DIE ACTOR DIE

A lot of people are happy that The Heartbreak Kid flopped this weekend, especially Ken Levine.

This got me thinking. I am of the opinion that Ben Stiller is sleepwalking through all of his movies these days. He no longer plays characters; he plays “Ben Stiller.”

This pisses me off. I hate squandered talent!

Ben Stiller is a fine comedic actor who has been seduced to the Star Side (clever, eh?). You can’t blame someone for wanting success and stardom, but now that he has it, it is time to use it! Around the time George Clooney was making Three Kings, he gave an interview where he said:

“My accountant says I will never have to worry about money again. Now I can focus on projects that I want to do.”

Then he punched out David O. Russell.

Looking at his career since then, it appears George is doing just that as a Producer, Director and Star. Sure they are not all hits (K Street, Unscripted) but that’s ok, it makes the successes like Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night and Good Luck that much sweeter.

Why can’t Ben Stiller do the same thing? Why not bring back a version of The Ben Stiller Show on SuperDeluxe or try some more serious fare like Permanent Midnight or produce a show on HBO?

Look at his old buddy Bob Odenkirk. Bob is using as many outlets as he can: the internet, cable, movies, etc. Instead Mr. Stiller just repeats himself over and over, hoping that he will eventually strike oil. Regrettably, he often does (i.e. Night at the Museum) which just continues the process.

But I am more upset with the Farrelly Brothers. For starters, I believe There’s Something About Mary is a perfect comedy. If you get past the gross out humor and “jizz in hair jokes,” it is a well-crafted script. Jokes and plot points are set up in the first act that pay off in the third and every action moves the story forward. There is nothing wasted. But most important, it has a heart; Ben Stiller’s Ted truly cares about Mary. Ironically it was the Farrelly Brothers that added that to the script. The original version (written by Ed Decter and John Strauss) was a much more cynical and coarser movie with Ted just wanting to bang Mary. But the Farrellys realized that wouldn’t work and they changed it.

Since “Mary” they have been repeating themselves. It’s all gross out humor (ok, Fever Pitch wasn’t gross out, it was just bad - and another remake!), which can be very funny but also repetitive annoying. And what is up with that lame and insulting fat mother joke in The Heartbreak Kid - oh look the Mom is fat which means the wife will become fat See fat people are embarrassing! Aren’t these the same guys who made a point of looking at what is inside over what is outside in Shallow Hal? Hysterical? No. Stupid Lazy? Yes!

I don’t know. I like Ben Stiller. I want to like The Farrellys again. I know I’m just some douche in a sea of douches, but I also know there are a lot of hungry and talented people out there trying to get noticed. It’s a shame they are overshadowed by people who are on auto-pilot and have essentially given up trying to do something, anything creative.

Oh man, I just turned into that type of blogger.