A Philadelphia-born screenwriter and producer, Meyers collaborates exclusively with her husband, Charles Shyer. Together since 1976 (they wed in 1995), the two first worked on the hit comedy "Private Benjamin" (1980). By this time, Shyer had already amassed a respectable resume writing for TV ("All in the Family", "The Odd Couple") and films ("Smokey and the Bandit" 1977, "Goin' South" and "House Calls" both 1978). "Private Benjamin"--the tale of spoiled brat Goldie Hawn in the Army--was the first (and last) enterprise of The Meyers-Shyer-Miller Production Company. The three principles (the third being Harvey Miller) produced and wrote the film.
Next came "Irreconcilable Differences" (1984), a marital comedy starring Shelley Long and Ryan O'Neal, on which Meyers served as executive producer. It was Shyer's first directorial outing, and he and Meyers wrote the screenplay. The couple provided the story for another Goldie Hawn comedy, "Protocol" (1984), then threw their energy into the successful "Baby Boom" (1987).
This film--starring Diane Keaton as a yuppie who finds herself an adoptive mom--was co-produced and -written by Meyers and Shyer; Shyer also directed. It was perfect fare for the time: the story of a woman battling between the working and nesting instincts. The pair also co-produced the short-lived TV series (NBC, 1988-89) which the film spawned. Their next film, the heart-warming family comedy "Father of the Bride" (a 1991 remake of the 1950 film), was also a success. Meyers and Shyer were two of many producers, shared screenwriting credit and Shyer directed (as was the case with its 1995 sequel, "Father of the Bride, Part II").
Their next two collaborations were not as successful. The comedy mystery "Once Upon a Crime" (1992) was co-written by the pair and five others and sank without a trace. Likewise, the Julia Roberts-Nick Nolte romance "I Love Trouble" (1994, produced and written by Meyers, written and directed by Shyer) vanished quickly from screens. Meyer and Shyer finally wed in 1995 and formed their own production company, The Meyers/Shyer Company. They signed a development deal with Walt Disney Pictures in 1996 which eventually yielded the hit 1998 remake of "The Parent Trap" (with twin title characters Annie and Hallie named after their daughter), which also marked Meyers' directorial debut. That same year, however, the couple separated both professionally and personally (as of 2004 they had not formally divorced) and Meyers' new path led her to direct--but, for the first time, not write the screenplay for--the Mel Gibson-Helen Hunt romantic comedy "What Women Want" (2000) in which Gibson's character gains the ability to read women's minds. Meyers would make a strong return to the big screen as writer-director with the crowd-pleasing, if slightly uneven, "Something's Gotta Give" (2003), a romantic comedy for the over-50 set featuring terrifically charismatic turns from Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton.