Written and Directed by Mike White, Brad’s Status follows Brad Sloan, played by Ben Stiller. He accompanies his college-bound son, Troy, played by Austin Abrams, to the East Coast.
The college scene sets off a crisis of confidence in Brad’s status. He starts contemplating whether he has a satisfying career and a comfortable life in suburban Sacramento, where he lives with his sweet-natured wife, Melanie, Jenna Fischer, and their musical prodigy son. Still, it is not what Brad imagined during his college glory days.
Showing Troy around Boston, where Brad went to university, he can’t help comparing his life with those of his four best college friends: a Hollywood bigshot, played by White), a hedge fund founder played by Luke Wilson, a tech entrepreneur, played by Jemaine Clement, and a political pundit and bestselling author, played by Michael Sheen.
Obviously, the movie’s message is about defining success, as the film follows Brad’s dilemma on whether he is successful or not.