Brad's Status * * * * 1/2

  If I’d realised beforehand that the writer director of Brad’s Status also wrote  Beatriz At Dinner I probably wouldn’t have bothered going to see it.  So  I’m glad I didn’t do my homework as I’d have missed out on a real gem.

Ben is at his best as Brad.

            I greatly enjoyed this film by writer director Mike White and found it very moving.

           On a sleepless night, Brad (Ben Stiller) is laying in bed torturing himself with negative thoughts (something I am sure we can all relate to). ”What have I achieved with my life and what does my future hold?”  

           One way of trying to answer this wearisome self appraisal is to compare yourself to others, especially those from your youth, and consider where they are in life now.  Brad’s comparison and self-appraisal only brings him confirmation that he is an absolute under-achiever, almost a loser, compared to his wealthy, respected friends.

           In the morning we learn he has to go on a trip to Boston with his teenage son, Troy, who has applied for a number of colleges there.  A cringing scene at the airport is the first reminder to us  - and Brad - of his mediocrity.

          As the story progresses we hear the voice-over of Brad’s troubled mind as he questions himself.  Even subtle things like Troy asking if it’s okay to order a $7 pack of Pringles.  

            Troy reveals to Brad that one of the colleges they will visit for an admission interview is Harvard.  Brad is ecstatic and we see his desperate hope of vicariously finding success through his son.  What was just another interview to Troy becomes critically important  to Brad - who is suddenly elated by the prestige of having a son at Harvard.

            At the Harvard interview Troy is beset by a minor set-back.  Brad demonstrates the demanding and self-serving determination that might have made a difference to his own life.  He reaches out to his old college friends in their world of success. Many years have passed but they’ll still take a call from an old buddy.

            That night Troy meets up with a friend who is now in first year at Harvard.  The three go out to dinner together and Brad meets a young  girl with all the idealism, hope and hunger for social justice he once had himself.  She shines with good intent and optimism.  She is impressed by the kind of philanthropic work that Brad does, and thinks him admirable until she glimpses the complete lack of satisfaction, even cynicism, it has brought him.

           The next night Brad meets a friend from his past who is now a media personality. A telling scene in a restaurant is another reminder to Brad of his status and how people see him compared to his friend.

           But like of all us, he must go on…..  

           I won’t spoil it for you by telling you the resolution, but this is one that you really should go see. (Unless of course, you are like one of Brad’s successful old friends, then it might not mean so much to you.  But you can be compensated in the knowledge that, to be honest, as much as we admire Brad, most of us would probably rather be you).