Zoolander, a three time winner of the male model of the year award, goes up against the new kid in town, Hansel (Owen Wilson), and much to his amazement has his crown taken from him. No longer the toast of the town and already yesterday's news, Zoolander falls prey to the dastardly machinations of acclaimed fashion designer, Mugatu (Will Ferrell), and his evil sidekick, Katinka (Milla Jovovich).

It seems that Mugatu and Katinka want to turn Zoolander into an unwitting assassin whose killing frenzy will be triggered by hearing certain words of a song. In order to keep Mugatu's sweatshops running at full throttle, they hope to rid themselves of the prime minister of Malaysia, who is planning on abolishing child labor. An intelligent and intrepid reporter, Matilda Jeffries (Christine Taylor), who is also Zoolander's love interest, realizes, however, that something amiss is afoot. Before you know it, bitter rivals Zoolander and Hansel are joined in battle against the forces of evil.

This is a hilarious and silly spoof that is sure to make the viewer rock and roll with laughter. Ben Stiller is hysterical as the dumber than dumb Zoolander, who struggles to find meaning in his life after his modeling career tanks. Owen Wilson is absolutely endearing as Zoolander's equally dense rival, Hansel. David Duchovny has a small, but memorable, role as J.P. Prewitt, a former hand model. Jon Voight is funny as Larry Zoolander, Derek's macho, coal miner father, who is mortified by his effeminate looking son and his chosen occupation.

Jerry Stiller, Ben's real life father, has a pivotal role as Maury Ballstein, head of the Balls Modeling Agency, who claims to love Zoolander as a son but sells him down river anyway, when the chips are down. Ben's real life mom, Anna Meara, has a very small part in the film, as does his real life sister, Amy. Cameos by celebrities who play themselves abound in this film. Look for Donatella Versace, Winona Ryder, Billy Zane, Claudia Schiffer. Gary Shandling, "Lil Kim. Sandra Bernhard, David Bowie, Fabio, Lenny Kravitz, and Donald Trump, just to name a few.

If you are a fan of the Saturday Night Live show, Mad TV, and Comedy Central, then you will, undoubtedly, enjoy this original, silly, satiric, and thoroughly funny and irreverent spoof of the New York fashion scene.

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:

Delightfully Offbeat  Aug 09, 2006
By DK9777
I can't figure out which makes me laugh more: the actual movie, or the review written by Roger Ebert where he climbs up on a soap box and attempts to lecture the worlds on the dangers of terrorism before handing out a one star rating. I would think it's quite an honor for a film to be panned by the man who once trashed A Clockwork Orange, #46 on AFI's list of 100 great American films.

Honestly, this isn't the type of movie that will blow you away the first time you see it. There are some funny parts, but you may be distracted with wondering why Stiller chose his wife to play the token hot woman. But, like any classic comedy, this is the type of movie that just ages well. It's not a masterpiece that will spark discussions like The Royal Tenenbaums. It's probably not even the type of movie that you'd want to lie around and watch on a rainy day. But it's a perfect background movie. You know, the type of movie that comes on TV and you end up watching when you're just killing time. Or the type of movie you can throw in for background noise when you have a few friends over.

The actual plot is as off-the-wall as they come. An investigative reporter is looking into the life of male-models and eventually discovers a plot to brainwash Derek Zoolander and make him into an assassin, all for the good of the fashion industry. One of the funniest things about the movie is that the successful male models are played by Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson--who aren't exactly pretty boys.

The comedy in the movie can be pretty hit or miss, but you never get the feeling that the guys are mailing in their performances; this one doesn't suffer from a lack of effort. There are plenty of word gags reminiscent of Leslie Nielsen flicks. The movie has several appearances from well known actors like Jon Voight, Will Ferrell and David Duchovny, but what really carries it is the strength of the leading men: Wilson and Stiller. In the end, it's hard not to be at least mildly entertained. Any one who likes the stars should enjoy the movie.

