Check your brain at the door, to see “Zoolander,” and prepare to be stupefied.
With such trademark looks as “Blue Steel,” “Ferrari” and “Le Tigre” and three consecutive “Male Model of the Year” awards, Derek Zoolander thought he was on top of his game – until he met Hansel, his arch-nemesis and rookie model, played by Owen Wilson (“Meet the Parents”). When Zoolander, played by Ben Stiller (“There’s Something About Mary, “Meet the Parents”), realizes he is no longer the king of the catwalk, he tries to find his calling in life.
“I’m pretty sure there’s more to life than just being really, really good looking, and I plan on finding out what that is,” Zoolander said in the movie.
The plot thickens when an evil secretive designer cartel plots to kill the prime minister of Malaysia for outlawing the child labor that fabricates their haute-couture. These fashion elite target the spiky black-haired Zoolander to do the deed. Mugatu, played by Will Ferrell, is the wickedly funny designer and co-conspirator responsible for brainwashing Zoolander. It seems that every major political assassination in past 200 years has been done by male models because of their peak physical condition and their availability to gain entry and do as they are told.
Ben Stiller, also the director, of the film, involved many of his friends and family in the movie. Jerry Stiller, Stiller’s father, plays Maury Ballstein, head of Balls Models and Zoolander’s agent. Christine Taylor, Stiller’s wife, plays Matilda Jeffries, a smart Time magazine reporter covering Fashion Week.
Mugatu’s sidekick, Katinka, is played by Milla Jovovich and other famous people in the movie making cameo appearances include David Duchovny, Andy Dick, David Bowie, Fabio, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lenny Kravitz and Winona Ryder.
“Zoolander” is a hilarious comedy with some of the best physical-comedic actors in the business. Though a few of the jokes are old after watching the trailers on television, the writing is original and fresh. Stiller is, of course, magnificent in his role of a moronic and narcissistic fashion model.
Possibly the best scene is the runway walk-off challenge between the equally half-baked Hansel and Zoolander. Only Stiller and Wilson could portray such far-fetched characters. They each had to learn martial arts and break dance fighting in preparation for the scene. The actors expressions and mannerisms are incredibly believable, as though such events actually take place.
“The walk-off scene was uncomfortable for me because I literally have never danced in public, or in private. We had to break dance in front of 75 extras who were cheering and booing,” Wilson said in a statement.
The premise of “Zoolander” may seem familiar to some; the movie was inspired by Ben Stiller’s own short skit for the 1996 “VH1 Fashion Awards.” “Zoolander” opens in theaters tomorrow.
