Stilted: The Good, The OK, and The Ugly of Ben Stiller

In my final (?) Diddiology entry, I realise that I was pretty hard on Ben Stiller. Part of me regrets it, but I still don’t feel I was entirely wrong. Stiller just angers me sometimes and I need to take a step back and remind myself that not everything he has done has been all that terrible. I did plan on doing a series where I looked at all his terrible movies because at their worst, he is bad for the same reason every time: because he does the same routine movie after movie.

When I looked back on Stiller’s career I realized something interesting. Until 2000, Stiller hadn’t made a bad movie (that I had seen). After the turn of the century, he has only made three really good movies and one of them was animated and in the other two he was playing characters that could never exist in the real world. What could have happened in Ben Stiller’s life to cause him to stop trying?

In the spirit of fairness and because an entire series focusing on movies that have Stiller playing the same basic character would be redundant, this has become the first in a series where I look at the careers of various writers, directors, actors, and musicians. Well, technically Diddy was the first, but he was a special case.

The Good

“Fresh Horses” (1988)- Everyone’s career has to start somewhere even if it means playing Andrew McCarthy’s best friend. After numerous bit parts, “Horses” became Stiller’s first substantial role. In a re-teaming of McCarthy and “Pretty in Pink” co-star Molly Ringwald, this markedly dramatic film involves a privileged young man (McCarthy) who leaves his fiancée when he falls in love with a much younger woman (Ringwald, who says she is 20, but is really only 16) in Kentucky. McCarthy hopes to persuade her to leave her abusive “husband”, played by Viggo Mortensen in one of his earliest roles. Stiller (who is not in the clip provided) plays McCarthy’s best friend who delivers the scathing line that provides the film with its title” “Drop the old nag and get a new one.” Everyone in this movie is an asshole, but they are also people that still have some moral centre left within them. The movie and its ending are wholly depressing, but refreshingly unexpected. Despite Ringwald’s off-tempo and slightly campy performance, it is still worth checking out.

“Heavyweights” (1995)- As any kid that has been to camp can tell you, it isn’t always fun, especially if you are sent to a “specialised” camp because you are unruly, challenged, or in this case, overweight. Stiller would go on to play an almost identical character in “Dodgeball”, but instead of a rehash it feels more like an homage to this even funnier character from an underappreciated comedy. Watching this compilation reminded me of how funny this movie is.

“Flirting With Disaster” (1996)

“The Cable Guy” (1996)- It might not be a masterpiece, but Stiller effectively directs this black comedy where a lonely, unloved, and completely deranged cable guy stalks a visibly uncomfortable Matthew Broderick. The seeds of “the frat pack” were sewed here with a script from Judd Apatow, small roles featuring Owen Wilson and Jack Black, and a cameo from Stiller that was hilarious in its time, but is now only chuckle worthy since the movie was so topical that large parts of it feel dated today

“Permanent Midnight” (1998)- In a rare serious role, Stiller plays real life television writer and “Alf” creator Jerry Stahl, a man whose life crashes down around him while he is on top of the world thanks to a nasty drug problem. Stiller, in his best performance in any movie, effectively embodies what an addict really is: a barely functioning liar constantly hanging on by a thread.

“Zoolander” (2001)- “Zoolander” may very well be one of the funniest films of the decade. Much like “Anchorman” it is completely bizarre and creates its own world that could never exist within our own yet seems uniquely human. It also stands up well to repeat viewings and is endlessly quotable. Male models have never looked so cool, stupid, or utterly hilarious.

“Dodgeball” (2004)- For a reflection on Stiller’s performance here, refer back to “Heavyweights.” This time, however, Stiller is surrounded by a tremendous supporting cast that is just as game as he is and they also have a slightly better script and more than just one interesting character.

“Madagascar” (2005)- Stiller doesn’t exactly have to stretch any acting muscles to provide the voice for Alex the lion, but despite a sequel on the way, a lot of people seem to review this movie in a fairly negative light. I enjoyed myself and laughed heartily. What more could you ask of a silly animated comedy?

The OK

“The Ben Stiller Show” (1990-sometime a year or so later; it’s hard to tell exactly)- Despite being something of a cult curiosity for sketch comedy fans, “The Ben Stiller Show” remains loved by many people who actually hate his movies. This sketch comedy show, in my opinion, was incredibly hit or miss. For every sketch that succeeded, there was another one that fell silently on its face.

