Rating: 
Summary: Good if you're a fan of Ben Stiller
Review: I love Ben Stiller. I love his show and his movies. The fact that Will Ferrel (as Mugato) was in it only made it better. I enjoyed the movie even though I thought that Ben Stiller has had better movies. (Meet the Parents comes to mind). The movie does have its moments. The scene where Derek Zoolander's (the character Ben plays) friends squirt gasoline at each other is hilarious. The brain washing scene was also one of the moments that had me holding my sides. The day spa scene where Andy Dick under some horrible make-up (you can barely tell it's him) gives Derek a massage is also one of my favorites.
So why did I only give it 4 stars? Because felt that the movie could have been funnier. There were some moments that weren't as well developed as they could have been. Many scene that were intended to be in the movie were never shot because they would have gone over budget. Some scenes were cut short because of pacing problems. Also I buy DVD's instead of VHS because I want to get all the extras. The deleted and extended scenes that were inlcuded were merely alright. The outakes were awesome but the commentary sounded like it was being provided by Ben Stein instead of Ben Stiller. The commentary was monotous and did not have that excitement and energy that other movies like Scooby Doo and Jackass: The Movie provided. Overall a great DVD but not as great as it could have been.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny for a while....
Review: Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller), the greatest male model in the world, teams up with his archrival Hansel (Owen Wilson) to foil an assassination plot against the Malaysian foreign minister for planning to abolish child labor. This film takes some effective digs at the fatuity and insipidness of the fashion industry and its dependance on underpaid labor, and Stiller and Wilson are terrific, but this is essentially a one-joke film and the joke wears thin pretty quick. Wil Ferrell does a great job as the evil fashion magnate Mugatu. I'm waiting for the breakout role that will make him a star.
Rating:
Summary: Man of a Thousand Faces
Review: Ben Stiller was on my black list. After seeing him in "The Royal Tenenbaums," I was convinced the smarmy role he played was too effortless not to reflect the real life Ben Stiller. Either I was wrong, or Ben Stiller is also dumb as a rock, funny as Mike Meyers, poignant as Shirley Temple in the "Little Colonel," and The Handsomest Male Model in the World. I am left with the conclusion Ben Stiller can make you believe in whatever face he cares to present. All the credit (or blame) for "Zoolander" belongs to Ben who wrote, produced, acted and directed.Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) is the #1 Male Model in the World and has been for four years. But we all know how fickle the fashion industry is. DZ is threatened by the newest boy on the block, equally dumb Hansel (Owen Wilson, wonderful as always), and then it transpires that Evil Forces are at work. The plot is impossible, so just enjoy the ride. Celebrity cameos abound. Caught a glimpse of Gary Shandling looking pained for Derek at the "walk-off" between he and Hansel. David Duchovny has a marvelous scene as an over-the-hill "hand" model (hands encased in transparent protective plastic bubbles), and Jon Voight as coal miner Pappy Zoolander. To see Jon Voight with the same punky hair as Ben Stiller is a treat. "Zoolander" either grabs you or it doesn't. I was enchanted with Derek and his fashion smarts coupled with great innocence and sweetness. Stiller's zaniness and intensity don't let up for a minute in this outré outing.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: Zoolander trades and revels in stupidity
Review: First, I would like to say that I have loved Ben Stiller's work in the past, he has talent to burn. This movie, however, did not help his already marginal career along. It did however give Will Ferrel an opportunity to completely run away with the film. As many of the reviewers say, this could have been so much more. In general, you've got two types of humor: the long term and the short term. Long-term humor keeps things general and works with archetypes and stereotypes. It avoids naming names if possible. These kinds of stories really need an investment of good writing. Short term humor is aimed at a specific target and is generally used as a means of levelling and bringing your betters down to your level; thus the expression, 'taking someone down a peg or two'. That said, this movie represented a golden opportunity to make some serious comedic observations about celebrity and fashion life in general. Stiller unfortunately chose the easy way out and decided to shoot his wad on cheap one-liner jokes about flavor-of-the-month celebrities who will be forgotten in a short time. Another problem is the inheritant one dimensionality of models and celebrities that Stiller chooses to exploit in the first place and that he ultimately ends up boxing his own character up in. Other than his tinselly motive of starting a reading center for kids, why should we care about narcistic Derek Zoolander? He gives us nothing to laud, and therefore nothing about the film to move us along. It also completely tanks in the middle with too much expositionary dialogue that goes nowhere, Jerry Stiller's stupid prostate jokes, and a gratutous gang-bang scene that came from out of nowhere. Is Zoolander a complete washout? No! There are some truly inspired scenes in this film: the gasoline/Wham scene, Zoolander's brainwashing, and Will Ferrel! If you see this movie for any reason, see it for Ferrel as he is truly out of control in this picture with his evil fashion designer character that parodies (in part) certain evil African dictators.
