Written by: Drake Sather, Ben Stiller, John Hamburg
Starring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Christine Taylor, Milla Jovovich, Jerry Stiller
Rating: [2/5]
Superficiality in people often gets a bad rap for good reasons considering it fails to go below the surface of what individuals want. A type of vanity that only exists in a world that seemingly accepts it, like modeling as seen in Zoolander. While superficiality and vanity come as the butt of the joke, unfortunately, this film does not have much to offer other than continually banging the same drum over and over again.
Slipping from the peak of the modeling world, Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) has hit a point of crisis following a critical article written about him. Seeing others surpass him, he takes up an opportunity by Jacobim Mugatu (Will Ferrell) to star on a runway show disguised as an effort to brainwash the model to assassinate a prime minister.
Comedy in the early 2000s came with a staple of films that many of my generation have globbed onto. Comedies that when hit at the right time can leave an impressionable love on those who watched them. I certainly have those that I watched and can instantly quote but Zoolander is not one of them for one reason or another meaning I first took in this film in adulthood. That means taking in this story occurs with no tinge of nostalgia and not much of the comedy therefore landed for me. Yes, the overall joke of the film of how dumb male models are has some comedic value but the film never quite moves beyond that to make for something any more insightful. It, therefore, just feels like a retread joke for the majority of a feature film that frankly got quite tiring.
The moments that work certainly get a good chuckle, at least at the very beginning, where it shows Derek has nothing to him other than his looks seeing as his intelligence does not measure up. This does not come as something unique to him but rather all of the models as we see the scene with Derek’s friends at a gas station that reaches a level of stupidity and unawareness that feels unreal. That scene certainly sets the tone and gets a good chuckle but then we have everything transpiring with the main plot of this assassination plot and the brainwashing involved and it just does not register as anything worth really watching.
The type of humor utilized in this feature seeks to get dumber and dumber with each scene where it serves as a bit of an equalizer overall. With everyone acting this dumb it should all come together as a silly story but this film never materializes as putting it all together. Sure you have the “straight man” of this story in Matilda Jeffries (Christine Taylor), who just takes this whole modeling world in stride as a journalist and attempts to make sense of it all. When factoring in Will Ferrell’s character of Jacobim Mugatu we see so heightened that it shows the comedic actor falling into his worst tendencies. He does not serve as a positive nor does he help elevate the film even in the slightest.
Having plenty of issues with the film, I do want to shout out my appreciation for Ben Stiller as an actor playing Derek Zoolander. For all of the issues I have with his direction in this film, he shows out as the titular character. He goes all in with what is required and makes all of those silly modeling faces give the desired impact. The Magnum in the end well and truly takes the cake for what it can do and for the most part, all of those acting choices work to the benefit of the film. Unfortunately, he fought an uphill battle against himself behind the camera in not moving beyond anything above the surface with this idea as we have the same repeated jokes over and over again.
Perhaps watching Zoolander at a younger age would have let me grow an appreciation for it, but from where it stands, it truly disappointed me. It comes full of fun actors playing up these characters in a comedic manner but the material they receive leaves plenty lacking and much meat on the bone. On the surface, it has some funny moments and lines that could be quoted but as a film, it never materializes and brings everything together as something successful.
Films with Josh 
