Ben Stiller

Made films the shows talk about.

Wikidata Q47100: matched by corpus:resolve, told apart by the only person by that name on Wikidata.

Counted as actor. The films the hosts said they acted in, which the two lists below run through too: Empire of the Sun (1987); Reality Bites (1994); There's Something About Mary (1998); The Royal Tenenbaums (2001); The Meyerowitz Stories (2017); I'm Still Here; Keeping the Faith. Count them as director (5 films), writer (1 film) instead.

Draws on

What the speakers say they, or a film of theirs, drew on. Each is a speaker's account: “the maker said so” when they report the maker's own words, “the host's read” when the read is theirs.

David Lean: 1 line

  1. lineage (origin of project) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they acted in: David Lean ⇒ Empire of the Sun (the host's read). Lean asked Spielberg to check on the rights, then lost interest and handed the novel to him.
    “He asks Spielberg to check in on the rights for him.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 0:57:53 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Francois Truffaut: 1 line

  1. lineage (influence) · through The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), which they acted in: Francois Truffaut ⇒ The Royal Tenenbaums (the host's read). French New Wave influence.
    “Francois Truffaux, Sholu Qadar, the French New Wave.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:15:59 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

French New Wave: 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), which they acted in: French New Wave ⇒ The Royal Tenenbaums (the host's read). Combines the emotionality and cutting style of French new wave with the rawness of 70s American cinema.
    “You've got 70s American cinema and you've also got 60s French new wave.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 12 - 'The Royal Tenenbaums’ · 0:06:33 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), which they acted in: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler ⇒ The Royal Tenenbaums (the host's read). The vibe of that kid-runaway book imbues the first 40 minutes, including the narration and child-genius portraiture.
    “the whole vibe of that book is imbued in the 1st 40 minutes of this movie, most of the narration, most of the young Tenenbaum's portraiture of these 3 child geniuses.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 12 - 'The Royal Tenenbaums’ · 0:05:56 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Gone with the Wind (1939): 1 line

  1. unmapped (scene reference) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they acted in: Gone with the Wind ⇒ Empire of the Sun (the host's read). Jim stands before the Gone with the Wind poster, echoing Spielberg's remark to Alice Walker that it is one of his favorites.
    “I mean, you have that moment where he's standing in front of the giant gone with the wind poster, right?”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 1:31:05 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)

Harold and Maud: 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), which they acted in: Harold and Maud ⇒ The Royal Tenenbaums (the host's read). Off-kilter characterization, 70s feel, overcoats, and suicide attempts; in the bloodstream of Tenenbaums and Squid and the Whale.
    “Harold and Maud is very much in the bloodstream of, of, the Royal Ten of bombs and Squid and the whale.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 12 - 'The Royal Tenenbaums’ · 0:37:40 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

J.G. Ballard: 1 line

  1. lineage (source) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they acted in: J.G. Ballard ⇒ Empire of the Sun (the host's read). The novel is darker than the film, which sanitized it and condensed characters.
    “There is definitely a lot of sanitizing happening and a lot of kind of condensing of characters and turning them into more of a more of a Hollywoody plot element.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 1:01:53 · Bilge Ebiri (0.75 sure it was them)

Jaws (1975): 1 line

  1. craft (shot design) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they acted in: Jaws ⇒ Empire of the Sun (the host's read). Spielberg reveals Malkovich in pieces like Jaws and Indiana Jones, withholding the hero shot.
    “he introduces him both like he's Jaws and like he's Indiana Jones”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 1:38:17 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Jean-Luc Godard: 1 line

  1. lineage (influence) · through The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), which they acted in: Jean-Luc Godard ⇒ The Royal Tenenbaums (the maker said so: Matt Zoller Seitz's book on the movie). The mosaic of book covers was inspired by a Godard movie doing something similar.
    “he was inspired by, I think it was a Godard movie that did something similar, of course.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:53:10 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)

Louis Malle: 1 line

  1. lineage (influence) · through The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), which they acted in: Louis Malle ⇒ The Royal Tenenbaums (the host's read). French New Wave directors listed among its influences.
    “some of the influences on this movie include films by Louis Maule. Um, uh, Francois Truffaux, Sholu Qadar, the French New Wave.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:15:51 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): 1 line

  1. craft (shot design) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they acted in: Raiders of the Lost Ark ⇒ Empire of the Sun (the host's read). Same slow reveal as Indiana Jones in pieces before the hero shot.
    “which similarly has the like Spielberg taking 5 minutes to show you Indiana Jones in pieces before you really get the hero shot”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 1:38:17 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

The Big Chill (1983): 1 line

  1. theme (theme) · through Reality Bites (1994), which they acted in: The Big Chill ⇒ Reality Bites (the host's read). Reality Bites is the young-person reaction to the sold-out generation The Big Chill depicts.
    “And then that's why like reality bites hits and you see reality bites and you're like, oh, that's why Troy is like, fuck everything.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Big Chill’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:12:44 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

The Catcher in the Rye / Franny and Zooey: 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), which they acted in: The Catcher in the Rye / Franny and Zooey ⇒ The Royal Tenenbaums (the host's read). Salinger's Glass-family stories are the key literary influence.
    “Zoe is like the key influence on this film”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 12 - 'The Royal Tenenbaums’ · 0:05:35 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942): 1 line

  1. lineage (influence) · through The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), which they acted in: The Magnificent Ambersons ⇒ The Royal Tenenbaums (the host's read). Named as a huge influence; rewatching Ambersons shows how much of it is in Tenenbaums.
    “it's wild how much, uh, ten bombs or how much Amberson's is in ten bombs.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:16:15 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Drawn on by

What the speakers say drew on them or a film of theirs, marked the same way.

Schindler's List (1993): 2 lines

  1. contrast (method contrast) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they acted in: Empire of the Sun ⇒ Schindler's List (the host's read). On Schindler Spielberg refused to storyboard, almost as a reaction to criticism of the puppet-show control in Empire.
    “Schindler, the infamous thing, is that he was like, I won't storyboard this.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 0:31:40 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (dry run) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they acted in: Empire of the Sun ⇒ Schindler's List (the host's read). Schindler's List is the more successful grown-up film that erased Empire of the Sun from memory; it was seen as the dry run.
    “Look back as this was the dry run before he totally cracked it on Shell.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 0:30:35 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

Old School (2003): 1 line

  1. unmapped (groundwork) · through There's Something About Mary (1998), which they acted in: There's Something About Mary ⇒ Old School (the host's read). Farrelly brothers hits like Mary laid the ground for Road Trip and the R-rated wave.
    “All of those kind of laid the ground for, uh, road trip.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Old School’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:08:55 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): 1 line

  1. verdict (verdict) · through The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), which they acted in: The Royal Tenenbaums ⇒ The Grand Budapest Hotel (the host's read). Grand Budapest is the best alternative case for the Anderson slot, but it could not exist without Tenenbaums' blueprint.
    “Um, but Grand Budapest does not exist.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 12 - 'The Royal Tenenbaums’ · 0:38:16 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Tropic Thunder (2008): 1 line

  1. lineage (inspiration) · through Empire of the Sun (1987), which they acted in: Empire of the Sun ⇒ Tropic Thunder (the host's read). Ben Stiller, on the Empire set as a young actor, was inspired by actors playing at suffering to make Tropic Thunder two decades later.
    “Which, of course, this is one of this movie's greatest, like, lasting legacies is that this, this is what inspires Tropic Thunder.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri · 1:49:05 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)

What the speakers said they did

Directing (6) everyone in directing

Acting (8) everyone in acting

Writing (1) everyone in writing

What was said about them, by kind

career (1)

  1. career (career): Ben Stiller → The Cable Guy. After Reality Bites, Stiller's career took off and he became the biggest star of the five.
    “Then he ended up, I think he did cable guy, and then his own career took off, and he ended up becoming the biggest star of the 5 of them.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Reality Bites’ 25th Anniversary With Bill Simmons, Chuck Klosterman, and Chris Ryan · 0:32:01 · Bill Simmons (0.55 sure it was them)

people (1)

  1. people (performance-lineage): Ben Stiller → The Meyerowitz Stories. Stiller built on Chas in later dramatic work like Meyerowitz.
    “in the Meyerwitz Chronicles or something, you can see traces of Chaz.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:01:02 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)

Fun items about them

  1. fun, about Ben Stiller: The whole movie exists for 'I've had a rough year, Dad' and Royal's 'I know you have, Chaz'; Andy calls it one of the most devastating line readings of his adult film life.
    “the entire movie exists for the moment when Ben Stiller says, I've had a tough year, dad.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:00:03 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)
  2. fun, about Ben Stiller: Vincent Hanna overacting award goes to Stiller, pitched at a different frequency than everyone else; Paltrow floated too.
    “He's pitched at a different frequency than everyone else in this movie.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:10:49 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)