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Zoolander

2001, Movie, PG-13, 89 mins

Zoolander: Review

ZOOLANDER
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UNZIPPED meets THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE in Ben Stiller's loopy spoof of New York fashionistas. The new prime minister of Malaysia (Woodrow Asai) has declared war on sweatshops, so a shadowy cabal of designers whose businesses rely on cheap third-world labor has put a price on his head. Meanwhile, spectacularly stupid male model Zoolander (Stiller) is in the midst of a personal crise: He's been ridiculed in a Time magazine cover story by investigative reporter Matilda Jeffries (Christine Taylor, Stiller's wife), seen the VH1 Male Model of the Year award given to arch-rival Hansel (Stiller's MEET THE PARENTS co-star Owen Wilson), and lost his air-headed but really, really good-looking roommates Brint (Alexander Manning), Rufus (Asio Highsmith) and Meekus (Alexander Skarsgard) to an accident occasioned by their awesome idiocy. The shaken Zoolander decides that perhaps being really, really good looking isn't the be-all and end-all of life, so he announces his intention to retire and devote himself to more meaningful pursuits — maybe something to do with teaching kids to read good. But flamboyant designer Jacopo Mugatu (Will Ferrell), who's been recruited by the conspirators of cut-rate chic to carry out their evil desires, has other ideas. The Malaysian prime minister will be in New York City for fashion week, so Mugatu entices Zoolander out of retirement to do his runway show and then, with the help of evil but supremely well-dressed sidekick Katinka (Milla Jovovich), kidnaps and brainwashes the brainless himbo, creating a mindless killing machine. Can this nefarious plot be foiled before Zoolander's fame becomes infamy? Built around a character developed for the 1996 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards show, this meticulously designed comedy contains some funny bits: Who knew that all political assassinations of the last 200 years had been masterminded by rogue rag traders? And who better than X-Files star David Duchovny, playing a gone-to-seed hand model, to tell us about it? The movie's attention to detail is unimpeachable and it's suitably chock-a-block with celebrity cameos, from designer Tommy Hilfiger to sleazy socialite Paris Hilton. But the conceit isn't really rich enough to fill out a feature-length running time, and the film often feels slack and attenuated. Overall, how funny you find it will probably depend on whether or not the mere sight of Stiller sucking in his cheeks, widening his eyes and striking preposterous poses makes you laugh uproariously. leave a comment --Maitland McDonagh
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