Ben Stiller just didn't want to be the center of attention anymore. For years, the guy who gave us Zoolander and Meet the Parents seemed perfectly content sitting in the director’s chair or behind a producer’s monitor. He was busy making brain-bending TV like Severance or gritty dramas like Escape at Dannemora. It was a long hiatus. Seven years, actually. But in 2024, the streak finally snapped.
It wasn't a Marvel movie that brought him back. It wasn't some high-concept action flick either. Honestly, it was a group of four real-life brothers on a farm in Ohio and a demon played by Jack Black. If you’ve been looking for ben stiller movies 2024, you've probably realized that his "comeback" is much weirder—and way more personal—than anyone expected.
The Big One: Why Nutcrackers Matters
The centerpiece of the ben stiller movies 2024 lineup is Nutcrackers. This isn't your typical, glossy Hollywood holiday film. Directed by David Gordon Green—the same guy who did the recent Halloween trilogy, which is a wild pivot—the movie stars Stiller as Mike, a high-strung city guy who has to go to rural Ohio to look after his four orphaned nephews.
Here is the thing that makes it unique: those four boys? They aren't professional child actors. They are the Janson brothers—Homer, Ulysses, Atlas, and Arlo. They actually live on the farm where the movie was filmed. Green is friends with their mom and basically built the script around their real lives, their animals, and their chaotic energy.
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Stiller plays the "straight man" in this mess. He rolls up in a yellow Porsche, obsessed with closing a real estate deal, only to find himself dealing with kids who hotwire carnival rides and raise chickens. It’s a fish-out-of-water story that feels less like a script and more like a documentary of a man slowly losing his mind—and then finding his heart.
- Release Date: November 29, 2024
- Where to Watch: Hulu (Disney+ internationally)
- The Vibe: Heartfelt, messy, and surprisingly "indie" for a Christmas movie.
That Bizarre Cameo in Dear Santa
If Nutcrackers is the main course, Dear Santa is the chaotic dessert. This movie stars Jack Black as Satan (who gets summoned because a kid misspells "Santa").
While it's primarily a Jack Black vehicle, Ben Stiller makes a surprise appearance as Lucifer. It's a small role, but it's a massive deal for fans of the duo’s history. Seeing them together again feels like a throwback to the Tropic Thunder or Tenacious D days. Stiller plays an eccentric, disgruntled version of the Devil who has to fire Jack Black’s character from the demon workforce. It’s ridiculous. It’s loud. It’s exactly what you want from a Stiller/Black reunion.
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Why did he wait so long?
A lot of people wondered if Stiller was "retired" from acting. He wasn't. He told Variety at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) that the gap wasn't intentional. He just got busy directing. When you're running a massive production like Severance, you don't exactly have three months to go stand in front of a camera for someone else.
He needed something that felt authentic. He found that in the dirt of an Ohio farm. There’s a specific kind of vulnerability in Nutcrackers that you don't see in his older, more manic characters like White Goodman or Derek Zoolander.
Looking Past 2024: What’s Next?
While 2024 was the year of the return, it set the stage for some even bigger nostalgia trips. If you're a fan of his work this year, you should keep an eye on these moving into 2025 and 2026:
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- The Dink: Stiller is staying in the "reluctant athlete" subgenre. This one is a pickleball comedy starring Jake Johnson. Stiller has a supporting role and is producing it through his company, Red Hour Films.
- Focker In-Law: This is the big one. It’s the fourth movie in the Meet the Parents franchise. It’s currently in development, with Robert De Niro and Stiller set to return. They’ve even added Ariana Grande to the cast. Expect this to hit theaters around November 2026.
- Happy Gilmore 2: Yes, it's happening. While Hal L. is technically a cameo role, Stiller is expected to reprise his iconic, mustachioed orderly character for the Netflix sequel.
How to catch up on Ben Stiller's 2024 work
If you want to see the full range of what he did this year, start with the TIFF interviews. Seeing him talk about the "viciousness-free" filming of Nutcrackers explains why he chose these specific projects. Then, head over to Hulu for the main event.
Most people will probably skip Dear Santa because it looks like a goofy kids' movie, but Stiller's scene is worth the price of admission (or the subscription fee) alone. It's the most "classic Ben" he's been in years.
After you've watched Nutcrackers, take a look at the behind-the-scenes footage of the Janson brothers. It adds a whole different layer to the film when you realize Stiller was actually living in that house with those kids, dealing with the real-life chaos of a working farm. It wasn't just acting; it was survival.
Actionable Next Steps: Check your Hulu subscription to ensure you have access to Nutcrackers, then set a reminder for the release of Severance Season 2, which Stiller directed and will likely influence his acting choices for the next few years. If you're looking for more than just 2024 releases, revisit The Meyerowitz Stories on Netflix to see the performance that originally paved the way for this more grounded, "actor-first" era of his career.