Rating: 
Summary: What Genius Made This Movie?
Review: Comedies now a day, are forced to use No-Sence junk to make people laugh. Ben Stiller is a perfect definition of the word "Fruit-Loop." I totally dis-like Models, and their strange stupidy, just like Preps at school. If you like Non-Sence movies, here's one for ya.
Rating:
Summary: "Zoolander" misses its mark.
Review: If "Zoolander" did not look like it had potential as a movie, then I would not bother writing a review. However, the true shame of "Zoolander" is that it could have been a worthy satire of America's obsession with beauty; it fails in this sense and at being a direct comedy as well.
The basic premise of "Zoolander" is absurd, but not in a way that sends its potential viewers packing. A famous model, Ben Stiller, must compete with a new fashion foe, Owen Wilson, and with political espionage.
The rest of the movie follows Stiller through the fashion world and his new model threat, the young and up-and-coming Wilson. The lowpoint of this trek is a "walk-off" of the two models, and Stiller's inability to turn left on the runway.
It is a shame that this movie does not present itself as a satire of the male-modeling industry; the closest it comes to this is the scene where Stiller revisits his home, a mining town in New Jersey. Had "Zoolander" not been an attempt at a direct comedy (at which it fails; it is not funny), then it would have made a biting, if not decent, satire.
Rating:
Summary: Ben Stiller's male model mayhem
Review: I would rate this film somewhere between three and four stars, funnier than the Austin Powers films but not as zany as "There's Something About Mary" or "Blame it on Rio." This is Ben Stiller's "Citizen Kane"--he starred, directed, co-wrote, and co-produced this film--and it is his manic energy which makes everything work so well. In fact, Stiller is in almost every frame of the movie (as befits a legend of supermodeling) as the delightfully dim "Derek Zoolander." Derek is commandeered to be the murderous automaton of the evil designer Mugatu (Will Ferrel, in a crazy, poodle-topped performance), since Fabio is dismissed as "too smart" to be brainwashed. Stiller is perfect as the vacuous "Zoolander," and Owen Wilson's "Hansel" (what a genius of casting, Wilson looks completely UN-supermodel!) is a perfect comic foil. The gay sensibilities (perhaps courtesy of co-producer Scott Rudin) are delicately woven through the film, but of course ALL male models are ultimately straight, like all major Hollywood stars [wink]. Christine Taylor as "Matilda" has the difficult role of straight man to all the goofiness around her, and she is beautiful and stolid. Milla Jovovich sneers and snarls through her vampy role, Jon Voight is just bizarre as Papa Zoolander, and the brisk, 89-minute film is crowded with cameos. Stiller's vision is like a happier, less toxic, less filthy version of John Waters' universe. It is a credit to the sparkle and spontaneity of the film that the deleted scenes and outtakes are no funnier than what was left in the film. Sure, Stiller has taken on an easy target, but he has done it with tremendous wit and irreverence. Work the runway, sweetie! Give us Blue Steel.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been much better
Review: I love Owen Wilson (see him in movies with Jackie Chan). I love Ben Stiller -- and his whole family! I loved the premise -- dumb male model gets involved with spy types, action hero responses required, etc. But somehow, I just don't think they pulled it off. Though somewhat funny, the two male models weren't funny enough -- they needed to exaggerate the characters more. Or else, they needed to take it the other way, and make it more serious, with humorous overtones (aka: Jackie Chan). I went away from the movie ultimately dissatisfied, feeling let down in my expectations. Try again, fellas!
Rating: 
Summary: Sensationally Stupid
Review: If you love classics like Bill & Ted, Wayne's World, Dumb & Dumber or even Beavis & Butthead, this is your kind of movie. The movie is so ridiculous that it truly is amazing. What is nice about this comedy is that they go after a new target instead of staying with fart jokes and stupid stunts. The movie blasts the modeling world and especially male models and goes into an absurd storyline that is priceless. The cast makes this movie. Without Ben and Jerry Stiller, Owen Wilson or Will Ferrell, this movie would be trash. But these boys took trash and created treasure. Some people will never get this movie, that's just the way things are, but I know there are other people out there that love this kind of stuff and will want to watch it multiple times, so get the DVD cause it has some cool features as well.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious!
Review: This movie was definitely one of the most hilarious movies I've seen in quite a while. Ben Stiller was perfectly clueless as male supermodel Derek Zoolander. He played his part flawlessly and had some very great lines. I am usually an Owen Wilson fan, but he wasn't at his best in this movie. Still, Wilson's character Hansel adds an important element to the movie. If anyone is looking for a whole lot of laughs, come see this movie!
|
