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While most knowBen Stillerfrom his hilarious comedy performances, hes also an accomplished movie and TV director in his own right.
From early work on his trailblazing sketch seriesThe Ben Stiller Showto the mystery box intrigue of his most recent hitSeverance, Stillers limited work on the small screen has always been on the cutting edge of TV viewers' habits.
With plenty of huge feature film hits behind him, Stiller has also directed several comedy movies, such asZoolanderandTropic Thunder, that had a huge cultural impact and are stillendlessly quotable to this day.
Many will not be aware that plenty ofthe funniest Ben Stiller movieswere directed by the actor himself, as hes proved himself a capable filmmaker over the past three decades.
As a writer, director, and actor,Stiller has consistently created his own opportunities, and with a unique flair for visual storytelling, his directorial works have always been packed with style and substance.
Whilethe success ofSeverancehas led more people to pay attention to Stiller as a director, this comedy star has always been an immensely talented filmmaker.
7The Ben Stiller Show (1992 - 1995)
1 Season
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Cast
Before Ben Stiller made a name for himself as one of the most prominent comedy actors in the world and a major Hollywood director, he honed his talent onthe wildly underseen sketch seriesThe Ben Stiller Show.
With Troy Miller, John Fortenberry, and Paul Miller as co-directors, this trailblazing comedy series was truly ahead of its time as it parodied pop culture without using the then-standard laugh track.
Stiller acted alongside Ben Stiller, Andy Dick, Janeane Garofalo, Bob Odenkirk, and plenty of guest stars in sketches that remain hilarious to this day.
While the directorial work onThe Ben Stiller Showdid not break any new ground, the way the series poked fun at the music industry and Hollywood showcased the creators' attention to detail and stylistic flair.
What looks like a group of young comedians just messing around and having fun was the perfect place for Stiller to hone his skills and try out his talents as a filmmaker through rapid-fire sketches that only last a few minutes at a time.
WhileThe Ben Stiller Showwas cancelled after 13 episodes due to low ratings, it set Stiller on course to become a major director.
Custom image by Simone Ashmoore.
6Zoolander (2001)
Ben Stiller as Derek Zoolander
The sheer ridiculousness of this over-the-top satire of the fashion industry was part of its incredible charm.Zoolanderwas a hilarious comedy that Ben Stiller co-wrote, directed, and starred in that has remained endlessly quotable to this day.
With Stiller as the dim-witted male model Derek Zoolander, this deliberately dumb comedy featured a star whose hero’s journey was about overcoming being inexplicably unable to turn left, was ousted by his coal mining family, and who was so dumb that he described someone who speaks at funerals as a eugoogaliser.
Zoolanderwas about as absurd as it gets, yet it was also a sharply observed look at the fashion industry that honed in on the self-importance of celebrity culture while also packing in cameos from everyone from David Bowie to Billy Zane.
This was a film that easily could have been too stupid for its own good, yetStillers sharp direction walked the fine line between smart and silly.
While Stillers terrible legacy sequelZoolander 2was an example of doing everything wrong, the original still stands as a comedy classic.
5Reality Bites (1994)
Ben Stiller as Michael Grates
Ben Stiller is a prime Generation X filmmakerwhose feature film directorial debut,Reality Bites,captured the ethos and style of slacker culture during the 1990s.
With an incredible cast of actors who remain popular to this day,Reality Bitesstarred Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Stiller in a story that captured the struggles, cynicism, and anxieties of coming-of-age during the 1990s.
With characters hit by the U.S. recession of the early 1990s, the group of recent college grads struggles to find meaning and purpose as they oppose the soullessness of the dying remnants of yuppie culture.
Reality Biteswas an enjoyable rom-com with dramatic elements that signaled Stiller as a thoughtful director, even if its profound generational statements were never quite as deep as it seemed to think they were.
Stiller also proved his talent for directing himself inReality Bites, as he gave a convincing performance as the out-of-touch executive for the MTV rip-off channel Your Face.
With a mix of documentary-style filming due to Ryders desire to be a documentarian,Reality Bitesperfectly encapsulated the ennui of youth and remains relatable for young people struggling to find purpose today.
