Joey Magidson
When it comes to Ben Stiller, I’m not sure he gets the respect as an actor that he deserves (or as a filmmaker, for that matter). Considering how many different types of works he’s been in, behind and in front of the camera, it’s clear that he has more range than folks assume. As such, with Nutcrackers having just come out (and my new ranking of David Gordon Green films here), it seemed like a good opportunity to give the same treatment to Stiller. So, that’s exactly what I did here in the shadow of Thanksgiving 2024…
Below, you can see what I feel are Stiller’s best turns to date. For me, it’s Greenberg and The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) representing his top performances, so clearly Noah Baumbach brings out the best in him. Where does Nutcrackers fall? What about his romantic comedies or overt comedy roles? Find out below…
Here now is how I would rank the best performances to date from Ben Stiller. Behold:
Honorable Mention: Along Came Polly, Dodgeball, Nutcrackers, Tropic Thunder, and Zoolander
10. Meet the Parents
9. Flirting With Disaster
8. There’s Something About Mary
7. Your Friends and Neighbors
6. Brad’s Status
5. The Royal Tenenbaums
4. Keeping the Faith
3. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
2. The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
1. Greenberg
What are your favorite Ben Stiller performances? Let us know!
Do we know what’s going on with that Bagman adaptation he was apparently working on with Rachel Maddow? I haven’t heard anything about it since it was first announced…
I haven’t either, but I can look into it…
I haven’t seen 4, 7, 9 on this list of the others i would rank his performances the same. Walter Mitty is my favourite movie of his.
Solid pick!
Has never come close a nomination worthy performance for me. I am a fan in the movies below. I have seen Walter Mitty….and that is the reason it is not on my list….tough watch! Looking at the films that he has directed….I actually think every one is worse than the one before it. If I had to rank them they would be in the order they were released with Reality Bites being by far the best and the only one that isn’t a fair or poor movie. But that’s just me.
Hey, I’m one of the few who really liked Walter Mitty.
I wanted to like it so badly! So I’m jealous of you and Sam for getting something about of it…but it lost me early and never got me back. I’d be lying if I said I would try to revisit it….I don’t think I will. At least we agree on his best performance. I’m a little surprised Meyerowitz was your second place…I love that movie but a few performances stand out for me above him…Sandler being the best. But Meyerowitz and Royal Tenenbaums, along with Greenberg are my 3 favorite movies he’s been in.
Totally fair!