Zoolander – In Need of a New Look by Homer Yen (c) 2001
"Zoolander" is a little comedy that says to itself, "I think I can – I think I can." But try as it might, it never quite makes it over that hill.
While trailers make it seem like a spy flick parody, "Zoolander" is practically the opposite of Austin Powers. AP is a shagadelic, bespectacled spy that touches the world of fashion. Ben Stiller's "Zoolander" is a fashion model that touches the world of spy. Apparently, there is a subtle conspiracy taking shape in the world of fashion. Male models are being groomed to become lethal assassins. Why? Male models are in top physical condition, they can gain access into the most secure areas, and they always do what they're told to do. "That's not true," protests our dim hero. "Yes it is," replies a shadowy figure! "Oh, ok," says Zoolander, cowering in agreement.
That's pretty much the heart and soul of this film, a sputtering satire of the fashion industry and the dim-witted milksops that inhabit it. It's funniest aspect pokes fun at the extreme vanity and intense competition among the top models. Hansel (Owen Wilson) is an up-and-coming rookie that threatens Zoolander's dominance. Clearly, this new threat riles the vain veteran. It eventually leads to a challenge/walk-off in which these two get to strut their best and funniest stuff down a runway. Another funny segment involved an aging hand model whose hand was encased in a hyperbarbic chamber.
Regardless of the way Zoolander moves down the catwalk or the sighs from women when he purses his lips and flashes his patented 'blue steel' pose, he is gloriously empty-headed. The cure for any of his problems is a cup of orange mocha frapaccino and an impromptu water fight.
His general state of ineptitude catches the eye of evil fashion designer Mugatu (Will Ferrell). Our villain is facing a crisis in Malaysia where the newly elected leader has promised sweeping labor reform. Without the cheap labor that Mugatu has been exploiting, his already-pricey fashions will skyrocket. He will need to kill the leader and will 'recruit' Zoolander to do the deed. Ferrell is the life of this party and obviously enjoys hamming it up for a laugh.
Stiller also displays convincing enthusiasm for his work (so much so, that his character could have been called Zealander). Yet despite the concerted efforts of everyone, the gags and the overall silliness wears out faster than last season's fashions. "Zoolander" just doesn't have enough going for it beyond the dumb-as-nails/narcissism angle. In fact, the entire essence of the film is captured in those Heineken beer commercials.
Did you ever notice that when a company tries to promote a product, it uses stars as testimonials? That seems to be what's happening here. Cover models Christine Taylor and Milla Jovovich have supporting roles while a host of Hollywood medium-weights show up in cameo roles. And, as this is a VH1 production, they would be remiss in excluding trendy rockers like Lenny Kravitz and David Bowie. Well, you have to give them credit for really trying. But perhaps Frankie Goes to Hollywood said it best when they sang, "Relax, Don't Do It."
Grade: C+
S: 1 out of 3 L: 1 out of 3 V: 1 out of 3
__________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals. http://personals.yahoo.com
========== X-RAMR-ID: 29781 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 254151 X-RT-TitleID: 1110145 X-RT-AuthorID: 1370 X-RT-RatingText: C+
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews