Capsule Review: "Zoolander"

by Eric Melin on September 28, 2001

in Print Reviews

Have you ever gone to a comedy with a friend who kept saying “Oh, that would never happen!” or “That’s not funny, it’s just stupid”? If so, keep that friend far away from this one. My trusted friend Dave hated “Zoolander.” I, on the other hand, broke into fits of unrestrained, surprising giggles.

This film is definitely NOT for everyone. I was absolutely amazed at what lengths Ben Stiller went to make Derek Zoolander, the male model character he plays, the stupidest person ever portrayed in a movie. I am not kidding. New levels of idiocism were constantly being reached in this story, only to then be eclipsed mere moments later!

“Zoolander” is a silly, silly satire that elevates the classic “dummy” comic character to a new, even more obliviously dense level. So much so that it is not clever in its satire, but instead clever in the ways it absurdly hammers one point (he’s an idiot!) incessantly into the ground. That takes a lot of balls, and I respect that. Plus, I laughed my ass off at how far he went with it.

Eric is the Editor-in-Chief of Scene-Stealers.com, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and contributor for The Pitch. He’s former President of the KCFCC, and drummer for The Dead Girls, Ultimate Fakebook, and Truck Stop Love . He is also the 2013 Air Guitar World Champion Mean Melin, ranked 4th best of all-time. Eric goes to 11. Follow him at:

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