Saw a funny and amiable movie yesterday about middle-aged men and mid-life crises.
I've seen a lot of movies about midlife crisis. Weird and twisted, tragic ending, humorous, absurd and bizarre... From the hands of well-known directors, Oscar-winning actors and actresses with amazing acting skills...
In the film phalanx of midlife crisis, the simple and amiable, not fancy "Hello, Brad" monopolized my heart, without being distracted by the mobile phone, I read it in one breath, and wanted to write something after laughing.
The film is less "Hollywood" and leans toward personal improvisation. I prefer non-big production movies, no heroes, no end of the world, no perverted villains. The fragments of life that pass by in front of our eyes every day, the director salvaged and edited them into shape, and put them on the big screen, leading us to watch and say what we want to express.
The advantage of it is that it is plain and effortless, without painstaking brain holes and surprising reversals. Just like rock climbing, the climbing route is full of fulcrums, which can be grabbed and settled at any time. You will have time to look at the surrounding scenery and carefully examine the patterns and potholes on the rock face. There is no need to worry that the soles of the feet have no fulcrum, and the arms are weak and suddenly fall off. Following the director, I was awakened by some scenes from similar scenes in life.
Ben Stiller plays Brad, about my age, with a 17-year-old son about to apply to college, about the size of a ball. The combination of post-70s and post-00s, walking on the Harvard campus in Boston, Brad was calm on the surface, but his heart was turbulent. The whole movie is his stream of consciousness. When he reaches the 50-year-old mark, the overall situation is set, and he is powerless, unwilling and powerless. As a core figure in his student days, he paled in comparison to several classmates.
The first classmate was a White House adviser, published a book, made an appearance on TV, and had a dazzling wife who flew with classmates and had a dazzling career.
The second classmate has his own hedge fund, private jet, wealthy wife, and four blond children.
The third classmate sold the company, surfed every day in Hawaii, hugged hot girls from left to right, relaxed and comfortable.
The fourth classmate is a famous Hollywood director, Gay, with like-minded partners, living a flashy and decadent life unique to the entertainment industry, singing every night.
The classmates continue to live broadcast their beautiful lives in the circle of friends, stinging Brad's fragile heart anytime and anywhere.
Gay director's wedding, did not invite him.
When the mentor who loved him passed away, he was not invited to the memorial service, and the White House adviser classmate delivered a speech.
Brad worked as a well-known print journalist as a young man, and later devoted himself to non-profit charitable activities. The only subordinate resigned, saying to him that "we must make a fortune first, and then throw the money for charity. This way, there is no need to go around for alms."
"This is not the life I want".
Brad began to doubt his own life, slandering his optimistic wife who was easy to satisfy: "Her contentment has weakened my ambition."
Brad was immersed in failure and depression and couldn't extricate himself. Hearing his son said that he had hope of being admitted to Harvard, his eyes suddenly lit up, his back straightened up, and he took his son to run around the Harvard campus. After his son was admitted to Harvard, the whole family appeared in his mind. A beautiful scene of jubilation.
His son's high school sister cheered him up, and his sister's Korean female classmate made him even more excited, and he couldn't help but start to make up the beautiful picture: he took two beauties, ran on the beach in Hawaii in bikinis, and melted in the sunset.
It's a pity that his son's high school sister said to him: "You are 50 years old." He scoffed at his remarks of "making money first, then charity".
Brad immediately countered: "I'm only 47 years old!" He muttered to himself, "You'll understand when you taste the money."
Before the 50-year-old mark, the age issue cannot be compromised in the slightest, and it must be clarified for a month or a day.
I called a classmate who had a private jet and heard that his daughter had some kind of spondylosis and needed surgery, the imbalance disappeared immediately, and I was in the joy of feeling guilty too. During his son's interview with important people at Harvard, he forgot to ask how it turned out.
At the end of the film, Brad attended his son's high school sister's concert, listened to Dvorak's Scherzo, and was miraculously relieved after a few days of shock waves crashing into the shore.
A man's midlife crisis is an inexhaustible treasure trove for writers and directors, and materials are readily available. In our daily life, we pass by such people every day.
For example, when I attended certain dinner parties, I met certain middle-aged men who kept mentioning my grades, which was like a report in disguise: my son’s study was guided by him, and he succeeded in the test. How many thousands of words have been written and several books have been published. What is the official position at present, and what opportunities have you rejected for promotion?
The film is very real, and the technique is plain and slightly joking. Director Mike White wrote and directed, Brad's prototype is his father.
McWhite and his father participated in the fourteenth season of "Fast Forward". Both father and son are gay, with mild and kind personalities. The interaction between the two in the game is very warm, exuding a simple and natural father-son warmth, just like Brad and his son in the movie.
The son in the movie, like a ball, often has headphones in his ears and eyes, and faces the crowd in a confused and empty state. When talking about topics of interest, his eyes light up and his eyebrows dance.
My son loves Brad very much. He is excellent in his studies and has no bad habits. He is not like the middle school students in other American TV dramas, who are stubborn and stubborn, and they are not good enough. At the end, he said a sentence to Brad, to the effect that you don't need to care about what others think of you, you only need to care about what I think of you, "I love you." is my opinion.
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This is how the post-00s saved the post-70s midlife crisis.
Brad lay on the bed, facing out the window, sighing in his heart: "It's good to have such an excellent son. It's good to live, it's good to live."
After "Daydreamer", Ben Stiller has successfully transformed. He rarely played the role of the early slapstick comedy, and became a mid-life crisis professional. German fighting.
Director Mike White said that Brad's prototype was his father, who often wondered if he was a failure in his life in his later years. However, the father in "Going Fast" is generous and responsible. Several groups of roadblocks and detours require physical strength and wisdom. The old man in his 70s managed to complete it with McWhite. There are several impressive groups of players in the fourteenth season, which is very impressive for the Gay writer father and son. Maruko and I followed them together at the time, and chatted about them from time to time afterwards.
They make up for each other and support each other without making any demands on each other. Instead of blaming each other and tearing apart like other players when completing roadblocks, do your best to the best of your ability. Compete in a friendly manner with other team members and do not stumble. Dad is very wise at critical moments, open-minded and humorous. Their shots, Maruko and I always complained about too little.
I believe that Brad will become as open-minded, funny and humorous as the director's father as the years go by after he has survived his anxious mid-life crisis.
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