Any movie that stars Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell is funny. However, Zoolander ups the ante by taking these three funny guys and adding a plot about the “cutthroat world” of male modeling. The conclusion is a movie that will keep you laughing for a large percentage of its eighty-nine minute run time. In addition to directing the movie, Ben Stiller plays the lead. His character is Derek Zoolander. Derek was once the number one male fashion model in the world. However, he lost this title to Hansel, whose character is played by Owen Wilson. While Derek is dealing with his fall from the top, Jacobim Mugatu is busy hatching a plot to assassinate Malaysia’s Prime Minister.
Mugatu owns a fashion empire, played by Will Ferrell. The reason he wants to assassinate the Prime Minister is because he wants to keep Malaysian child labor protection laws from harming his empire. Mugatu decides that the best way to carry out his assassination is by brainwashing a male model into doing his dirty work. He chooses Derek as the perfect brainwashing target. As Mugatu is carrying out his plan, Matilda Jeffries begins following Derek. Matilda is a journalist who wrote a scathing article about Derek. However, she’s now reconsidering her opinion of him.
Matilda, played by lovely Christine Taylor, and a reality wife to Ben Stiller. As the movie continues, we get to watch the interaction and growing relationship of Derek, Hansel and Matilda. Throughout Zoolander, Jerry Stiller, Jon Voight, Milla Jovovich, Judah Friedlander and Vince Vaughn all make contributions to the movie. David Duchovny, originally known best for The X-Files and now the sex addicted star of Showtime’s Californication, makes an especially humorous contribution as J.P. Prewett.
Prewett is a former hand model who warns Matilda and Derek about the dangers of the fashion industry’s power. Since the movie’s production, nearly a decade ago, Zoolander has aged like fine wine. Although the ridiculous nature of the plot could have made this movie a real stinker, it’s saved by the strong delivery of the cast. As the previous top male fashion model in the world, Derek is predictably dim and shallow. The most important talent he has to offer is his signature Blue Steel pose. However, as the movie progresses, Stiller shows that Derek still has a human side.
Owen Wilson commonly gets criticized for playing the same character type. However, his personality makes him so enjoyable to watch. And while Will Ferrell’s schtick can lose its impact when he’s asked to carry a movie like Semi-Pro, being able to share the screen with other talented comedians allows him to maximize the impact of his over the top humor. While you can regularly catch Zoolander on several different cable channels, if you want to enjoy the full extent of this movie’s outlandish humor, you need to rent it on DVD!