24 of 29 found the following review helpful:

Ben Stiller is Absolutely Adorable, His Movie Hilarious  Oct 02, 2001
By carol irvin "carol irvin"
I guess I ought to warn you first by stating that I am one of the few people in the USA to love the movie "Cable Guy" directed by Ben Stiller. That movie was panned by just about everyone. I subsequently enjoyed his move into leading man acting. In every movie he's been in, I think he's proved his ability as a comedic romantic leading man. They are in short supply nowadays too so I do not take his success in that venue lightly. With this film, he returns to writing and directing plus takes the lead role of Derek Zoolander, top male model. Derek is lacking in brains in many areas, although he can suprise you in other areas with considerable smarts. Although I generally don't like brainless men, Stiller makes Derek Zoolander work for me. The supporting cast is also marvelous. Stiller's Dad Jerry has one of the best roles, Maurray, his agent. He is LOL funny every moment he is on camera. The competitor male model, played by Owen Wilson, is also quite good. I thought I'd die laughing when Stiller and Wilson, in their dumbest character modes, tried to take apart a computer, expecting to find real world file folders inside of it. This all culminates in the high fashion show of "Derelict" based on homeless dressing in NYC. Whoever did Stiller's clothes for the Derelict runway show was a mastermind of wearable art. The coat he wears on his strut down the runway is incredible. I really can't imagine anyone's not enjoying this movie. I'm glad Stiller has returned to directing but not given up on the acting. He's at his best combining them both.

12 of 14 found the following review helpful:

An intentionally moronic tweak on "The Manchurian Candidate"  Feb 16, 2005
By M J Heilbron Jr. "Dr. Mo"
Saying this movie is stupid is like saying the Sistine Chapel is pretty.

It doesn't convey the overwhelming epic nature of its' stupidity. This film goes for "stupid" in a colossal fashion. Swings for the fences.

But here's the thing: it's not dumb.

Oh no, not a bit.

It's actually an intentionally moronic tweak of "The Manchurian Candidate", with overt nods to "The Godfather Part II", music videos...

...Zoolander has been brainwashed to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia during a fashion show.

Derek refers to him as the "Prime Rib of Propecia". See? Stupid, but stupid funny.

There's a small role given to a guy who explains "the truth" to the whole plot to the two main characters. His casting is perfect.

The truth is definitely out there, and I giggled during the entire scene.

Ben Stiller plays Derek Zoolander, world's greatest male model. His real-life father plays his agent; Jon Voight plays his father in the film. His real-life wife plays his love interest. Owen Wilson plays the rival model Hansel.

No one with that sort of nose could ever (in a non-stupid world) be a superstar male model, which fits perfectly here. The camera almost lingers on that proboscis.

Will Ferrell again shows up with such a wigged-out performance that I would not be surprised if one day he is discovered to come from another planet. The guy's a loon.

In fact, I'm giving this an extra star (it's a good, solid 3+) simply due to the absolutely hilarious cameos sprinkled throughout the movie. Some may find this "stupid", but that's this film's raison d'etre. Come on...David Bowie judging a runway "walk-off"?

So realize that maybe only seven brain cells will fire while you're watching this.

Those seven will be pretty amused...

9 of 10 found the following review helpful:

Incredibly Hilarious  Mar 06, 2004
By bean-fiend
This was one of the many movies I went to see out of sheer boredom- not because I saw the ads and said to myself "Wow! I have to see that one!" Surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the funniest (new) films I've seen in a number of years. I'm not a particular fan of Ben Stiller's movies (though I always like the man himself). There wasn't much to laugh about in "There's Something About Mary" or "Meet the Parents", but Stiller's portrayal of Derek Zoolander, dim-witted male model, (along with a number of other roles) had me practically rolling on the floor with laughter. His dialogue and comic timing are perfectly fitted to the character, and his feigned accent is just icing on the cake.
I was especially pleased to see that "Zoolander" didn't delve nearly so deeply into the "gross-out" humor of some other Stiller films, especially when more and more so-called comedies seem to be following that path every year. To be sure, there were jokes about sex and bodily functions, but they were doled out sparingly and never came close to overshadowing the other, more clever dialogue.
Comedy is a tricky thing to critique. After all, perhaps more than in any other genre, quality is all a matter of personal taste rather than objective criteria. I personally found this film hilarious and enjoyable enough to watch again and again. For me, it was a rare find in the virtually endless sea of un-funny comedies constantly appearing in theaters around America.

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