The article text provided isn't actually the article — it's just the page's navigation/menu boilerplate ("Music Film Travel Art News Shop Mailing List… Cover Story | Yard Act") plus the headline. There's no actual body text about which 1997 film Ben Stiller turned down directing, so I can't produce an accurate summary without inventing details.

Could you paste the full article text, or confirm the URL is correct? I don't want to fabricate specifics about which movie or why Stiller declined it.