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Question for Americans - is Brad Wilson a common character in real-life?

posted 11 years ago by smoko
10 replies | jump to latest

I was thinking about the character Brad Wilson. In the movie we see him at the high school reunion, reliving his football glory days, but he's not a pro in the NFL - he's a security guard, and an alcoholic to boot.

He reminded me of Uncle Rico in the movie Napoleon Dynamite. Rico also talks about his football days, but now he works as a door-to-door salesman and lives in a campervan. Al Bundy from Married With Children is a similar character too.

Also, at 4:24 on this YouTube video (in which Opie & Anthony rag on Bruce Springsteen) they discuss this type of person, and mention Uncle Rico:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8snQbQzqOg

Not being American, I have some questions for Americans:
Is this a character that's common in real-life, perhaps even a stereotype?
Do high-school football players usually end up reminiscing about their days as quarterback or whatever to anyone who'll listen, while working in crappy jobs?
Do you know anyone like this?

[–] pksoze22 11 years ago

There are people like Brad in real life...though not as bad as in movie. Many people peaked in High School.

[–] Thunder_Dome 10 years ago

There are certain people that coasted through their school years on athletic abilities, popularity or charisma but once they face the real world they don't accomplish much so they constantly bring up their past achievements.

[–] wallacesawyer 10 years ago

I've never met anyone like Brad in my life.

http://www.freewebs.com/demonictoys/

[–] LaPfieffer92 10 years ago

I would say there are more people who remember having a happy childhood and as adults they are unhappy because cuz as an adult you have all these responsibilities and always wishing you could go back to the way it was when you were a kid, carefree and happy.

Realism, Remakes and Unnecessary Sequels are ruining movies!

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mfoley84 10 years ago

Op, the brad Wilson character was indeed a common theme and somewhat stereotype for many of the high school jock types who happened to be jerks in high school: this idea that after graduation they amount to nothing in life and or become raging alcoholics in dead end jobs such as brad. This isn't that unheard of in real life, so I guess that's why it's somewhat existent in films. What's with the 'is all Americans' like this barb though? Was someone from the us tactless to you at one point so you choose to follow suit?

[–] smoko 10 years ago

@mfoley84 Op, the brad Wilson character was indeed a common theme... What's with the 'is all Americans' like this barb though?
I don't know what you're talking about. I have edited the original post more than once but I'm certain that I never made any barb asking if all Americans are like Brad, only if this character is common in America in real life.

Anyways, it would be impossible for all Americans to be like Brad because not everyone was the high school quarterback or whatever.

[–] HellboundHero 10 years ago

There's also Al Bundy from Married With Children.

[–] smoko 10 years ago

@HellboundHero I forgot about Al, I've added him to the original post.

[–] Samclyde2 9 years ago

I think the Brad angle was just to play up Clark Kent -- that Clark was the geek in highschool but eventually made good and became a "Metropolis sophisticate," while Brad, big man on highschool campus, never made it out of Smallville.