On Ben Stiller and Slow Motion

So, I don't really know where this idea came from. Maybe it was something I saw on TV, or maybe it was a memory I had combined with another memory that led to the creation of a double-whammy memory (which we all know is like a super-awesome chocolate milkshake-type of memory event). But either way, somehow I got to be thinking of Ben Stiller, and his film career, and how for some reason, Ben Stiller likes to be filmed doing athletic-y things in slow motion.

Now, I'm not saying it's a full-proof, every movie kind of thing. Obviously, it seems to be in certain kinds of films that this tactic is employed--specifically his comedies in which he plays that uniquely Stiller-esque "dumbass with a giant ego" that I bet he's been riffing on since the Ben Stiller Show from the early 90's. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's a great character, so why mess with it.

Anyway, I thought I might compile some visual evidence of this weird phenomenon. My first memory of this would probably be in that underrated classic, Zoolander. 

Obviously, the athletic-y thing he's doing here is merely turning left, but hey, for Derek Zoolander that's a big accomplishment.

Then we move on to the pool volleyball scene in Meet the Parents.

Again, Stiller in an action shot in super-slow-mo. This time he's shirtless, and getting beefier by the picture. Here he is displaying his awesome throwing prowess in Dodgeball. 

And finally, before this post gets too bogged down with embedded video overkill, here's one from Tropic Thunder.

So what do we get from all this? I haven't done any reading up on Ben Stiller to really get to the bottom of this phenomenon, so maybe there's some interview out there he did with Inside the Actor's Studio or something where James Lipton asks him in his serious manner, "What's with all the slo-mo sequences?" And Ben goes, "Well, James, I don't have much to do with that, you know, since most of the time it's the director's choice." And we'd just leave it at that.

But I wouldn't buy it. So here's my theory.

I bet Ben Stiller grew up as that guy everyone knew who was pretty funny, yet goofy-looking enough that women were not his strong suit. I mean, just look at him!

Close Approximation of High School Age Ben Stiller*

* Only speculating.

Plus, his dad was Frank Constanza.

And, according to some Daily Courier article referenced on Wiki, Stiller's a huge Trekkie, which is why they spoofed Star Trek so frequently on his show. And we all know what being a Trekkie means.

So by the late 90's, Ben decided he's going to do something about it. And he beefs up. Meanwhile, his career takes off with There's Something About Mary, and more movie offers start flooding in. With more star-laden power, Ben realizes he can show off his increasingly awesome bod. But Ben's a smart guy. He knows if he comes out and does just a pure beefcake scene, like something Stallone or Swayze or your other typically awesome bod guys did, it'd be laughable, and not in a good way. So he demands that his movies include scenes in which he does athletic-y things, but in slo-mo, that way it's ironic, in a "Look at this nerd hitting this volleyball" or "Look at this dumbass throw a dodgeball" kind of way. And that way Ben gets to show off his awesome bod, and thereby showing all those girls who turned him down what they're missing, while still keeping his cred as a satirical, meta-comedic star.

And another thing I just realized: I bet anything his increasingly awesome bod came in handy during Feats of Strength.