I guess the
movie wanted to lean heavily on the lead’s (Zoolander) silliness. To be honest,
the silliness is very funny, and his lines are so unpredictable. The lines
catch you off guard, and I found myself laughing. But that silliness and those
lines weren’t good enough to carry this movie.
Before watching
it again, I struggled to recall how the movie made me feel when I first saw it
back in 2001. The only thing I remembered was that the silliness was taken to
the next level. Meaning, aside from Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and his quirky
lines, everything else about this movie is highly forgettable.
I did get a few laughs in the beginning, but by the time the movie reached its
halfway point, I was already exhausted by the silliness and the weak plot. It’s
not strong enough to make me recommend this movie to anyone.
Here’s the plot:
We are introduced to Derek Zoolander, a top male model who has won the award
for Best Male Model three times in a row. He’s been on top of the industry, and
no other male model has been able to compete with him—until now. Enter Hansel
(Owen Wilson), the new guy on the scene, who’s been climbing the ranks and is
now a serious competitor to Zoolander.
Zoolander’s pride in his status leads him to pull a stunt at the awards, which makes him a target for the leaders of the fashion world. They’re looking for someone incredibly dumb and gullible whom they can brainwash into assassinating the prime minister of Malaysia.
Zoolander’s life
is also falling apart outside of his modeling career. An article written by
journalist Matilda (Christine Taylor) further damages his image. Facing the
prospect of retirement, he gets a call from his agent (Jerry Stiller) about a
job with one of the top fashion leaders—an opportunity to make a comeback.
Matilda suspects
that Zoolander is getting himself into serious trouble and tries to help him,
but his silliness makes him constantly push her away.
How things
unfold between Zoolander, Matilda, Hansel, and the fashion leaders is what this
movie is all about.
Back in 2001,
all the A-list celebrities seemed to have cameo roles in this movie—even Donald
Trump and Melania. The late David Bowie also made a memorable appearance as a
judge in a "walk-off." The movie had a bit of a family touch as well,
with Christine Taylor (Stiller’s wife at the time) and Jerry Stiller (his
father) also appearing in the film.
The movie had a
sequel in 2016 (Zoolander
2), which, to me, is on the same level as this one.
This movie was
an average success at the box office, although it was well-received critically.
Watching it again didn’t do much for me.
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