‘Maybe her contentment undermined my ambition...’
Around halfway through Mike White’s 2017 comedy-drama Brad’s Status, I thought I knew what to expect from this movie. It seemed like another film in the Noah Baumbach mould, a very rich and successful white guy moaning that he isn’t richer or more successful. And then, in a genuinely captivating moment, the film confronts the protagonist with the reality of his situation through a drunken conversation with a much younger character and I realised that there is actually something much more interesting going on here. I should have expected better from the creator of White Lotus…
Brad Sloan (Ben Stiller) accompanies his son Troy (Austin Abrams) on a trip to Boston to visit potential colleges (including Harvard). Despite having a lovely family (Jenna Fischer is given little to do as Brad’s supportive wife, Melanie), a successful career and a bright future, Brad is crippled by feelings of inadequacy and resentment. He harbours a particular bitterness towards his old college ‘friend’ Craig Fisher (Michael Sheen), a character who looms large in the background of the film before emerging in an electric dinner scene in the film’s excellent third act. Luke Wilson, Jermaine Clement and White himself also appear in supporting roles.
Through White Lotus, White has already demonstrated that he is adept at forcing his audiences to sympathise with characters who are the personification of the concept of first-world problems. He does it again here. Brad Sloan is not a likeable character by any stretch of the imagination, but he is a relatable one, and he does go on a spiritual journey that is both satisfyingly concluded and captivating to watch. Stiller has always been great at playing beleagured, constantly annoyed protagonists, and he carries Brad’s Status from start to finish, appearing in every scene and providing extensive voice-over.
While White’s film could be accused of wanting to have its cake and eat it in some respects, it’s also funny, thought-provoking and eminently watchable. It deserves a bigger audience.
