![]() He alternates between reveling in the expected, reflected glory of his son’s potential and dwelling on the possibility that he’ll be too consumed by jealousy to be proud of him. But in time, it becomes clear that it’s meant to illuminate the divide between Brad’s perceptions and reality, between his insecurities and his neurotic analysis of those insecurities.īrad also wrestles internally with how he feels about his son’s future, which manifests itself in such erratic ways that Troy rightly wonders whether he’s having a nervous breakdown. It’s a device that seems smothering at first-a narrative crutch, even. With efficiency and great detail, White lays out who these guys are, as well as who they’ve truly become compared to Brad’s inflated ideas of them.Īnd we know how Brad feels about everyone around him all the time because he tells us in copious voiceover. But the one that kills Brad is Craig ( Michael Sheen), an influential author and political pundit who teaches at Harvard-and who he finds he needs a favor from, leading to the film’s most exquisitely acted scene. Nick (White himself) enjoys lavish luxury as a Hollywood director. ![]() Jason ( Luke Wilson) is a jet-setting hedge fund manager who married into money. Rather than be purely proud and excited for his son, Brad uses the occasion to obsess over the successes of his own college friends, all of whom are doing far better than he is in his estimation.īilly ( Jemaine Clement) lives a life of hedonism in Hawaii after selling his tech company and retiring at age 40. Troy, a musical prodigy, is a thoughtful, talented kid with an obviously bright future-a legitimate contender for elite universities like Harvard, Yale and Tufts. He has a comfortable life in Sacramento with his loving, easygoing wife, Melanie ( Jenna Fischer), and a job running a non-profit, an extension of his lifelong idealism. Despite the specific nature of the character Stiller plays, “Brad’s Status” finds a universality in the uncomfortable truths it explores: the human tendency to take stock, especially around middle age, and to compare our lives against both our friends’ achievements and our youthful visions of our future selves.īrad’s not terribly happy with his status these days as he heads to New England to visit colleges with his teenage son, Troy ( Austin Abrams).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |