REVIEW: Brad's Status

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An emotional and beautifully conveyed character study of a middle-aged man and the neurosis that builds up over the years.  I've long to go, yet Mike White's touching script is never not relatable, and it is brought to life by two terrific performances in Ben Stiller and Austin Abrams.  As father and son, they infuse such a bond that each intimate exchange of dialogue between them registers as it should, charged with feeling.  I do not tear up often, but multiple times the tear ducts reacted.

I think Brad's Status is special film that is seemingly flying under-the-radar, and it really should not.  It is an important examination of how men view themselves and of what is important to them, how we judge success, the paranoia of success etc., but it is also just a really heart-warming drama.

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