaya
- Mike WhiteNick Pascale
- Xavier GrobetXavier
Recommendations
- 90
Screen Daily
Writer-director Mike White has crafted a painfully funny and surprisingly moving character piece, but what’s most remarkable is how he and his star empathize with Brad’s feelings of inferiority while, at the same time, pinpointing the arrogance, privilege and callousness that often factor into such soul-searching. - 85
TheWrap
With movies experiencing a glaring dearth in quietly human, perceptively satirical comedy, the appearance of Brad’s Status is something of a breath of fresh air. Even if that atmosphere is the occasionally sour odor of regret, the sharply drawn, considerate nature of White’s approach allows us to enjoy the tang and sweetness simultaneously. - 83
IndieWire
Even as Brad’s Status doesn’t overextend its reach, Stiller gives the material a touching, soulful core. - 75
Slant Magazine
The film is less contemptuous of Brad than compassionate: brutally honest about his faults, yet ultimately understanding of them. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
Brad's Status is good enough to make you wish it were even better: tighter, bolder, sharper. But it's a droll, affecting movie — and, in its exploration of a man's fantasies of success and fears of failure, his trudge through the weeds of pessimism toward optimism, a distinctly American one. - 63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Of course, this is social satire and some bits are very funny...but the message is too obvious and the humour too gentle for the whole affair not to feel like so much white male whining. - 60
The Guardian
Brad’s Status is a frustrating concoction. There’s a script full of insight but also inanity and while the performances might jump out, the direction falls flat. Stiller is back on the right route but, like Brad, he could afford to take a more daring detour every now and then. - 42
The Film Stage
The film becomes so self-aware that it’s tough to discern whether we should take what’s happening seriously or not.
