Amazon Studios has released the first trailer for writer/directorMike White’s (Enlightened) new filmBrad’s Status. The family dramedy starsBen Stilleras a middle-aged man working for a non-profit who suffers something of a mid-life crisis as his musical prodigy son (Austin Abrams) begins applying to colleges to start his own life. Stiller is very much the lead here, and it’s nice to see him tackling more dramatic material recently. He was terrific inNoah Baumbach’sWhile We’re Young, and looks to be giving a great performance here as well.
Brad’s Statuslooks funny and sweet and heartwarming without beingtoocutesy, and White’s track record is solid. He wroteSchool of RockandOrange Countybefore creating HBO’sEnlightened, andBrad’s Statusstands as only his second theatrically released feature as a director after 2007’sYear of the Dog. This one looks swell.
Check out theBrad’s Statustrailer below. The film also starsJenna Fischer,Michael Sheen,Luke Wilson, andJemaine Clement.Brad’s Statushits theaters on September 15th.
Here’s the official synopsis forBrad’s Status:
When Brad Sloan (Ben Stiller) accompanies his college bound son to the East Coast, the visit triggers a crisis of confidence in Brad’s Status, writer and director Mike White’s bittersweet comedy. Brad 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, Troy (Austin Abrams), but it’s not quite what he 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 (White), a hedge fund founder (Luke Wilson), a tech entrepreneur (Jemaine Clement), and a political pundit and bestselling author (Michael Sheen). As he imagines their wealthy, glamorous lives, he wonders if this is all he will ever amount to. But when circumstances force him to reconnect with his former friends, Brad begins to question whether he has really failed or is, in some ways at least, the most successful of them all.
