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Ben Stiller’s ‘Stiller & Meara’ Premieres at NYFF, Pairing Family Legacy With Personal Reckoning

The Apple original draws on decades of family archives to examine how his parents’ partnership shaped his view of marriage.

Overview

  • The documentary had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on Oct. 5 and is set for a limited theatrical release on Oct. 17 before streaming on Apple TV+ Oct. 24.
  • The film profiles comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, tracing their careers and life at home as they raised Ben and Amy.
  • In on-camera reflections, Stiller says he felt out of balance, unhappy and disconnected from his family during his 2017 separation from Christine Taylor, a relationship later publicly restored in 2022.
  • Stiller began developing the project after Jerry Stiller’s 2020 death during the pandemic, with the film evolving over more than five years.
  • Built from extensive recordings, letters and home footage, the film also includes interviews with Stiller’s children, Ella and Quinn, whose perspectives on his presence surprised him.