4Heat Vision and Jack (1999)
Unaired Pilot
WhileHeat Vision and Jacknever made it to air, its a testament to the legacy of this TV pilot that it’s still spoken about in such high esteem today.
With Stiller as director, futureCommunityandRick & Mortycreator Dan Harmon as co-writer, and starring Jack Black, everyone involved in this proposed Fox series became comedy legends.
As a parody of formulaic action-adventure shows likeKnight Rider,Heat Vision and Jacktold the story of a superpowered astronaut on the run with his talking motorcycle while fighting malevolent artificial life forms trying to turn them into dust.
Heat Vision And Jack is a Knight Rider-style comedy show starring Jack Black and co-created by Dan Harmon that never got past the pilot stage.
Althoughonly one episode ofHeat Vision and Jackwas ever filmed, the ridiculousness of its premise paired with the huge amount of talent behind the project meant its become one of the great what-ifs in television history.
Stiller clearly still has a soft spot for the show and even included it in the behind-the-scenes mockumentaryTropic Thunder - Rain of Madness.
As an ingenious pilot that truly has to be seen to be believed, those who go back and check it out will see that Stiller was directing groundbreaking TV long beforeSeverance.
3The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
Ben Stiller as Walter Mitty
Ben Stiller truly reached another level in his directorial output withThe Secret Life of Walter Mitty,an inspiring story that conjured the innate desire for adventure, wanderlust, and fulfilling ones own potential.
Through stunning visuals and an incredible sense of style, Stiller directed himself as the title character traveling the world on the search for a missing negative photo print and an elusive photojournalist forLifemagazine’s final print issue.
What was most striking aboutThe Secret Life of Walter Mittywas just how great it looked, andit really highlighted how much Stiller developed as a filmmaker.
The Secret Life of Walter Mittywas based on James Thurber’s 1939 short story and was previously adapted into a 1947 film.
The Secret Life of Walter Mittywas a love letter to humanity’s drive to break free of the monotony of everyday life, and it was fascinating to see the way that the lines between reality and fiction blurred as Walters daydreams grew into adventures of epic proportions.
There was an emotional depth and feel-good energy about this wild journey that meant it was both thought-provoking and uplifting in a way that few films achieve.
2Severance (2022 - Present)
2 Seasons
While Ben Stiller usually starred in his directorial works himself, forSeverance,he stayed behind the camera to conjure a unique universe where employees literally sever their consciousness into their work selves and home selves.
This Apple TV+ series has really struck a chord with viewers, with audiences eagerly following the story of Adam Scott as Mark Scout, a severed worker from Lumon Industries who tried to escape the grief of his wifes death by splitting his sense of self and creating a version of himself with no memory of his pain and heartache.
With a truly thrilling premise,Severancewas characterized by psychological depthas the innies, whose entire purpose was to work for a soulless corporation, were shown to have full lives filled with hopes, dreams, romances, and heartache.
As a deeply intriguing mystery box series,Severancebecame even more interesting in its second season with Stiller serving as director on the majority of episodes.
With a third season already in the works, ifSeverancecan maintain its high quality, it will be remembered as one of the best shows of the 2020s.
1Tropic Thunder (2008)
Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman
Ben Stillers crowning achievement as a director came with the all-time great comedyTropic Thunder.
As a multi-layered comedy complete with large-scale action sequences, this bold and ambitious satire took sharp aim at Hollywood blockbusters and the excesses and hypocrisies of the film industry.
Telling the story of a group of actors filming a Vietnam War who were left in the middle of the jungle and must use their performance skills to survive real action and danger,Stiller balanced over-the-top action with brilliant social commentaryon the ridiculousness of the industry itself.
With outstanding performances from Robert Downey Jr. as the self-important method actor Kirk Lazarus and Tom Cruise playing the ill-tempered studio executive Les Grossman,Tropic Thunderhad the great characterization needed to back up its clever premise.
The most impressive thing aboutTropic Thunderwas just how many levelsBen Stillerwas operating at, as the film can be enjoyed as a silly action comedy, a meta-commentary on Hollywood elitism, and a bold exploration of the exploitative nature of war cinema all at once.