“Reality Bites” (1994)- This was the film that arguably shot Stiller to stardom. Written and directed by Stiller, this romantic drama with genuine, unforced flashes of humour simply tries too hard to be poignant. It delivers what is ostensibly one person’s musings on the nature of happiness and does it in such a ham fisted way that it is hard to warm up to. It is also not being treated well by time and seems to be aging by the second. Having said that, the performances are good (especially Ethan Hawke and Stiller; Winona Ryder could have played this role while swimming the English Channel and playing the “Star Spangled Banner” with a didgeridoo) , the soundtrack is a minor classic of 90s nostalgia, and the writing is often sharp enough to showcase Stiller’s strengths and mask some of his faults as a director.

“Zero Effect” (1998)- I remember seeing this movie on video. Stiller played an assistant to a neurotic detective played by Bill Pullman. It has the same director as “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.” That is all I remember about this movie other than knowing I liked it when I first saw it. I haven’t thought about it in years, meaning it must have lived up to its title. I can’t even find it online in any form. This movie seems to have disappeared.

“There’s Something About Mary” (1998)- I wanted so very badly to put this film in the upcoming ugly category. If there was a single movie that seemingly marked the beginning of the downward spiral in Stiller’s career it would be this one. The movie was a smash hit upon its release and spawned countless imitators, but when I first saw it in theatres (technically three times because the first two times I tried to see it the fire alarm went off in the theatre and both times the remainder of the movie was cancelled) I laughed, but I didn’t see what the big deal was. It seemed like just another romantic comedy that just happened to involve stalkers, some lowbrow humour, and a pitiful attempt to give the film a sort of Greek chorus. After getting the movie as a Christmas present two years ago (in a two-pack with “Dodgeball”) my opinion of the movie hadn’t changed much, but my feelings towards Stiller had. Stiller’s neurotic nerd-with-a-heart-of-gold-yet-prone-to-fits-of-rage shtick had grown tiresome for me when I revisited “Mary,” and this was really the first film where he played this kind of character that he keeps going back to. The funniest moments aren’t even his, despite the fact that he is the star. The most embarrassing moments are his. I guess Stiller found out that suffering=funny and decided to exploit it for as long as it works. Also, Cameron Diaz couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag that had been pre-ripped and had the bottom cut out of it. I know this column isn’t about her, but it needed to be said.

“Keeping the Faith” (2000)- You would think Edward Norton would have found better scripts to direct than this romantic comedy about a priest (Norton) and a rabbi (Stiller) vying for the affections of the same woman (Jenna Elfman). It’s not even bad, it’s just forgettable. The kind of movie they play during the rain delay of a baseball game.

“Meet the Parents” (2000)- If “There’s Something About Mary” set a formula Stiller could follow, “Meet the Parents” solidified it. Much like “Mary”, “Parents” isn’t as riotously funny as it claims to be. The movie is still a notch above “Mary” because the laughs it does provide are harder and don’t always come at the expense of Stiller needing to be publicly embarrassed, at least until the end of the film. The casting of Robert DeNiro as his prospective father-in-law is still one of the most inspired bits of casting this decade.

“Starsky and Hutch” (2004)- Stiller teams up with Owen Wilson to play the titular cops in this comedic retelling of a 70s television show. Stiller plays the uptight one and Wilson plays the laid back one because that’s their thing; it’s what they do. It has a star studded supporting cast of friends and confidants, but it is still nothing more than a standard buddy comedy.

“Night at the Museum” (2006)- This is arguably the best movie on the OK list. It is fun, has a great story the whole family can enjoy (which no doubt contributed to the boatload of cash this movie made), it moves at a good pace never wears out its welcome. In fact, the biggest problem I have with “Museum” is that Stiller is miscast. Stiller seems to think he is in yet another movie where he has to be chronically embarrassed. His shtick permeates the entire movie and he acts flippant when he should be conveying real emotions like fear, sadness, and wonderment. He seems lost; like he forgot how to act naturally and instead has resigned himself to a career of mugging for the camera in a bid to gain cheap laughs.

The Ugly

“The Royal Tennenbaums” (2001)- I like Wes Anderson as a filmmaker despite not being able to fully relate to his privileged world view that seems to view being rich as a blessing in an otherwise maladjusted life. But I fucking hate “The Royal Tennenbaums.” This isn’t even Stiller’s fault, but I simply haven’t seen a movie with as large of an elitist sentiment in my life. It was like Anderson told his cast to act as snobby and uninterested as if they worked at Abercrombie and Fitch. No one in this film even gives a real performance except for Stiller, who has to because he is the high strung character, and Gene Hackman as the patriarch of the Tennenbaum family. I abhorred every second of this vacuous exercise in tedium. I even watched the movie three fucking times in the hope that there was something I was missing or that I didn’t get. Nope, I still hated the shit out of it. I hated everyone and everything about it, and I have grown to find that the people who champion this film as a masterpiece are often a little full of themselves at times, are assholes, or insecure art fucks who have large collections of scarves bought with trust fund money.

