Two recent documentaries from Apple TV:
STILLER AND MEARA: NOTHING IS LOST (B+) - Comic actor/director Ben Stiller, with an assist from his sister, performs a deep dive into his parents' lives, a public grieving and reconciliation as he picks through the extensive family archives after Jerry Stiller's death in 2020. Even though, as you'd expect, Ben pulls his punches a few times, he stumbles on some profound insights into the marriage and careers of the beloved comedy team from the 1960s and '70s.
Jerry Stiller met Anne Meara in the 1950s, and theirs seems like an authentic love story. His insecurities drove them toward success, while her talent and timing were critical to their success. They became staples on the "Ed Sullivan Show" in the 1960s, but they eventually embarked on successful solo careers in TV (and her on stage). Their marriage survived until her death in 2015.
The treasure trove here is Jerry Stiller's voluminous archives -- home recordings of the duo creating and rehearsing bits; family films when the kids were small; meticulously curated news clippings that tracked Ben's career. Ben Stiller takes the opportunity to evaluate his own performance as a husband and father, and the making of the film offers him an chance to repair his foundering marriage to actress Christine Taylor. He also bonds sweetly with his sister, Amy, also a comic actor.
Ben walks a fine line between mawkish and reverential. He mentions his mother's alcoholism but doesn't dwell on it and instead champions her late-life sobriety. He strongly implies that his father could be both a sweetheart and a tyrant, but he keeps it respectful. Jerry Stiller had an almost debilitating craving for approval. In one recording, Meara describes the duo's workaholic patterns as "joyless."
It would have been more fascinating, of course, to have been a fly on the wall to any Stiller and Meara couples-counseling sessions back in the day; their marriage skills are admirable. (Their act liked to riff on their mixed marriage -- he was Jewish, she was Irish.) But this is the next best thing to being there, and Ben Stiller is an engaging host who comes across as humble and grateful not only for what his parents passed on to him but also for the opportunity to present it all to the world.
COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT (B) - It's never easy to watch someone die. This documentary takes the approach of a Hollywood drama in chronicling the final couple of years of poet and activist Andrea Gibson whose uphill battle against cancer is doomed all along.
As brave and determined as Gibson (above right) comes off here, there is no sugarcoating the challenges Gibson faced alongside a devoted wife, Megan Falley, a fellow poet. We spent plenty of time in hospitals and at chemotherapy sessions, and no aspect of their home life seems off-limits to the film crew. The hero's journey is two-fold: one is to position Gibson for the inevitable; the other is to root for Gibson to put on one last farewell performance (her shows had the energy of punk concerts at times) before death comes.
Director Ryan White has previously tackled such subjects as Serena Williams and Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Some of his scenes here feel awfully staged -- he gets the lighting just perfect at times, and his establishing shots can be downright Spielbergian. But he knows he has a compelling story, and he's there for the key moments.
We get to observe Gibson's writing process. The couple come across as insightful and honest. White does not overstay his welcome over 104 minutes. He provides an opportunity for the viewer to take a heartfelt journey and to pause afterward in gratitude.
BONUS TRACKS
Over the closing credits of "Stiller and Meara," Sonny & Cher with "Unchained Melody":
Unrelated, our title track, from George Harrison:
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