by Ben Stiller, 2001.
Starring: Will Ferrel, Milla Jovovich, Ben Stiller, Jerry Stiller, Christine Taylor, Owen Wilson.
Rating: 7.5/10, 3.5/10.
Hmm. What to say about Zoolander? It’s...um...interesting.
It is not, by any means, a good movie. It is very funny, and since it doesn’t ever appear to try to be a good movie, I think we can forgive it. Seeing all the talent that’s in it (Ferrel, the two Stillers, and Wilson, among others, are all highly talented comedic actors), I have a feeling that this was sort of their goof-off movie, their time to have fun before going back to more serious comedies like, say, The Royal Tenenbaums.
Anyway, it’s all about Derek Zoolander (Stiller), who is a mega super dooper model who decides to retire from the business, only to be lured back for one final show by evil clothing designer Jacobim Mugatu (Ferrel) and his evil accomplice Katinka Ingabogovinanana (the heavily made-up Jovovich...and in case you’re wondering, I cut and pasted that name from www.imdb.com). This last show is actually a cover for Mugatu’s evil plot to brainwash Zoolander and have him kill the prime minister of Malaysia to keep up the unfair labour practices that keep the fashion industry booming.
Anyway, whatever. I guess it kind of tries to make a point about fashion and child labour and all that, but it doesn’t really come across so much as the wacky (I’m sorry, I can’t think of any other word for it) fun of the movie. I thought the single best thing about the movie was that it was positively drowning in creative cameos, everyone from Fred Durst to Garry Shandling Stephen Dorff to, in what is clearly the best of all of them (and I say this even knowing that I’m slightly biased in this), David Bowie. When he showed up I laughed so hard I nearly puked.
Anyway...all in all, I'd say i'm amused, but largely unimpressed.