Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Best movie ever!

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

(Flash Review)Brad has some learning and maturing to do even as a man in his fifties. As he embarks on a college tour trip with his son (one being Harvard of course), he begins to compare himself some of his college friends who are literally in the top 1% and he begins to feel jealous and that he hasn't amounted to... enough. As he begins to reconnect with some, he learns that their lives are as rosy as they may seem. Perhaps his upper middle class life with intelligent and kind son is actually pretty good. Will he figured that out? What college will his son her into? This movie is certainly aimed at parents out on a dinner and movie date. Maybe in today's modern society that is so focused on material happiness and living like a celebrity this is sadly somewhat needed for some to recalibrate what matters in life.

A solid coming of age story combined with the story of a guy who is suffering from a major midlife crisis. It is a beautiful father-son - story that nicely declares what the most important things in life are and that too many things that are shallow are really overrated. Its not really a new concept but the film by Mike White is able to still make it relevant mostly thanks to the truly great performance by Ben Stiller who shines here in one of his finest on screen performances. Austin Abrams also gives a good performance and has potential to be a very promising new comer. He held himself very well against Stiller and although the performance often appeared to be a bit monotone , which the character was supposed to be, it really ended up great. Also the on-screen chemistry between the two leads is undoubtedly good and electrifying. The film has a really good soundtrack and a fine screenplay. The characters are mostly appealing, and if they are not at the beginning of the film the become once the film moves along. Which is one of its magics as well. It also successfully combines drama and comedy. Worth to see.

*** Possible Spoilers*** I saw the trailer to this movie and believed it was a low-boil odd-couple road comedy or at least a social commentary on the coming-of-age of both a dad and his teenage son; the dad, as he reaches what he calls a "plateau" in his life, and the son, as he reaches the college phase of his existence. What I eventually witnessed was a sad, tragic rumination on the life's expectations of a wimpy man-child whose imagined tribulations were as bogus as the fake "Boston/Cambridge" background scenery that came from Montreal.There were no genuinely funny moments at all, and the cringe worthy narration by our somber dad drove me away from time to time to see what was up in the kitchen.Even the scenes of discovery between dad and his famous friends failed to capture my imagination; they only clouded an already murky story with needless and dead-end exposition. And, oh, goof alert! Nobody would walk from Copley Square to Harvard Square if they had important interviews to attend.

My wife and I watched this at home on DVD from our public library. I must admit my motive, I am a big Jenna Fischer fan, I found myself wishing she had a larger role.Ben Stiller is Brad Sloan, approaching 50 and often thinks about the guys he knew in college. He lives in Sacramento and has a business aligned with non-profits. But his several closest friends in college seem much more successful, one a hedge fund manager, another a popular TV personality and professor, another who retired at 40 and now spends his days frolicing with two pretty women. Brad is concerned that his "status" isn't great even though he is financially comfortable and he has a good marriage and a super kid about to go off to college. Brad has to grow up.He and his son, Austin Abrams as Troy Sloan, take a college-hunting trip to the Boston area. This trip proves pivotal for Brad, for the first time he realizes how cool his son is and maybe Brad's status isn't so bad after all. Jenna Fischer is the mom, Melanie Sloan. Good movie, interesting character study of Brad and his flawed perceptions of what is important in life.