Top 10 Ben Stiller Movies You Should Have Seen By Now
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller is an American actor, comedian, producer, film director, and screenwriter who was born on November 30, 1965. Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, both comedians, and performers are his parents.
Author:Iram MartinsReviewer:Elisa MuellerOct 10, 202135.3K Shares1.3M Views
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller is an American actor, comedian, producer, film director, and screenwriter who was born on November 30, 1965. Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, both comedians, and performers are his parents.
After starting his acting career with a play, Stiller went on to write numerous mockumentaries until landing his program, The Ben Stiller Show, which he produced and presented for 13 episodes. He started performing in films after previously appearing on television. With Reality Bites, he made his directorial debut.
More than 50 films, including The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Zoolander, The Cable Guy, There's Something About Mary, the Meet the Parents trilogy, DodgeBall, Tropic Thunder, the Madagascar series, and the Night at the Museum trilogy, have been written, starred in, directed, or produced by him throughout his career. He's also been in several music videos, television programs, and movies.
Stiller is a member of the so-called "Frat Pack," a group of comic performers. In Canada and the United States, his films have earned more than $2.6 billion, with an average of $79 million per picture. He has won many accolades and distinctions during his career, including an Emmy Award, multiple MTV Movie Awards, a Britannia Award, and a Teen Choice Award.
Zoolander (2001)
Ben Stiller directed Zoolander, a 2001 American action comedy film. The video incorporates parts from two VH1 Fashion Awards television specials produced by Russell Bates and written by Drake Sather and Stiller in 1996 and 1997. Derek Zoolander, a dimwitted, egotistical male model, appears in the previous short films and this film (Stiller).
In the film, prominent fashion industry figures Jacobim Mugatu (Would Ferrell) and Derek's agent Maury Ballstein (Jerry Stiller) is recruited by other executives to assassinate Malaysian Prime Minister Woodrow Asai, who will enact progressive legislation that will harm their businesses.
Mugatu and Ballstein have devised a scheme to persuade Zoolander to murder him. Meanwhile, Zoolander is dealing with several personal and professional problems, including decreasing popularity, his family's displeasure with his career decision, and his search for his true calling, which he believes is not modeling. Journalist Matilda Jeffries (Christine Taylor) learns about the intended killing via extensive investigation and tells Derek. Following Derek's reconciliation with rival male model Hansel (Owen Wilson), the three attempts to avert the Prime Minister's assassination.
Bates came up with the name "Derek Zoolander" while editing the first short film, and it was inspired by the names of two Calvin Klein male models: Mark Vanderloo from the Netherlands and Johnny Zander from the United States.
The film, a parody on the fashion business, got mixed reviews from critics but was a box office hit and has since gained a cult following. Zoolander 2, the sequel, was released in February 2016 to mixed reviews. Zoolander: Super Model, an animated series, premiered on Netflix UK in August 2016 and CBS All Access in May 2020.
Zoolander - Trailer
Night At The Museum (2006)
The film Night at the Museum was directed by Shawn Levy and written by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon in 2006. It is based on Croatian artist Milan Trenc's 1993 children's book The Night at the Museum. Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, and Robin Williams appear in the picture.
It recounts the tale of a divorced parent who applies for a position as a night watchman at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and finds that the displays come to life at night thanks to a mystical Egyptian artifact. The film was released on December 22, 2006, by 20th Century Fox, and earned $574.5 million worldwide, making it the fifth highest-grossing picture of 2006.
However, reviewers gave it mixed reviews. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian was published in 2009, followed by Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb in 2014. A remake is also in the works for Disney, the streaming service.
Night at the Museum (2006) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013)
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a 2013 American adventure comedy-drama film written by Steve Conrad and directed, co-produced, and starring Ben Stiller. Kristen Wiig, Shirley MacLaine, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, and Sean Penn all appear in the film.
