When you look at Ben Stiller, who do you see? The face of a supermodel? A sad, pathetic loser? A neurotic comic genius? A tortured savant? Or all of the above?
Despite the public pigeonholing as a one-trick pony–a perhaps slightly smarter version of Adam Sandler—Ben Stiller has played all of the above at one point or another on the screen. Stiller‘s facial expressions are more acrobatic that Kerry Strug, yet not as over-the-top Jim-Carrey distorted that we can’t recognize our own humanity in his visage.
The heir to Jack Lemmon and Woody Allen‘s crown as the next Nervous Everyman, it is Stiller‘s genius with the expressions and silence that fill that void between the spoken words that have us flocking to see whatever he’s in next. We gaze upon his antics and think, “I identify with that.”
Stiller‘s next two roles, the gorgeous goofball in Zoolander and the angry, insecure genius in The Royal Tenenbaums are as varied as the other roles he has played. Journey with us as we discover the many faces of Ben Stiller.
Meet the Parents (2000)
The face of a neurotic nurse. Meet Greg Focker: an innocent male nurse who tries to do everything right the first time; however, as his last name humorously insinuates, Focker hasn’t quite perfected his Midas Touch. Although Stiller truly plays the “nice guy” (he times the perfect proposal-gone-wrong, carefully calculates his dialogue with his girlfriend’s parents, and cringes in a swimmer’s Speedo), he isn’t always the funny guy. Stiller is able to evoke humor from the things he does or says on a sincere, naïve level, and not because he’s trying to be comic.
Keeping the Faith (2000)
The face of a resolute rabbi. Stiller not only shows a different face in this film, but he literally “wears a different hat” as Jewish rabbi Jake Schram. Beloved by his congregation, Schram’s style of preaching resembles Stiller‘s comedic side. And though funny moments are plentiful, especially in reference to the Jewish faith, Stiller still manages a serious conviction. Religion, however, isn’t the only issue that holds philosophic value. The plot, based on two clergymen who love the same woman, causes Schram to be torn between being ostracized for loving a woman who isn’t a member of his faith and the friend he calls brother. Stiller remains steadfastly genuine and realistic in his approach, making his character eminently believable.
Permanent Midnight (1998)
The face of the “workaholic” junkie. The pathetic story of a guy, Jerry Stahl, whose $5000 a week paycheck doesn’t seem to equal success because he is slowly losing his soul to his $6000 a week drug addiction. While Stahl’s character gives us plenty of opportunities to laugh-out-loud, Stiller‘s riveting, compelling performance as a somber, fallen junkie gives us a powerful wake up call to become anti-drug.
Mystery Men (1999)
The face of frequent fury. Stiller strives for the occupation of primo superhero, but his character Mr. Furious is too angry to save the world. He miscalculates the more important matters in life like saving Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear) and takes it personally when anyone hurts his feelings. Mr. Furious angrily excludes himself from the rest of the evil fighters in an “I-told-you-so” manner, as Stiller convincingly pouts his lips and tucks his head like a wounded little boy.
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Your Friends & Neighbors (1998)
The face of the terribly talkative lover. Jerry’s a guy who constantly tries to “justify his love” with his girlfriend in the bedroom. Because he intellectualizes his every move, she can’t stand it, and his foreplay seems transparent. As a result, Jerry’s frustrations come out at the university, where he is professor of drama, and consequently picks up a female student. One time, while demonstrating to his class what Shakespeare “really” meant (with quite a lot of sexual umph), we see Jerry acting out what he would like to do at home. Stiller‘s rich portrayal as the frustrated husband is darkly comical because he’s able to exhibit that frustration on many different levels.
There’s Something About Mary (1998)
The face of the lovable goofball. Ted Stroehmann’s changed a lot since high school, and wants to reunite with his teen crush Mary (Cameron Diaz). Stiller plays the bumbling, still-child everyman to perfection, yet pining over his lost love. Stroehmann’s hire of private investigator Pat Healy (Matt Dillon) at the insistence of best friend Dom (Chris Elliot) leads him to one embarrassing mishap after another, until we can’t feel anything but pity and affection for Stiller‘s portrayal of desperate love.
Zero Effect (1998)
The face of the calculated but contemptuous counsel. Now here’s a true mystery movie. Stiller dons the non-emotional face of Steve Arlo, the all-business lawyer representing Daryl Zero (Bill Pullman), agoraphobic detective. Stiller acts inside the acting. Although Zero can hold his own on the screen, Arlo has to be Zero’s public face, acting on his behalf. And Stiller‘s character is as cool as the other side of the pillow when he negotiates with the client: “I’ll shoot you. I have a gun–and everything.” Yet Stiller‘s Arlo has his emotionally expressive moments; even he recognizes the oddity of his employer and expresses contempt as he gets more and more fed up with Zero.
Flirting With Disaster (1996)
The face of the desperate and sincere searcher. Mel Coplin’s excuse is that he doesn’t know who he is, literally. Even if his libido charges forward at all times in the film (both in what he says and does), it falls right in line with his obsession about biology. Mel’s quest is to find his biological parents and eventually those of his adopted son. While the movie is hands-down comical, and some of the characters are even cartoon-like, Stiller‘s portrayal of Mel remains legitimately human. It is easy to care about Stiller because he has real fears and concerns.
If Lucy Fell (1996)
The face of the misguided artist. Bwick Elias–in dreds, and seldomly seen–is a bizarre artist filling the place of lover for forlorn Lucy (Sarah Jessica Parker) who’s attracted to oddities. Bwick can’t seem to speak normally, though, so he’s never taken seriously. “What you feel, I treat,” he tells Lucy, as if that was some incredibly profound statement, similar to what he might say about his art. Stiller really shows off his versatility in this small role, though: he paints with his body parts, and does a good impression of Prince!
Reality Bites (1994)
The face of Mr. Yuppy Save-the-day. Michael Grates: it seems Stiller‘s character’s name is supposed to be self-explanatory. Grates initially gets the girl, but also grates on everyone else’s nerves. Because he has already “made it” in the world as an executive for an MTV-like station, the group of fresh college grads are suspicious and probably a bit jealous. But Grates gives them all a dose of “reality;” he’s not someone to be laughed at. He’s a buisiness man who has a job to do, including promoting his girlfriend’s (Winona Ryder) film project which, to her surprise, gets edited beyond original recognition. Stiller‘s Grates exemplifies the cliché “what appears may not always be” and that making “real” decisions can lead to a harsh reality.
