Recently I listened to an interview with actor Elijah Wood, who was talking about how he made sure that he did not let his happiness depend on the success of his work, something that, of course, is different in Hollywood. He said that he had learned at home to look for his “success” in himself, to look at the relationships he has and how he contributes in his way to the happiness of others. It was nice to hear. When seeing Brad’s Status I had to think about that interview, because that attitude makes life so much easier and would also help the main character in this film, Brad (Ben Stiller).
His son Troy (Austin Abrams) is about to leave home to study and Brad decides to go with his son to visit universities. Although they are searching for Troy, in reality it is a search for Brad. He has reached a point in his life where he is wondering if he is as successful as he would have liked to be. Especially when he looks at his fellow students form back in the day, who have all become very wealthy business people, while he is “only” working for a good cause. Has he made the right choices? The journey with his son enables him to find answers to that.
That Ben Stiller is also good in serious roles is something he showed before (think of Greenberg) and here too, as a man who is more or less in his midlife crisis, he is strong in the role. He plays a character that older viewers will certainly be able to relate to, and thanks to his encounters with a younger generation, the script is able to show how you change as time goes on. Brad had certain ideals and his passion for that might have slowly been extinguished. Brad’s Status is a calm, beautiful film that lets you think as well about what it means to be successful.