Following the 1947 version starring Danny Kaye, this is the second film adaptation of James Thurber's 1939 short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." Following its global debut at the New York Film Festival on October 5, 2013, the film was released theatrically in North America on December 25, 2013, to largely mixed reviews but modest box office success by 20th Century Fox, Samuel Goldwyn Films, and New Line Cinema.
It was named one of the top ten films of 2013 by the National Board of Review. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released The Secret Life of Walter Mitty on DVD and Blu-ray on April 15, 2014.
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Meet The Parents (2000)
Meet the Parents is a 2000 American comedy film directed by Jay Roach and written by Jim Herzfeld and John Hamburg. It tells the story of a good-hearted but hapless nurse (Ben Stiller as Greg Focker) who visits his girlfriend's parents and encounters a sequence of misfortunes (Robert De Niro as Jack Byrnes and Blythe Danner as Dina Byrnes). Teri Polo and Owen Wilson also appear in the film.
The film is a remake of Greg Glienna's 1992 film of the same name, which he directed and produced. The script was co-written by Glienna (who also portrayed the main protagonist in the first one) and Mary Ruth Clarke. Glienna's picture was acquired by Universal Pictures to make a new version. The initial screenplay was extended by Jim Herzfeld, but production was put on hold for a while.
After reading the revised screenplay, Jay Roach showed interest in directing it, but Universal turned him down. Steven Spielberg was intrigued at the time, and Jim Carrey was interested in taking the main part. After Spielberg and Carrey departed the project, the company offered the picture to Roach.
The picture, which was released in the United States and Canada on October 6, 2000, and distributed by Universal Pictures, made back its $55 million budget in just 11 days. It went on to become one of the most successful pictures of the year, making more than $165 million in North America and more than $330 million worldwide. It garnered positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, and it went on to win many accolades and get more nominations.
For his portrayal, Ben Stiller received two comedy awards, and the film was named Favorite Comedy Motion Picture at the 2001 People's Choice Awards. The film's popularity prompted two sequels, Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers, which were released in 2004 and 2010, respectively. It also inspired Meet My Folks, a reality program, and In-Laws, a situation comedy, both of which premiered on NBC in 2002.
Meet the Parents (2000) Theatrical Trailer
Meet The Fockers (2004)
The sequel to the 2000 film Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Jay Roach.
Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Blythe Danner, and Teri Polo appear in the picture, which was also produced by De Niro. The picture was a box office success, earning $522 million worldwide despite mixed reviews. In 2010, a sequel, Little Fockers, was released.
Meet the Fockers (2004) Theatrical Trailer
Tropic Thunder (2008)
Tropic Thunder is a satirical action comedy film directed by Ben Stiller that was released in 2008. Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson appear as prima donna actors working on a Vietnam War movie. When their irritated director (Steve Coogan) abandons them in the midst of a jungle, they must depend on their acting abilities to escape the real-life action and danger.
It's a spoof of several well-known war films, particularly those set during the Vietnam War. Tom Cruise, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Matthew McConaughey, and Bill Hader star in the picture, which has an ensemble cast. Stiller and Theroux wrote the script, based on a tale by Stiller and Theroux. Stuart Cornfeld, Ben Stiller, and Eric McLeod produced the picture for Red Hour Productions and DreamWorks Pictures as an international co-production between the US, Germany, and the UK.
Stiller came up with the concept for the picture while performing a supporting part in Empire of the Sun, and he subsequently recruited the assistance of Theroux and Cohen to finish the screenplay. Following the film's approval in 2006, production began in 2007 on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i and lasted thirteen weeks, making it the biggest film production in the island's history. The film had significant marketing support, including fake websites for the three major protagonists and their fictitious films, a fake television special, and the sale of the energy drink "Booty Sweat," which was promoted in the film.
The film got mostly favorable reviews, with reviewers complimenting Stiller, Downey, Black, and Cruise's performances as well as the film's characters, plot, and fake trailers. However, the film's portrayal of mentally challenged people sparked a lot of debate. Before the film's theatrical premiere, the soundtrack and score were released on August 5, 2008.
