Ben Stiller engagingly obnoxious in 'Brad's Status'

• Critic's rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Ben Stiller gives a remarkable performance in “Brad’s Status,” particularly considering that you want to strangle him for most of the movie.

By the way, that's not a complaint. In Mike White’s engaging film — “enjoyable” is not quite the right adjective — Stiller’s character proves remarkably selfish and self-absorbed, and you seriously want to scream once he gets to the point where he is willing to theoretically be jealous of the success his son might have.

So, you know, yay. That’s some terrific acting.

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Stiller plays the title character, who is going through a different kind of midlife crisis. No sports car, no affairs. Instead he spends his time in a jealous semi-rage as he thinks about the success of his college friends.

Not that he is scraping the bottom. He has a loving wife, Melanie (Jenna Fischer), and a son, Troy (Austin Abrams), who is a musical prodigy. Brad started a nonprofit agency that helps other agencies get publicity and business. They live in a small-but-hipster-ish home in Sacramento, Calif.

But it’s not enough for Brad, as he prepares for a college visit with Troy, whose high-school counselor believes he’s a sure bet to get into any college he chooses. That includes Harvard and Tufts; the latter is Brad’s alma mater.

Tufts is also where Brad met his core group of friends. Billy (Jemaine Clement) retired at 40 after selling his software company; he lives in Hawaii with a couple of beautiful younger women. Jason (Luke Wilson) has his own hedge fund, rich wife, gorgeous children, etc. Nick (White) is a successful movie director. Craig (Michael Sheen) has parlayed a stint as White House press secretary into a lucrative career as an author and ubiquitous cable-news talking head.

It’s a successful bunch, no doubt. But somewhere along the line Brad lost touch with them and, we gather, himself. He’s consumed with envy, and it’s maddening — and perfectly played by Stiller.

Brad is out of touch enough with Troy not to realize how promising his prospects are. This comes as no surprise, given how self-absorbed Brad is. But it’s encouraging when his genuine surprise turns to pride in how successful his son has become. Abrams, by the way, is fantastic, a low-key counterpoint to Stiller’s funhouse mirror of a disappointed egotist.

It’s just as devastating when Brad allows his mind to wander to a place where he can’t handle Troy’s imaginary future fame and success.

And yet who hasn’t combed through their Facebook feed and compared themselves with former classmates and friends? We’re more in touch than ever, ostensibly, but we aren’t necessarily connected. This proves true in a remarkable scene in which Brad meets with Craig, who has done him a big favor at Harvard. Brad’s version of things isn’t necessarily reliable (despite the voiceover and narration).

Another strong scene involves Ananya (Shazi Raja), a Harvard student who was in a high-school orchestra with Troy. She’s genuinely interested in the life Brad has made, so he decides to unburden himself to her. The results are unexpected and welcome; Ananya serves as a kind of audience surrogate. Short version: Stop being a jerk.

White directs with skill, taking Brad to the brink of beyond-no-return obnoxiousness (Stiller obviously has a part in this, too) but never crossing it. What’s so terrific about Stiller’s performance is that we never question his genuine love for his son. He’s just got to work through his love for himself to get there.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk.

'Brad's Status,' 4 stars

Director: Mike White.

Cast: Ben Stiller, Austin Abrams, Jenna Fischer, Michael Sheen.

Rating: R for language.

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

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