Zoolander (B+ or 3/4 stars)
A dimwitted fashion model, Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller), gets brainwashed to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia in 'Zoolander', directed by Stiller, himself. That's some first sentence, huh? Well, as idiotic as the tagline/plotline is, it's deliberately idiotic. The plot of this satire on the fashion industry may be paper thin, some jokes may fall flat, but overall, this is a film to just sit back, watch in all its ridiculously dumb splendor & laugh.
Derek Zoolander, though at the end of his career, is the current King of the modeling world. But when up for a potential 4th male model of the year award, he is eclipsed by the new & popular Hansel (a very funny Owen Wilson). Derek's trademark 'blue steel' stare is upstaged by Hansel's onstage exuberance, & he has taken over title of best male model. From here on out, Derek's life dives into a tailspin. Time magazine publishes a scathing article about it, written by Matilda Jeffries (Christine Taylor, Stiller's real wife). His coalminer father (Jon Voight) is not proud of his son's modeling accomplishments; thin as they are. And his 3 best friends (all of them are morons) are killed in a freak gasoline accident.
So Derek quits modeling & devotes himself to charity work ... hoping to build a school for 'children who can't read good'. However, Derek is eventually persuaded by his agent, Maury Ballstein (Jerry Stiller, Ben's real dad) & an eclectic, but evil fashion mogul named Mugatu (a hysterical Will Ferrell). Mugatu wants Derek to be the model for his new Derelicte collection, but his ulterior motive is brainwashing Derek into assassinating the Prime Minister of Malaysia! Why, you ask? Because the PM is set to institute laws limiting child labor. Hahaha. What a plot. Though they were initially rivals, Derek teams up with Hansel & Matilda in order to save the PM & take-down Mugatu; including his cohort, Katinka Inga Shanana (Milla Jovovich). Yes, you read that all correctly.
Watching a bunch of morons onscreen has never been more fun. Think of the 1st time you saw The Jerk (starring Steve Martin); you marvel at how stupid he is. That is this film, all over again. All of the characters are obsessed with their looks. They're all naive. And they can barely put 2 words together in a sentence. There are several uproarious scenes in 'Zoolander'. i.e., the big awards show in the beginning; a runway walk-off duel btwn. Derek & Hansel; a break dance fight, etc.. The music used throughout the film is appropo (80's pop hits like 'Relax'). In other words, 'Zoolander' is an intentionally campy affair. Its satire on the fashion industry is played-up to the hilt. And I found myself laughing at its utter preposterousness.
Stiller & Wilson are wonderfully idiotic (wide-eyed, prissy, vacuous and all). And Will Ferrell's Mugatu goes SO over-the-top that I verged on peeing in my pants, at times. There are tons of ingenious cameos (Cuba Gooding Jr., Gary Shandling, Winona Ryder, Natalie Portman, David Duchovny, Billy Zane, David Bowie). But the best cameo comes from Jon Voight as the dirty, disgruntled, disappointed father of Derek. The plot in this film is A-B-C simple, & while the characters may be dumb, the humor is not. It's VERY on-point. Sure, there are some dead patches during the course of the movie. But overall, the laugh-out-loud moments override the intermittent dips. I definitely recommend 'Zoolander' as viable entertainment.
Derek Zoolander, though at the end of his career, is the current King of the modeling world. But when up for a potential 4th male model of the year award, he is eclipsed by the new & popular Hansel (a very funny Owen Wilson). Derek's trademark 'blue steel' stare is upstaged by Hansel's onstage exuberance, & he has taken over title of best male model. From here on out, Derek's life dives into a tailspin. Time magazine publishes a scathing article about it, written by Matilda Jeffries (Christine Taylor, Stiller's real wife). His coalminer father (Jon Voight) is not proud of his son's modeling accomplishments; thin as they are. And his 3 best friends (all of them are morons) are killed in a freak gasoline accident.
So Derek quits modeling & devotes himself to charity work ... hoping to build a school for 'children who can't read good'. However, Derek is eventually persuaded by his agent, Maury Ballstein (Jerry Stiller, Ben's real dad) & an eclectic, but evil fashion mogul named Mugatu (a hysterical Will Ferrell). Mugatu wants Derek to be the model for his new Derelicte collection, but his ulterior motive is brainwashing Derek into assassinating the Prime Minister of Malaysia! Why, you ask? Because the PM is set to institute laws limiting child labor. Hahaha. What a plot. Though they were initially rivals, Derek teams up with Hansel & Matilda in order to save the PM & take-down Mugatu; including his cohort, Katinka Inga Shanana (Milla Jovovich). Yes, you read that all correctly.
Watching a bunch of morons onscreen has never been more fun. Think of the 1st time you saw The Jerk (starring Steve Martin); you marvel at how stupid he is. That is this film, all over again. All of the characters are obsessed with their looks. They're all naive. And they can barely put 2 words together in a sentence. There are several uproarious scenes in 'Zoolander'. i.e., the big awards show in the beginning; a runway walk-off duel btwn. Derek & Hansel; a break dance fight, etc.. The music used throughout the film is appropo (80's pop hits like 'Relax'). In other words, 'Zoolander' is an intentionally campy affair. Its satire on the fashion industry is played-up to the hilt. And I found myself laughing at its utter preposterousness.
Stiller & Wilson are wonderfully idiotic (wide-eyed, prissy, vacuous and all). And Will Ferrell's Mugatu goes SO over-the-top that I verged on peeing in my pants, at times. There are tons of ingenious cameos (Cuba Gooding Jr., Gary Shandling, Winona Ryder, Natalie Portman, David Duchovny, Billy Zane, David Bowie). But the best cameo comes from Jon Voight as the dirty, disgruntled, disappointed father of Derek. The plot in this film is A-B-C simple, & while the characters may be dumb, the humor is not. It's VERY on-point. Sure, there are some dead patches during the course of the movie. But overall, the laugh-out-loud moments override the intermittent dips. I definitely recommend 'Zoolander' as viable entertainment.