Ben Stiller is the kind of actor whose default expression is around 5 on the face pain scale, and that tenuous middle ground between hurt and happiness is the bittersweet spot in which writer-director Mike White’s masterfully handled seriocomic character study “Brad’s Status” operates.
Recalling the wincingly funny neurotic rabbit holes of Albert Brooks’ best work, not to mention White’s own previous heartfelt gems about well-meaning fumblers (“Year of the Dog,” HBO’s “Enlightened”), this bitingly amusing, ultimately emotional story of a dad barely managing an envy-driven midlife crisis — as he shepherds his son on a tour of colleges — has the potential to strike a demographic chord broader than you’d think a white guy’s problems would. That’s because White’s approach to satire is always flecked with piercing empathy and a keen sense of the real world around his usually myopic worriers.
Brad Sloan (Stiller) is by any standard definition of the term a successful human being. A Sacramento-based husband to a loving, working wife named Melanie (Jenna Fischer), Brad runs a non-profit that connects donors to charities, and is immensely proud of their musical prodigy son Troy (Austin Abrams, “Paper Towns”), who’s on the right kind of track to score acceptance to a great college.
It’s on a trip to Boston with Troy to check out institutions like Harvard and Tufts that what really occupies Brad’s 47-year-old mind — narrated for us as running commentary throughout the film — takes full flight: the crippling sense that he didn’t amount to anything. Financially, that is. (An early, cringingly funny scene has Brad in bed, worrying openly about money to Melanie, and inching ever so closely to callous speculation about what they’ll inherit from certain deaths.)
Brad’s concerns, though, are a view that only makes sense when he deploys the prism of how his younger, the-world-is-my-oyster college self would see things. Invariably, that means comparing his life’s non-flashy arc toward suburban comfort to the soaring, cashing-out trajectories of his old crew of best friends, seen primarily in “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”-like flashes as a taunting daymare in Brad’s consciousness: the big-time Hollywood director (White), the jet-setting hedge fund exec (Luke Wilson), the already-retired tech giant (Jemaine Clement) frolicking on a beach with bikini girls, and the celebrity politico (Michael Sheen) with a TV pundit career. To the world, Brad asks in his head, “When did we fall out of love with each other?”
What transpires, scored with occasionally slicing violins by Mark Mothersbaugh, is a mental travelogue of perceived slights, mood swings and parental hope as Brad tries to be the ultimate supportive dad while wrestling with thoughts and behavior that don’t always present him in the best light. In Boston, a missed appointment with Harvard spurs Brad to play angry advocate for his son with the admissions people (which only embarrasses Troy, who loves his dad yet wants the trip to be chill) but also inspires him to test how good his connections still are with the college pals he fears have written him off.
If this all sounds like a Caucasian privilege pity party, White knows that, too. Though he paints Brad compassionately, he plants a well-timed truth bomb with the appearance of a bright, engaging Harvard attendee and former classmate of Troy’s named Annaya (a pitch-perfect Shazi Raja, “Salvation”). Over dinner, her clear-eyed idealism and critical faculties (and, realistically, her attractiveness) briefly pull Brad out of his head, until, asked for advice, his confessional nature regarding What to Expect From Life incurs a welcome reality-check earful from a young woman of color.
Later, an anticipated reunion with Sheen’s character — perfectly tense, brittlely comedic, thanks to Sheen’s hilariously coddled smarm — and a touching scene between Brad and Troy in their hotel room also do their part to further clarify for Brad the way forward.
Needless to say, this kind of thing wouldn’t work without a perfectly-cast Brad, and Stiller is that, turning in one of his richest performances. The punching bag of humiliation comedies past has aged into a more nuanced figure of blinkered melancholy, the point-and-guffaw replaced by a grimacing ouch you instantly recognize, whether in yourself or others.
