How Stiller Got His Career Back

The early noughties were kind to comedian Ben Stiller. He milked cats with Robert De Niro, struck blue steel opposite Will Ferrell in Zoolander, and wore a heavily imitated red tracksuit in one of the best films of 2001. But then there were flops, so many flops, that seemed to position Stiller as, well, an unfunny funnyman. Along came Envy, Polly, and Duplex. There was an abysmal night spent in the museum with Robin Williams. But then Stiller pulled together a husky Tom Cruise, a beminstreled Robert Downey Jr., and a cast of greats to star in the hilarious Tropic Thunder, out later this summer. Then word came today that he would star opposite Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon in an untitled romantic comedy directed by Cameron Crowe. We're still a little worried, however, because Stiller, when things aren't looking so good laughs-wise, tends to retreat into sequels and animated fare. Up next for him? Night at the Museum 2: Escape From the Smithsonian and the pixellated Monsters vs. Aliens. And, as Stiller once said, you can milk almost anything.