Saturday, September 25, 2010

Pose Reviews A Movie. #43: Zoolander (2001)

Zoolander presents a deep, philosophical spelunking into the depths of one of the most important and divisive questions with which humanity will ever come to grips.

...isn't there more to life than just being really really good-looking?

Well, in Derek Zoolander's case...not really.

This classic comedy about the world-famous male model with the IQ of a hammer has aged quite well considering it's coming up on its ten-year anniversary.

The premise is indisputably unique, centering around the title character (Ben Stiller) whose critically acclaimed domination of the modeling industry is disrupted when his rival, Hansel (Owen Wilson), takes the coveted Male Model of the Year award.

It's at this point that Zoolander starts to reconsider the value of his career, making him vulnerable to the tempting advances of the evil fashion guru Mugatu (Will Ferrell), who uses Zoolander's all but absent intelligence to lure him into an assassination plot.

In the tradition of Dodgeball, Anchorman and Wedding Crashers, Zoolander sports the absurd and hilariously effective comedic delivery of comedy giants Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell. And with fantastic additions made by Jon Voight, David Duchovny and Jerry Stiller, the movie is full of the all-star heavy-hitters of Hollywood.

In much the same way that "the clothes that make the (wo)man," it's definitely Zoolander's cast that makes the film.

The concept is good, the script is good, the plot is good, but the characters are great.

Plus, Zoolander is also saturated with fantastic (and numerous!) cameo appearances, most notably David Bowie as the Right Honourable Judge of the epic walk-off between Zoolander and Hansel.

And if you're upset that I gave that away, let's be honest--don't you want to see it more now that you know there's

a) David Bowie
and
b) The necessity for a walk-off judge?

I'd definitely recommend Zoolander to fans of the aforementioned comedians who star in the film, but I'd also recommend a re-watch for anyone who hasn't seen it in awhile. Having not watched it myself since its initial release in 2001, I had forgotten a lot of the great gags, and even the ones I remembered wear quite well.

Often, what separates the goods from the greats in the comedy genre is the films' ability to endure over time. I think Zoolander admirably stands this test of time, and whether you've seen it already, or didn't surface from under your rock until its popularity had died down, I would give it a second look.

And if you don't like it? Well, I have something that will cheer you up...ORANGE MOCHA FRAPPUCCINOS!

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