When Stiller cries at a concert performance of Dvorak’s “Humoresque,” you believe the poignant comedy of someone grappling with hopelessly conflicting epiphanies, and whether to smell the roses, or curse the decision not to plant lilies. Abrams is wonderfully present, too, as the achingly normal son who slowly realizes he needs to problem-solve his dad as well as his college future.
With movies experiencing a glaring dearth in quietly human, perceptively satirical comedy, the appearance of “Brad’s Status” is something of a breath of fresh air. Even if that atmosphere is the occasionally sour odor of regret, the sharply drawn, considerate nature of White’s approach allows us to enjoy the tang and sweetness simultaneously.
117 Amazing Portraits From TheWrap's Toronto Studio, From Angelina Jolie to Jim Carrey (Photos)
Actors Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney and director Craig Gillespie, "I, Tonya"
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Actress-producer Margot Robbie, "I, Tonya"
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Margot Robbie, "I, Tonya"
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Actress Allison Janney, "I, Tonya"
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Sebastian Stan, "I, Tonya"
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Helen Mirren, "The Leisure Seeker"
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Helen Mirren, "The Leisure Seeker"
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"Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond" Jim Carrey
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Jim Carrey, "Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond"
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Director Chris Smith, "Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond"
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Actor Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Current War"
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Michael Shannon, "The Current War"
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Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon with actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon and Nicholas Hoult, "The Current War"
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Director Angelina Jolie, "First They Killed My Father"
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Director Angelina Jolie with producer Rithy Panh, stars Kimhak Mun, Sareum Srey Moch and co-writer Luong Ung, "First They Killed My Father"
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Writer-director Greta Gerwig, "Lady Bird"
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Greta Gerwig, "Lady Bird"
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Actress Laurie Metcalf, "Lady Bird"
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Actor Tracy Letts, "Lady Bird"
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Brie Larson, "Unicorn Store"
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Actor Sam Rockwell, "Woman Walks Ahead"
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Emma Thompson and Stanley Tucci, "The Children Act"
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Writer Ian McEwan, actor Stanley Tucci, director Richard Eyre and actors Emma Thompson and Duncan Kenworthy, "The Children Act"
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Stanley Tucci, "The Children Act"
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"Outside In" director Lynn Shelton with her cast Jay Duplass, Kaitlyn Dever and Edie Falco
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Jay Duplass, "Outside In"
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Edie Falco, "Outside In"
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Kaitlyn Dever, "Outside In"
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Director Lynn Shelton, "Outside In"
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Jake Gyllenhaal, "Stronger"
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Tatiana Maslany, "Stronger"
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Miranda Richardson, "Stronger"
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"Stronger" star Jake Gyllenhaal with Jeff Bauman, the Boston Marathon bombing survivor he plays in the fiilm
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Writer Jeff Bauman, "Stronger"
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Actor Cedric the Entertainer, "First Reformed"
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Cedric the Entertainer, "First Reformed"
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Cedric the Entertainer and director Paul Schrader "First Reformed"
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Director Paul Schrader, "First Reformed"
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Actors Aaron Pederson, Abbey Lee, Matt Nable, Simone Kessell, Josh McConville and Ryan Corr, "1%"
Abbey Lee, "1%"
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Actress Simone Kessel, "1%"
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Actor Ed Harris, "Kodachrome"
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Actor Ed Harris and director Mark Raso, "Kodachrome"
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Mark Raso, "Kodachrome"
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Writer-producer Jeremy Chilnick, writer-director-producer Morgan Spurlock and producer Matthew Galkin, "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken"
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Producer Matthew Galkin, "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken"
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Writer-producer Jeremy Chilnick, "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken"
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Writer-director-producer-star Morgan Spurlock, "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken"
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Morgan Spurlock, "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken"
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Director Joseph Kahn, "Bodied"
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Actress Rory Uphold, "Bodied"
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Actor Calum Worthy, "Bodied"
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Director Armando Iannucci, "The Death of Stalin"
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Director Darren Aronofsky, "mother!"
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Director Darren Aronofsky, "mother!"