The film was released in the United States on August 13, 2008, by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation. The picture grossed $26 million in its debut weekend in North America, and it remained at the top for the next three weekends. Downey and Cruise were both nominated for a Golden Globe Award, as well as an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Before its home media release on November 18, 2008, the picture had earned over $195 million worldwide.
Tropic Thunder (2008) Official Trailer - Ben Stiller Movie HD
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story is a 2004 American sports comedy film directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and starring Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller.
The story follows a bunch of misfits who join a dodgeball competition in Las Vegas to defend their beloved local gym from a corporate health fitness franchise.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) Official Trailer #1 - Ben Stiller Movie HD
There's Something About Mary (1998)
There's Something About Mary is a romantic comedy film directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly and released in 1998. Cameron Diaz plays Mary, while Ben Stiller, Matt Dillon, Lee Evans, and Chris Elliott portray guys who are in love with her and competing for her affections.
20th Century Fox released There's Something About Mary in theaters on July 15, 1998. Critics appreciated the film's wit and Diaz's performance, and it got mostly favorable reviews. The film was a huge box office hit, earning over $369 million worldwide on a $23 million budget, making it the year's fourth highest-grossing picture. It is ranked 27th on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 funniest movies of the twentieth century, 100 Years, 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies. There's Something About Mary was named the fourth-greatest comedy film of all time by voters of Total Film magazine in 2000.
Diaz was named Best Actress by the New York Film Critics Circle, won the MTV Movie Award for Best Performance, the American Comedy Award for Best Actress, and the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Best Actress. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her performance. In addition, the film received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. It was nominated for four MTV Movie Awards, including Best Picture.
There's Something About Mary (1998) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers
The Heartbreak Kid (2007)
The Farrelly Brothers directed The Heartbreak Kid, a dark comedy film released in 2007. It is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name, starring Ben Stiller.
Michelle Monaghan, Malin Akerman, Jerry Stiller, Rob Corddry, Carlos Mencia, Scott Wilson, and Danny McBride all appear in the film. Leslie Dixon, Scot Armstrong, the Farrelly brothers, and Kevin Barnett wrote the script for the 2007 picture.
The Heartbreak Kid (2007) Theatrical Trailer
Along Came Polly (2004)
Along Came Polly is a 2004 American romantic comedy film starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston, written and directed by John Hamburg.
The tale follows Reuben Feffer, who discovers that his life is about to change when he reconnects with and falls in love with an old classmate, Polly. When his ex-wife, Lisa, comes to reconcile with him, chaos follows.
Along Came Polly Official Trailer #1 - Ben Stiller Movie (2004) HD
Iram Martins
Author
Iram Martins is a seasoned travel writer and explorer with over a decade of experience in uncovering the world's hidden gems. Holding a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Management from the University of Lisbon, Iram's credentials highlight his authority in the realm of travel.
As an author of numerous travel guides and articles for top travel publications, his writing is celebrated for its vivid descriptions and practical insights.
Iram’s passion for cultural immersion and off-the-beaten-path adventures shines through in his work, captivating readers and inspiring wanderlust.
Outside of his writing pursuits, Iram enjoys learning new languages, reviewing films and TV shows, writing about celebrity lifestyles, and attending cultural festivals.
Elisa Mueller
Reviewer
Elisa Mueller, a Kansas City native, grew up surrounded by the wonders of books and movies, inspired by her parents' passion for education and film.
She earned bachelor's degrees in English and Journalism from the University of Kansas before moving to New York City, where she spent a decade at Entertainment Weekly, visiting film sets worldwide.
With over 8 years in the entertainment industry, Elisa is a seasoned journalist and media analyst, holding a degree in Journalism from NYU. Her insightful critiques have been featured in prestigious publications, cementing her reputation for accuracy and depth.
Outside of work, she enjoys attending film festivals, painting, writing fiction, and studying numerology.
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