If you only look at Brian on the surface, it plays like another familiar coming-of-age comedy about an awkward kid trying to figure out where he belongs. And yes, technically, that is exactly what it is. But under the dry jokes, painfully real classroom conversations, and secondhand embarrassment, Brian reveals itself as something far more honest. This is a movie about insecurity, identity, comparison, and the specific kind of alienation that only exists when you are stuck in high school and convinced everyone else has already figured it out.
Directed by Will Ropp and written by Mike Scollins, who also writes for Late Night with Seth Meyers, Brian feels incredibly observational and deeply personal. The humor is dark, dry, and well thought out. Jokes are never thrown away, and even the edgiest running gag, including a recurring school shooting joke, somehow never loses its punch or feels cheap. That alone is a miracle.
Ben Wang stars as Brian, a smart and deeply neurotic teenager who is constantly living in the shadow of his older brother. Early on, it is clear that Brian does not just admire his brother; he wants to be him. That desire, to be someone else entirely, drives almost every decision Brian makes. Wang delivers a performance that is messy, uncomfortable, funny, and completely empathetic. Brian spirals, melts down, and embarrasses himself, but the film never treats him like a joke. It treats him like a kid.
The compassion this movie has for its lead is one of its greatest strengths. Brian makes mistakes, says the wrong thing, and pushes people away, yet the film always allows him space to exist without shame. That patience is what makes his eventual growth hit so hard.
The supporting cast is stacked and used perfectly. Thomas Barbusca continues his streak of being one of the most reliable character actors working today. He is always memorable, and it is genuinely great to see him consistently getting work like this. Joshua Colley, or as I lovingly refer to him, gay Jon Snow, brings so much to his role, while also embodying that specific high school archetype that somehow feels both exaggerated and extremely real.
It is also cool seeing Ben Wang, fresh off The Long Walk, really show his range here. He gets to dig into comedy, anxiety, and vulnerability all at once, and he absolutely nails it.
The adults in the film deserve just as much praise. Edi Patterson brings a surprising range to the role of the mother, grounding the story with real humanity. The film allows her to exist as both a parent and a person, leading to candid, deeply felt moments about growing up and raising someone who is struggling. Those scenes feel lived-in, not written.
Visually, the movie does not glamorize high school. Nearly every exterior shot is filled with dead grass and dull landscapes, and weirdly, that makes it feel even more authentic. This is not a glossy teen fantasy. This is the kind of place where dodgeball feels traumatic, not fun, and the scene in Brian captures that perfectly. The swelling orchestral score transforms something small into something overwhelming, mirroring how high school turns even minor moments into the end of the world.
Speaking of the score, Clyde Lawrence and Cody Fitzgerald deliver something genuinely special. It is uplifting, whimsical, and emotional without ever becoming manipulative. Paired with some stellar editing, the film moves effortlessly between comedy and vulnerability.
It echoes Mean Girls, Election, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, with its cliques, a gay best friend, a cool mom, student elections, and that overwhelming sense of social survival. There are even shades of Dìdi in how it captures youth and identity. But Brian feels more grounded than most of its influences, stripping away polish and leaning into discomfort, which is exactly what makes it feel so true.
What the film nails better than almost any coming-of-age movie I have seen is alienation. Not just being an outsider, but feeling like you are constantly being measured against someone else. That pressure is exhausting, and Brian captures it with painful accuracy. It made me wish I was back in high school, not because I loved it, but because life felt simpler when the smallest things mattered the most.
The ending genuinely gave me chills. It hit in a way that felt deeply personal, like the film reached through the screen and reminded me that no matter how isolating life can feel, you are not alone in it.
Brian is sad, funny, uncomfortable, and weirdly comforting. It is a coming-of-age movie that feels unlike anything else I have seen recently. An honest depiction of high school that embraces awkwardness instead of running from it. I cannot stress enough how much this worked for me.
Jessie Hobson