Zoolander (2001)

I am incredibly offended by the societys negative opinion on super models. I am a super model and I just wanted to tell everybody that we are not all as incredibly as stupid as most society thinks. Zoolander is incredibly mean and makes us sound all like we are all dumb and it makes me incredibly sad that society only thinks of us as being only attractive. Please don't judge us by the cover and think about the other things super models do in society.Sincerely, a real live super model

Ben Stiller is the titular character of this comedy that does not believe in being particularly smart. It is dumb, but with such infectious comedic energy by Stiller and friend Owen Wilson poured on screen, it is funny enough to look past how ridiculous it gets. Stiller, also filling in the director's chair, conducts a comedy that lends a satirical look at the modeling industry and how competition can bring out both the best and the worst in those who compete for the big prize. This is where the small, but significant amount of cleverness comes into the picture. But it is Stiller and Wilson are smoke the air with their comedic energy to make this into a film that offers just enough laughs and fun to compensate for its short runtime. While it certainly isn't consistently funny, with occasional botched attempts at humor, it knows how to tickle the funny bone for a film that resists against engaging the brain. This film follows acclaimed fashion model Derek Zoolander (played by Ben Stiller), a three-time consecutive award winner who is on his way to claiming his fourth prize as "Model of The Year". All this hopes are eventually crushed when the prize goes to his rival Hansel (played by Owen Wilson). To make matters worse, he find himself on the cover of a magazine mocked as an "idiot" by columnist Matilda (played by Christine Taylor). Throwing in the towel, Zoolander decides to pursue on a new path, possibly opening up an institute for children who have trouble reading. His goals are soon put a halt by dubious fashion designer Mugatu (played by Will Ferrell) who uses a machine to brainwash him into killing the prime minister of Malaysia as an outcry against child labor. With this mind out of whack, you must turn to Matilda and form a bond with his rival Hansel to help from committing this diabolical plot. Ben Stiller leads a cast of comedic veterans who seem to have fun acting like dimwits, and the result is a ride through whacky stupidity. But if you are willing to scoot past the dominating stupidity and the politically offensive plot of assassinating a foreign leader for a debatable cause, you are rewarded with a hilarious good time. This film offers a clever escapism into dumb territory where acting foolish equates to gut-busting laughter and its cast prove their ability for displaying solid comedic timing, even when it fails on an occasional basis. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson cook up an infectious comic energy in nearly scene they both meet on screen, and the energy unravels into funny laugh-out-loud sequences including a fashion showdown scene, another segment owing homage to '2001: A Space Odyssey', and the final scene showcasing their attempts at turning the tables on the comically antagonistic Will Ferrell. Supplementing these scenes are loads of unexpected celebrity cameos including David Bowie, Natalie Portman, Lenny Kravitz, Cuba Gooding Jr. and many others. On the other hand, there are moments where the cast falls shorts when taking a stab at the funny bone, whether it is from attempting slapstick gags that are better fit for 'The Three Stooges', or spewing vulgar, but PG-13 friendly dialogue. No need to worry though, Stiller, Wilson, and Ferrell manage to compensate for some of the dull moments. Christine Taylor, Stiller's wife, and Jerry Stiller (playing Zoolander's agent), his dad, have a few good lines, but perhaps not enough to count for memorable roles. For Taylor, her most memorable would be an orgy scene that demands for editing cuts when the film was initially slapped with an R-rating. Zoolander is a comedy loaded with laughter and infectious charisma, and Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Will Ferrell deserve the credit for this. Yes, it is goofy, but it is a goofy ride that is worth hopping into if you are hungry for some feel-good laughs. While the movie isn't consistently with its hilarity, it is definitely enough to warrant a viewing for a fair number of comedic fanatics.

If you are looking for a cerebral comedy, you certainly should not pick "Zoolander". It's dumb, rather silly and...dumb. But, it's also good for a few laughs and is a very amiable time-passer filled with lots of amazing cameos.The film is about a narcissistic idiot male model, Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller). He's world famous but also quite empty-headed...so empty-headed that Mugatu* (Will Ferrell) is planning on brainwashing him into murdering the president of Malaysia. Why? Well, because Mugatu and the other evil fashion designers want to keep operating their sweatshops around the globe and the new leader of Malaysia is in favor of outlawing child labor! Fortunately, a writer for "Time", Matilda Jefferies (Christine Taylor**) is there to help uncover the plot and with the help of another really stupid male model (Owen Wilson) the three of them work to disrupt Mugatu's plans.I will freely admit that the plot is pretty shallow and nonsensical as well as the ending being a bit dumb. However, the film is still works quite well because it is still quite funny and pokes a lot of fun at the fashion/modeling industry. While it's not a hilarious, must-see comedy, it does the trick and makes you laugh. And, it's interesting to see the many, many, many cameos by the rich and famous (such as David Bowie, Donald Trump, Natalie Portman, Lenny Kravitz, Fabio, Gwen Stafani and many more) as well as a chance to see nepotism in action, as Ben Stiller's parents (Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara), his sister (Amy Stiller) and his wife (Taylor)!*Mugatu is the name of a nasty white ape-like monster from a Star Trek episode, "A Private Little War".**If Taylor looks familiar, you might just remember her as the actress who played Marcia in the fabulous "Brady Bunch" movies.

Zoolander follows the male model Derek Zoolander as he embarks on a journey to discover who he truly is and is ultimately manipulated into doing something evil for the sake of another person. That plot synopsis was not very good, but with a movie like this it's hard to get one that is. Zoolander is a very odd movie. The humor is very goofy and dumb, but it's also very good and pretty clever at times. It's easy to laugh at and enjoy, and it truly is just a weird movie. As far as character depth and plot development goes, this movie does lack. It doesn't show during the movie because it's clear that this is kind of it's intention. It's not trying to be a masterpiece, it's just trying to make you laugh. And it does just that. I don't wish that it'd been deeper or anything, either. With a movie like this that simply wouldn't make any sense. Every time it did 'go deeper' that moment was immediately shot down by some goofy joke, further proving that the movie was trying to be anything but deep or emotional.Overall Zoolander is a lot of fun. It's very funny in a dumb and goofy way. While nothing about it is particularly deep or developed, it's clear that it's not supposed to be. And that's not a bad thing. It was made to entertain and that's what it did. In the end I would recommend this movie.