Ben Stiller's New Apple TV Comedy Movie Debuts To Solid Rotten Tomatoes Score

Published Jul 21, 2026, 5:28 PM EDT

The actor and producer has a history of working with Apple TV on shows like High Desert and the upcoming series Protective Custody and The Off Weeks, as well as the documentary Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost. His most prominent project with the streamer is Severance, a sci-fi thriller that he executive produces and directs.

Now Stiller is staying put at Apple TV for the upcoming sports comedy film The Dink, which just debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a critic score of 76%. Positive reviews describe it as funny, entertaining and irreverent, with well-defined characters and a talented cast.

However, some critics called out The Dink for having filler content and being predictable; one reviewer even went so far as to say it works better as background noise while preparing dinner.

Stiller is an executive producer on The Dink with John Lesher, Rob Paris, Mike Witherill and Jake Johnson. Josh Greenbaum directed the movie from a script by Sean Clements.

Aside from serving on the producing team, Stiller and Johnson are also cast members alongside Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, Chloe Fineman (who just announced she's leaving Saturday Night Live after seven seasons), Patton Oswalt, Chris Parnell, Martin Kove, Aaron Chen, Christine Taylor, Lynne Marie Stewart, Cayden Romero, John McEnroe and Andy Roddick.

The star of The Dink is Johnson as Dusty Boyd, a tennis pro past his prime who begins playing pickleball to save a club in dire straits. Before landing this role, the actor was best known for playing Nick Miller on New Girl, which earned him a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.

His other small-screen credits include Stumptown, Lost Ollie, Minx and Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. Johnson has also appeared on the big screen in A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, 21 Jump Street, Jurassic World and The Mummy (2017), and is the voice of Peter B. Parker in the Spider-Verse trilogy, with the final installment coming out in June 2027.

Aside from The Dink, Stiller has Severance season 3 in the works, with filming about to get underway; the hit Apple TV series has received multiple Emmy wins and nominations since it debuted in 2022.

Ben Stiller is also reprising the role of Greg Focker in Focker-in-Law, the third sequel in the Meet the Parents franchise, with Robert De Niro, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner and Ariana Grande.

The Dink will be released Friday, July 24 on Apple TV.