‘Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost’ Review: Ben Stiller’s Tender Tribute to His Parents (Apple TV)

The risk of making a film like Nothing Is Lost is high. This documentary by Ben Stiller, centered on his parents —the comedy duo Stiller & Meara— could easily have turned into a family-therapy exercise by a nepo baby raised in a showbiz household: a man looking back at his upbringing, reflecting on how it shaped his life, for better or worse. And while that element is certainly present —it runs through the entire film, in fact— there’s something so warm, open, and luminous in the way Stiller approaches this autobiographical project that he manages to rise above the pitfalls of the genre, navigating its traps with grace and genuine emotion.

Part of that success lies in his storytelling approach: emotional and reflective rather than sensational or traumatic, maintaining the kind of tone that, by now, might be called a family gift. The other part comes from the astonishing archive material. In fact, the title Nothing Is Lost refers to Ben’s parents’ lifelong obsession with recording, filming, documenting, collecting, and preserving everything they did. The film begins after both have passed away, as Ben and his sister Amy clean out the family home before selling it. That act of “clearing out” becomes the film’s structure —a journey through memory, as they unearth an extraordinary collection of funny, touching, and sometimes strange family treasures.

Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara were a wildly popular comedy team in the 1960s, best known for their recurring appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, the most-watched TV program in America at the time. On their first appearance, they even shared the episode with The Rolling Stones. A Jewish man and a Catholic woman, different in temperament and background, Jerry and Anne still managed to win over audiences with their chemistry and wit. She was effortlessly talented; he, tireless and determined. She longed to take on more serious work; he chased popularity above all else. From those contrasts and shared passions came their routines —often comic, sometimes tender, and increasingly autobiographical.

All this was happening while Ben and Amy were kids, sometimes tagging along to TV studios or film sets. Their parents’ fame, of course, meant they weren’t always as present as they might have wanted to be. That dynamic clearly resonates with Ben, who faces similar conflicts himself: a level of fame that distances him from his own family, a creative split between his parents’ opposing instincts (the desire for serious, introspective work versus a love of broad comedy), a complicated marriage, and above all, a deep, abiding admiration for his parents —two flawed, passionate people who built a family out of love and persistence.

Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost is at once a history of comedy, a heartfelt family tribute, and a thoughtful meditation on the relationship between work and life. It’s also a loose, self-aware documentary that —aside from a few slightly off moments, such as Stiller’s direct-to-camera reflections— manages to remain elegant, charming, and gently melancholic in equal measure. Escaping the trap of self-indulgence is no small feat, but Stiller the director —another facet of a multi-talented artist who still doesn’t get enough credit— seems to know how to avoid the excesses. Perhaps the secret lies in the love that radiates through every frame. Maybe that’s what makes this such an honest, tender, and quietly moving film.