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Willem Dafoe, Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince and Sean Baker, "The Florida Project"
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Willem Dafoe, "The Florida Project"
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Director-star James Franco, "The Disaster Artist"
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Director-star James Franco, "The Disaster Artist"
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Actor Dave Franco, "The Disaster Artist"
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Actor Dave Franco, "The Disaster Artist"
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Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber, "The Disaster Artist"
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Alison Brie, "The Disaster Artist"
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Alison Brie, "The Disaster Artist"
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Ari Graynor, "The Disaster Artist"
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Actress Jessica Chastain, "Molly's Game" and "Woman Walks Ahead"
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Actress Jessica Chastain, director Susanna White and Michael Greyeyes, "Woman Walks Ahead"
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Actress Julianne Nicholson, "Who We Are Now"
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Zachary Quinto, "Who We Are Now"
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Actor Josh Lucas, "Mark Felt"
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Selma Blair, "Mom and Dad"
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Selma Blair and Nicolas Cage, "Mom and Dad"
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Co-directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, "One of Us"
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Director Kyle Rideout, "Public Schooled"
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Judy Greer "Public Schooled"
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Actor Eddie Izzard, "Victoria & Abdul"
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Actor Ali Fazal, "Victoria & Abdul"
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Actress Elisabeth Moss, "The Square"
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Actor Terry Notary, "The Square"
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Director Ruben Ostland, "The Square"
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Actor Claes Bang, "The Square"
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Screenwriter Anthony McCarten, "Darkest Hour"
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Writer Anthony McCarten, stars Ben Mendelsohn, Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas with director Joe Wright, "Darkest Hour"
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Actor Ben Mendelsohn, "Darkest Hour"
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Actor Gary Oldman, "Darkest Hour"
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Gary Oldman, "Darkest Hour"
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Actress Kristin Scott Thomas, "Darkest Hour"
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Director Joe Wright, "Darkest Hour"
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Actor Nahuel Peres Biscayar, "BPM (Beats Per Minute)"
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Actor Arnaud Valois, "BPM (Beats Per Minute)"
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Director John Curran with actors Jim Gaffigan, Ed Helms and Kate Mara, writers Andrew Logan and Taylor Allen, "Chappaquiddick"
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"Chappaquiddick" director John Curran
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Kate Mara, "Chappaquiddick"
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Kate Mara, "Chappaquiddick"
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Jim Gaffigan, "Chappaquiddick"
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Ed Helms, "Chappaquiddick"
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Director Dan Gilroy, "Roman J. Israel, Esq."
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Actress Diane Kruger, "In the Fade"
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Actress Diane Kruger, "In the Fade"
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Director Alexander Payne, "Downsizing"
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Actors Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau and director Alexander Payne, "Downsizing"
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Actor Christoph Waltz, "Downsizing"
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Actress Hong Chau, "Downsizing"
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Actors Wes Studi, Rosamund Pike, direcor Scott Cooper, Christian Bale and Jonathan Majors, "Hostiles"
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Actor Simon Baker, "Breath"
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Simon Baker, "Breath"
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Director Neil Burger, "The Upside"
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Writer-director Martin McDonagh, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
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Director and co-writer Dee Rees, "Mudbound"
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Actor Jason Mitchell, "Mudbound"
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Rob Morgan, "Mudbound"
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Jason Mitchell and Rob Morgan, "Mudbound"
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Actors Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, director Dee Rees, actors Rob Morgan and Carey Mulligan, "Mudbound"
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Garrett Hedlund, "Mudbound"
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Writer-director Robin Campillo, "BPM (Beats Per Minute)"
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Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, "Battle of the Sexes"
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Screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, "Battle of the Sexes"
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Brady Jandreau, "The Rider"
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TIFF 2017: Jake Gyllenhaal, Helen Mirren, Benedict Cumberbatch and more sit down to talk about their latest projects
Actors Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney and director Craig Gillespie, "I, Tonya"
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