I'm a big Ben fan (Stiller, not the clock in
London). And this movie is funny, really ... it's
just, it's just ... I don't know? ... Missing that
inexplicable special something.
Ben is Derek Zoolander, male supermodel with a
different "look" for each calendar month, though all
his faces "look" the same. The glossy surface of his thin fashion
world takes a scratch when the hot new kid (Owen
Wilson) challenges Zoolander's reign. One other snag,
Derek is brainwashed to assassinate the premier of
Malaysia in order to keep child labor laws from
hindering sweatshop-clothing success. Those in power
choose Zoolander, since Fabio was too smart for the
job.
Sound silly? You bet! Amidst the light-hearted
absurdity, fashion jokes, dumb model stereotypes,
many knee-slapping bits arise. But, you'll have to
wait for the exact moment of climax for that deep
belly-roll laugh - a razor sharp gag that one.
Rhinestone-studded with star cameos from David
Bowie to Natalie Portman, this fashion-spoof fails to paint a
pretty picture perfect image on the screen. If this
was indeed shot on film, a low-quality stock must
have been employed.
Ben's accent, though satirical, nonetheless gets
in the way of his natural sense of humor. Owen
Wilson, known for his thinking man roles ("Shanghai Noon,"
"BottleRocket") manages the difficult challenge of
playing the smartest of a dim breed. While Ben's
wife, Christine Taylor, handles the film's "straight
man" role respectfully and his dad, Jerry, suits up
comfortably as agent Maury Ballstein. Sister Amy and
mother Anne Meara also appear.
"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."
It's a gender-changed "Legally Blonde" that
doesn't earn quite the same high marks. But
Zoolander's still fun (or should I say "Stiller
fun?")
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