Brad's Status (2017)

Director: Mike White
Stars: Ben Stiller, Austin Abrams, Jenna Fischer
Runtime: 102 minutes

Performances: 8/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Special Effects: N.A.
Costumes/Makeup: 7/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 6/10
Score/Soundtrack: 5/10

Verdict: Brad Sloan, played by Ben Stiller, is a middle-aged father going through a midlife crisis while visiting colleges with his son Troy, portrayed by Austin Abrams. One thing I really liked about "Brad's Status" was how sincere and relatable the title character was. In order to achieve that, writer/director Mike White decided to rely a lot on narration, which could've come across as lazy writing but ended up serving as great character development, showing us how Brad was overthinking every little situation. This decision, combined with Ben Stiller's stellar performance, is what made the movie work for me. As for issues with the film, I can't really say that they bothered me much, but I did feel that some scenes dragged for a little while and that the score got a bit repetitive.

Final Grade: 7/10