You are here:

Brad's Status

Name: Brad's Status
Director: Mike White
Released: 2017
Duration: 101 min

Representation Score

5.3/10

Fair

2017

Director

Mike White

Runtime

101 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Brad's Status is a character study that delves into modern malaise, prioritizing thematic depth over broad demographic representation. It successfully deconstructs capitalist success metrics and challenges traditional meritocratic narratives through a nuanced, anti-capitalist lens. However, the film lacks significant representation across various identity categories. The cast is predominantly white and straight-centered, with no visible focus on disability or diverse ethnic backgrounds. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its intellectual critique of social structures, while remaining narrow in its portrayal of human identity.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Brad's Status have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on the protagonist's heterosexual relationships and domestic life, without exploring any LGBTQ+ stories or characters with diverse gender identities.

How does Brad's Status portray gender?

Fair

It presents a complex relationship between the protagonist and his mother, which is adversarial and emotionally charged. However, the overall cast still follows traditional gender roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Brad's Status?

Limited

The film primarily features a white, upper-middle-class cast with little diversity in ethnicity or cultural backgrounds.

How does Brad's Status represent religion and culture?

Good

The story effectively critiques Western institutions and the emptiness of corporate identity, framing professional aimlessness as a valid response to societal fractures rather than a moral failing.

Does Brad's Status include disability representation?

Minimal

The film does not address physical, neurodivergent, or mental health disabilities, focusing instead on psychological and socioeconomic issues.

Present on Screen

Offers a sophisticated critique of corporate identity and the instability of the modern workforce.
Challenges traditional masculinity by showing the male protagonist's emotional vulnerability.
Provides a complex, non-stereotypical portrayal of maternal figures through adversarial relationship dynamics.

Limited or Absent

Lacks engagement with LGBTQ+ narratives or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities.
Features a homogeneous, predominantly white cast that lacks racial and ethnic diversity.
Provides no representation of physical, neurodivergent, or mental health disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Although Brad has a satisfying career, a sweet wife and a comfortable life in suburban Sacramento, things aren't quite what he imagined during his college glory days. When he accompanies his musical prodigy son on a university tour, he can't help comparing his life with those of his four best college friends who seemingly have more wealthy and glamorous lives. But when circumstances force him to reconnect with his former friends, Brad begins to question whether he has really failed or if their lives are actually more flawed than they appear.

How are these scores produced? →