***Official "ZOOLANDER" Review thread (1 Viewer)

[Chris Dugger]

This thread is now the Official Review Thread for "Zoolander". Please post all HTF member reviews in this thread. Any other comments, links to other reviews, or discussion items will be deleted from this thread without warning! If you need to discuss those type of issues, I have designated an Official Discussion Thread which can be found at this link .
Again, without warning, I will delete all posts that are not a HTF member review!
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Dugger
[Edited last by Chris Dugger on September 28, 2001 at 07:07 AM]

 

[James_Kiang]

I did get out to see this film today with my wife an my brother. We were all somewhat looking forward to it though I think we all knew not to expect too much. Getting to the theater a little early I thought many people might be avoiding this picture but as it turns out the theater got pretty full. At the end, I even heard a little applause. I can't go that far in praising the film. It was very average IMO and I can definitely see some people disliking it quite strongly. Many of the funniest scenes have been played in the trailer and TV spots. Still, if you like Ben Stiller and especially if you like Owen Wilson this film will at least partially deliver.
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"Wait a minute. Was she a great big fat person?"
My DVD Collection

 

[Alex Spindler]

I saw it the other day, and let it sink in overnight.
Certainly not the best satire, but it was well crafted and got the job done. Perhaps the fashion industry isn't well known enough for a major feature film parody to be created about it. Most of the early jokes are heavily steeped in fashion insustry jokes (and the only ones I caught was because of E Channel exposure). Ben Stiller might have been trying too hard to maintain the "look", but overall he did well. Owen Wilson does a really good job, because he doesn't fall too far outside of his own natural style. The jokes near the middle and end are more middle of the road, so the audience picked up at that point. By the end, there was a heartier response.
Overall, I think it was just an acceptably fun time at the movies. Don't walk out if you aren't laughing in the first 15 minutes. It gets better.
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Bombardment Society - Member

 

[Ted Lee]

i just saw this last night and overall, i thought it was pretty funny. i am glad i paid matinee price though.
the story was really, really stupid, but i guess that's not the point here. i'm pretty sure noone was there to see sense & sensibility.
ben stiller, who (imo) is always funny, did a good job holding the movie together. his character was a little hard to believe, but very likeable. i was also surprised to see owen wilson...he did a really good job too. i thought will ferrell was way over-the-top and actually quite annoying...everytime he was on-screen i cringed.
unfortunately, even though i just saw this last night, the movie is completely forgettable. i can't think of a single "stand-out" scene to make me remember this movie.
but i do know i laughed more than once while watching it.
i'll give this a B-minus.
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But the water has moved on.
This page is not here.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Harmless fun. Lisa Schwarzbaum in Entertainment Weekly slammed this for satirizing something that isn't worth the satire, but I think she missed the point. The film aspires to nothing more than diverting silliness, and it succeeds. While I agree that much of it is forgettable, I don't think I'll ever be able to listen to "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood without thinking of Zoolander. And there are a few bits that I'm still chuckling about two days after seeing the film: the Duchovny cameo (part of it is in the trailer, so I'm not giving anything away) and the scene with Zoolander's roommates and their jeep (which has a great extra payoff at the very end of the film).
I'm not sure I'll ever watch it again, but it was well worth seeing in the theater. It's funnier on a grand scale, and I saw it with an audience that was small but enthusiastic.
M.
ADDENDUM: I wasn't going to say anything, but now that subsequent posts have brought it up: The vast majority of skyline shots in Zoolander are views of midtown where the twin towers wouldn't appear. I noticed only a very few shots where they must have been removed -- and even then, I probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't read so many HTF threads making a fuss over the whole issue. It's a minor alteration, and an understandable one given the silly mood that the rest of the film works so hard to establish.
And Roger Ebert can kiss my New York ass.

[Edited last by Michael Reuben on October 02, 2001 at 12:58 PM]

 

[stephen la]

saw this sunday.. it was so funny.. it wasnt very witty..didnt parody too much...its original, dumb, and fun..
I liked best how derek zoolander and the other models in teh movie are just silly looking and dumb.. but they are still portrayed as cool...also I cared for the characters..
you wouldnt think you would care for someone so stuck up as zoolander.. but ben stiller pulled it off.. and the jitterbug scene.. thats classic..
if your a stiller fan.. give it a shot.. expect dumb fun..
this movie took place in mostly newyork.. did the digitally remove teh twin towers.. I found myself looking but not seeing anything.. if they were this must have been a real last minute thing since its only a few weeks since the attack

 

[Sam Hatch]

Yeah, the lack of the towers was much more distracting than if they weren't removed. I say if they were there when it was filmed, they should stay there in the final print.
I had a blast with 'Zoolander', but Ben Stiller's brand of humor has always hit me on the right note. Overall, I don't think it was as funny as 'The Cable Guy', since that had more set pieces that had me doubled over in laughter. (I must point out that I am almost never doubled over in laughter - I can watch most comedies and enjoy them without so much as a smirk) 'Zoolander' still delivered a few of those, most notably the gas station scene and the 'Relax'-ing therapy. The latter had me one or two steps removed from wet pants. 'Prime Minister BAD! Kung-Fu GOOD! Obey my dog!' The walk-off was also very amusing.
The rest of the film was still very enjoyable though. Every scene had some sort of funny dialogue piece, and the characters were all extremely likeable. Owen Wilson and Ben
had great chemistry. The huge amount of cameos also made it fun. I'll definitely be seeing this many times again in the future.
I must also applaud it for not only being a good comedy, but a good comedy that can produce laughs on its own without the easy way of excessively spoofing other movies.
And I've never heard it mentioned much, but Ben Stiller is a really good director. Part of what made 'The Cable Guy' so great was his excellent direction. He has a distinctive style, and his shot composition is always a cut above your usual comedy. 'Zoolander' was both funny and great looking!
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"Negative. I am a meat popsicle."
[Edited last by Sam Hatch on October 03, 2001 at 06:32 AM]

 

[Todd Hostettler]

I haven't seen it, but any movie with a character named "Mugatu" can't be all bad.
Between this and the "Amok Time" homage in The Cable Guy, Mr. Stiller has shown himself to be quite the heart-on-his-sleeve Trekkie.

 

[JohnnyN]

I think if ben stiller has a raport with you, then you will understand and appreciate this film more... it's stiller kind of funny...
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JKB

 

[JohnS]

Well, my take on it is. It's more stupid funny than funny.
Definatly not Ben Stiller's best movie, but certinally not 'the worst'.
Movie doesn't make sense, but overall had some good model jokes in it.
Owen Wilson is funny as always.
RATING=D+
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