“Duplex” (2003)- Stiller teams with Drew Barrymore (whose career could very well be a future test case) as a pair of newlyweds in this dreadful, laugh-free comedy from director Danny DeVito (who really should have known better). Stiller and Barrymore are harassed out of their dream home by the sweet appearing old lady next door. None of the gags work, it is too mean spirited to be funny, and too illogical to be thought provoking. Also, Stiller is on complete autopilot.

“Along Came Polly” (2004)- Once again, Stiller plays a loser that just so happens to be unlucky in love that falls for a woman seemingly out of his league (a ferret toting Jennifer Aniston) who will lead him into the most embarrassing situations all in the name of love. They are annoying and the script (from one of the writers of the “Meet the...” films) is bereft of anything funny or original. The film’s only bright spot is Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Stiller’s best friend. Hoffman gives a performance so daffy and incongruous to the rest of the movie that it seems like he is doing the best Jack Black impersonation ever attempted.

“Envy” (2004)- Critically acclaimed director Barry Levinson (“Rain Man”) actually directed this morbidly unfunny comedy about a man (Stiller) overcome with envy for his slacker neighbour (Jack Black) after the neighbour invents an aerosol that can make shit disappear. And by shit I mean poop. And by envy I mean skittish uncomfortable rage that Stiller doesn’t know how to play. Not even Christopher Walken at his Walkiniest can save this mess from being less amusing than “Gigli” was. If only they could create a spray to make this shit go away.

“Meet the Fockers” (2004)- It is very rare for me to leave a movie and feel insulted by what I had just watched, but this movie practically inspired a rage blackout in me. While the first film was hard to believe at points, it at least at its heart confronted real world problems that people have. It was those real situations that lent “Meet the Parents” a lot of its humour. “Fockers” has no heart whatsoever. All the writers did was ratchet up DeNiro’s level of crazy and Stiller’s level of buffoonery. All the writers do from there is adding two people to further embarrass Stiller’s character. The movie would have been infinitely funnier if Stiller’s parents had been normal people who were mortified by DeNiro’s militant behaviour. Instead the film casts Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand as two over sexed hippy stereotypes we have seen thousands of times before and places everyone in situations that couldn’t possibly be less realistic if they had taken place on the Death Star. No one acts like these people do. The only way any of this garbage would have made sense is if Stiller had woken up and it was all a dream. It is so terrible that it rightfully deserves the space it will occupy in people’s DVD collections just inches away from “Meet the Spartans”.

“The Heartbreak Kid” (2007)- Hopefully the fact that audiences stayed away in droves sent a message to Stiller. People seem to be sick of seeing him playing the same sad sack in every movie. Stiller goes through the motions in this re-teaming with the Farrely brothers (“There’s Something About Money”... I mean “Mary”) for a remake of an Elaine May comedy that didn’t need unfunny sex or fart jokes added to it.

Unseen and Unremarked Upon

“Next of Kin” (1989)- I had forgotten this movie altogether, but after having seen clips from it the part of me that appreciates cheese almost demands that I track it down. Patrick Swayze plays a hillbilly taking on a mob boss (Stiller, not only in a serious role, but as a villain and an Italian mobster) involved in a vending machine scam (!) that is responsible for the death of one of his brothers (played by Bill Paxton!). Swayze has help from his ruthless hillbilly brother played by... Liam Neeson (?!?!?), and his sister, played by... Helen Hunt. Not one of these people could I ever picture playing a southern backwoods type. Adding Stiller as a serious villain makes me salivate over the potential awfulness of this movie.

“Mystery Men” (1999)- I have had numerous chances to see this movie since it was released and not once would I ever have to pay for it. I have declined every time. It seems like the definition of painful to me: an all star cast shoehorned into a big budget ensemble piece that doesn’t seem funny enough to enjoy or bad enough to mock. I almost watched this film, about wanna-be superheroes setting out to save an actual superhero, earlier today, but I can honestly say that for some reason it might be one of the few films made in my lifetime that holds no appeal to me whatsoever. The fact that this movie shot the Smashmouth song “All Star” to success doesn’t make its prospects much brighter. Dane Cook’s presence in the trailer seals it.

“Tropic Thunder” (2008)- Well, it’s not out yet, is it? I will look into this one more in depth when I post part two of my summer movie outlook at the end of June. I will, however, say that despite all the shit I talk about Stiller, I am optimistic about this one.