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Ben Stillerscored one of his earliest star roles in the Disney drab comedyHeavyweights , and although it was a box office bomb calorimeter on its initial release , it ’s since been deservingly reappraised as a cult classic . Throughout the 2000s , Stiller became one of the large comedy stars at the box office . As a appendage of the “ Frat Pack ” alongside Will Ferrell , Jack Black , and Owen Wilson , Stiller take on uproarious charactersin such shoot comedies asMeet the Parents , The Royal Tenenbaums , Along hail Polly , Starsky & Hutch , andDodgeball : A True Underdog Story .
And Stiller does n’t just asterisk in great comedy ; in some cases , he also writes and directs them . He direct and co - wroteZoolanderandTropic Thunder , which have both become mod classic of the genre . But he ’s had his sightly contribution of washout , too : Duplex , Envy , The Watch , Zoolander 2 . Just one yr after making his feature - length directorial first appearance withhis relatable , generation - defining hitReality Bites , Stiller starred in a much haywire picture show that got pan by critics and bombed at the box office — but it ’s not nearly as tough as its reception would suggest .
Ben Stiller’s Heavyweights Deserves Its Cult Classic Status
It’s One Of Disney’s Darkest Comedies
In 1995,The Mighty Ducksscreenwriter Steven Brill made his directorial debut withHeavyweights , based on a script he co - wrote with futureKnocked Updirector Judd Apatow . Heavyweightstakes place at a weight going camp for boys . Stiller plays the megalomaniacal fitness entrepreneur who takes over the campand suck all the play out of it , prompting the kids to present a takeover and overthrow him .
Heavyweightsreceived mixed reviews from critics , with a perfectly polarise 50 % account on Rotten Tomatoes , and it bombed at the box office on its original discharge , gross just $ 17,689,177 ( viaBox Office Mojo ) . The corner office loser ofHeavyweightscan mostly be attributed to a tonal tug - o’-war between the movie maker and the studio apartment .
Heavyweightsultimately regain an audience through place video and airing on line telly .
Disney require a typical menage - favorable clowning they knew how to market , butthe movie Brill and Apatow write was much darker and more unhinged than the median Disney motion-picture show . Heavyweightshas since been reevaluated as a cult classic , and it ’s a must - see for Stiller fans ; Tony Perkis is basically a paradigm of White Goodman . The humor is definitely a small go out — there are a lot of elusive jokes at the disbursal of plus - size children — but it ’s mostly a fun watch .
Ben Stiller’s Career Wasn’t Hurt By His Disney Box Office Bomb
A Few Years Down The Line, He Would Become A Bona Fide Movie Star
AlthoughHeavyweightsunderperformed at the box office , it was n’t much of a blow to Stiller ’s career . One year later , he directedThe Cable Guy , another pitch shot - Black person comedythat would go on to feel a cult consultation , and despite fall unawares of its star Jim Carrey ’s full-grown succeeder , it still grossed over $ 100 million ( viaBox Office Mojo ) . Two age after that , Stiller played the lead part in the Farrelly brothers ’ delightfully raunchy romantic comedyThere ’s Something About Mary , which was a huge box seat office hitand has been praise as one of the best comedies ever made .
Though Severance was create by Dan Erickson , Ben Stiller has been a Brobdingnagian driving force as an executive producer , director , and actor on the show .
Another two years after that , Stiller starred inMeet the Parents , which was another monolithic commercial-grade succeeder , big enough to launch a franchise . By that breaker point , Stiller was a bona fide motion-picture show star who could get self-aggrandizing crowd to come out to field just by having his name on a marquee . In the 25 years since then , Stiller has continued to work steady . In late years , he ’s focused more on directing — scoring one of the big vital hits of his career withSeverance — but he still stars in the occasional comedy movie .
Heavyweights Is An Underrated Ben Stiller Movie - And So Are These
Plenty Of Ben Stiller Movies Deserve More Love
Heavyweightsis an underrated gem , and it ’s far from the only underrated gem of Stiller ’s calling . For every full-grown collision likeDodgeballorMeet the Parents , there ’s a corking film that fell by the roadside . Stiller ’s remaking ofThe Heartbreak Kidisn’t quite as sharp or sophisticated as the Elaine May original , butit has some huge laughter ( largely thanks to a view - stealing Danny McBride ) . His adjustment ofThe Secret Life of Walter Mittyis a lot more moving and fundamental than the critic gave it credit for .
For every heavy collision like Dodgeball or see the Parents , there ’s a large picture that fall by the wayside .
Stiller ’s 2017 movieBrad ’s Status , written and directed byThe White Lotuscreator Mike White , is a great little grounded drollery touching on relatable insecurity like jealousy and empty - nest syndrome . Most of late , Ben Stillerstarred in the Christmas dramedyNutcrackers , which receive mostly negative reviews from critics . WhileNutcrackersdoes admittedly follow a pretty conversant formula of a grumpy loner reluctantly warming up to the youngster placed under his care , it ’s a really funny , really sweet take on that formulaic story .
Source : Box Office Mojo
