Zoolander Review
by Karina Montgomery (cinerina AT flash DOT net)October 25th, 2001
Zoolander
Network Premiere with a snack
Whatever Zoolander is or is not, it is completely and utterly committed to the gag. It full on drives it home with every frame, every word - the sad part is that the gag is not worth all the trouble. However, not even the considerable comic talents of Ben and Jerry Stiller, Owen Wilson, or Christine Taylor (Marcia in the Brady Bunch movies) can make this hodgepodge into more than it is. You'll notice I don't include the chronically anti-funny Will Ferrell in this list. Most often on the large or small screen, he is merely a liability or an annoyance - but as the heavy in this film, so much rides on him not sucking that it dooms the film. And yet, this is Ferrell's least unwatchable role ever.
For those who don't know, Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) is conscripted into spy work to bring down a fashionista regime that is threatening to - what? I was never sure - something evil regarding migrant/child laborers and profits and what have you. The plot is unimportant, and takes a back seat to the notion that male models are stupid and have secret power in their looks. His competitor in model-hood is the always delightful Owen Wilson, whose normally brilliant persona has been diluted by his character's weird New age rock & roller model pastiche. This killed any chance of Owen's tangy wit to really shine. It's a waste of both Wilson's and Stiller's considerable bit to play such lunkheads.
Jerry Stiller plays the Danny DeVito of the fashion world, and he and his new real-life daughter in law Christine Taylor are just not given enough to do. The fashion industry is weird enough that to properly parody it is hardly worth the hyperbole. A cameo from David Bowie is funny but was it worth the scene that made it possible?
My two companions and I definitely laughed at certain points, and we generally admired the shrewd production design, but something important was missing. Cohesion? Maybe. A solid foundation? Certainly.
It's already a known quantity that MTV films are not going to be top of the mark, and now it appears VH1 films are following in that bland tradition. Because Stiller invented this character for the VH1 Fashion Awards, somehow it became a real movie. I am loathe to acknowledge that Ben Stiller's genius (as exhibited in his critically acclaimed series way back when) is not evident in this film, much. The best gags come from the art department and the props, not from the story, and that's a killer every time. Oh Ben!
It pains me to admit that Ben's aim is not true. Go home and rent The Cable Guy and let's hope that Owen and Ben can work together on something as great as Meet The Parents again.
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These reviews (c) 2001 Karina Montgomery. Please feel free to forward but just credit the reviewer in the text. Thanks.
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