Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost

Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara were very funny people; together and separately. All that they did professionally is on tape. I always liked them; together, and Jerry, separately, even more. So, I tuned in to this documentary to relive the comedy stylings of Stiller & Meara.

Unfortunately, what I got was a BEN Stiller therapy session.

The reason I enjoyed Ben Stillers documentary on his famous parents and his relationship with them is because I always loved Stiller and Meara. And I always liked Ben Stiller. But ultimately it was a bit too much home movies and a little too much like sitting in on someone's therapy session. I was hoping for more of an actual Doc on Stiller and Meara and their rise to fame in show biz. It's definitely a labor of love and if anyone has gone through rummaging through their parents stuff after they have passed to sell the house they will relate. There's enough old clips from all the old variety and talk shows that held my interest. But listening to some very personal conversations between S&M made me a little uncomfortable.

My own parents were married the same year as S&M. My dad was Jewish and my mom catholic. I was also raised in NYC so there was a lot for me to relate to. But, I'm not sure how much interest there is in Ben trying to figure things out with his own kids in front of us. They are not famous yet so I had no interest in them.

He does get points for showing the love this family had for each other.

I didn't grow up in an entertainment family, but I did grow up wanting to do better than my parents. I'm also realizing that after raising a wonderful family, at age 57 (my wife 60), that while we made some of the same mistakes our parents did, we are okay with who we are, and okay with who they are. Ben, Amy, what a wonderful film you and your parents created. It seems as if this was very therapeutic for you and your children, it was for me and my wife and kids as well. Blessings to you and your families. This is a must see film for everyone.

Ben Stiller does a documentary about his parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. In the process, Ben starts to come to terms with himself.

The first issue is the family navel gazing. This could quickly become a home movie if Ben can't get some way inside the material. I think that he opens a couple of avenues. Initially, this is about Anne and Jerry as performers struggling to make the family work. It is an intriguing insight into performers in general and the difficulties of being a 'normal' family. Having Ben there gives another perspective. The other avenue is Ben dealing with his own family. I didn't realize that he and his wife got separated. It is digging up all the personal family history that makes this so fascinating. I wouldn't know if there is any deeper, darker secret that Ben has hidden away. In the end, this is going to be as close as anybody is going to get other than the family members themselves.

A pleasant enough tribute to the duo of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara from their son Ben, but full disclosure, as I've never found their comedy especially funny, my interest level was somewhat limited going in. On the other hand, there is something touching about sifting through old photos and letters from the past to better understand what parents or grandparents went through in their lives, and we get quite a bit of that. They both came out of traumatizing childhoods, so there is a nice human interest story here. It also seemed pretty honest, among other things revealing that Anne was the more naturally talented of the two and that Jerry had to work tirelessly to succeed.

I was less wild about all of the elements that crossed over into Ben Stiller's own life, as aside from the stench of nepotism in the industry, seemed off topic and took away from time that could have been used to interview others who worked with his parents. Ironically, despite having a mountain of material on their hands since Jerry Stiller recorded and kept everything, the documentary seemed a little thin. If you are a fan of Stiller and Meara, however, it's probably essential viewing, despite its flaws, since it is such an intimate look.