Zoolander

Zoolander casts Ben Stiller as the title character, a moronic male model who finds himself caught up in a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia. It’s a blatantly silly premise that is, for the most part, executed to entertaining and hilarious effect by filmmaker Stiller, as the director, working from a screenplay cowritten with Drake Sather and John Hamburg, has peppered Zoolander with a decidedly affable vibe that’s heightened by a raft of engaging supporting performances and laugh-out-loud funny comedic set pieces. (In terms of the latter, it’s impossible to downplay the effectiveness of the justifiably legendary “school for ants” sequence.) And although the movie remains quite watchable from start to finish, Zoolander does suffer from a somewhat erratic feel that’s compounded and perpetuated by a patchy, almost episodic narrative – which ensures that certain stretches of the film fare much, much better than others. (An obvious low point, for example, is a tedious interlude detailing Zoolander’s overnight stay with rival Hansel and love interest Matilda.) Such instances of less-than-stellar happenings are generally allayed by an atmosphere that’s otherwise (and pervasively) agreeable, with the continuing effectiveness of Stiller’s work as the moronic yet charming central character playing a pivotal role in confirming the movie’s mild success.

*** out of ****