I've been a fan of Ben Stiller for a while now, first from "The Ben Stiller Show" where he had one of the best sketch shows ever with Oedenkerk, Garafolo, and Dick. In that order. Ben by himself is funny, and can be downright hysterical....but it's when he surrounds himself with bright talent that he really shines.

He does that in "Zoolander," a movie that involves the bizarre world of international espionage with the even more bizarre and byzantine world of male modeling. Stiller's character of Derek Zoolander is one that he created on "The Ben Stiller Show," and like so many sketch comedy characters before him, has spun it into a little confection of a movie.

But is this "Corky Romano?" "The Ladies Man?" "A Night at the Awful Horrible Stinking Festering Squirt Pus in Your Eye Roxbury?" Or something better. The good news is, it's much, MUCH better than any of the Saturday Night Live movies.

A big part of that is Stiller himself. As the star, writer and director, this is certainly a little vanity project, something he's been working on for a while. There are very few jokes that fall flat, and the running jokes about Derek's stupidity, the Very Fake world of models, and uh, Derek's stupidity, are still laugh-out-loud funny at the end of the movie. Some lines that I'm still laughing about: "Moisture...it's the essence of wetness." and "I bet you didn't know I was a good Yougooglyizer...you know, someone who gives yougooglies. At funerals..." He's dumb as a post, but there's a certain charm there and an innocence that Ben brings to the character that makes him likable and makes us want Derek to succeed.

His chief competition, and the other Big Name in the movie (and getting bigger all the time) is Owen Wilson as Hansel. Owen Wilson is becoming one of my favorite comedic actors (and that's a short list, my friends), with his appearances in Shanghai Noon, Meet The Parents, Rushmore (which he also wrote), and even The Haunting, I'm liking him more with every movie. He's got this great deadpan delivery that's laid back enough to be someone you really know...who just happens to be very funny. It's a great counterpoint to Stiller's own over-the-top hyperactive delivery, and his laconic charms win everyone over...except Stiller.

Derek Zoolander is threatened by this up-and-coming male model who's part of the grunge movement with his unkempt, un-gelled hair and extreme sports outlook on life...and one of the best scenes in the movie is devoted to a "walk-off" showdown between Derek and Hansel, as they try to settle their differences.

A third Big Name in the movie was someone I don't normally like, Saturday Night Live's Will Farrell. Here he plays Mugatu, a fashion designer from hell who is the key to an insidious plot that involves political assassinations, brainswashings, and male models. Kinda like the Manchurian Candidate, but with much more gel. His tantrums are hilarious, one part Bond Villain, two parts Guffman. Again, I don't normally like him, but here he was perfect for the part.

Christine Taylor, who is Ben Stiller's wife and you probably remember best from "The Brady Bunch" movies (she was Marcia Marcia Marcia...) is an investigative journalist for TIME that ends up in the middle of all of this, and she's a passable heroine. Nothing really outstanding, but you need a fairly bland, grounded character to be in the middle of all of this craziness, and this hottie fits the bill. She also ends up in the middle of an orgy that involves supermodels, Finnish midgets, and a Maori tribesman that I'm still chuckling about. But not uh, thinking about as a lifestyle change or anything. Really.

The movie is also chock-full of celebrity cameos, which make this world of supermodels and runway shows seem more "real," as we see everyone from Lenny Kravitz to David Bowie to Natalie Portman to Tommy Hilfiger making little appearances at these shows. Add to these characters like Jerry Stiller as Zoolander's agent, Milla Jovovich, and David Duchovny, and you have the makings of the most cameo-packed movie since "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World." Yeah, I don't know how many "mads" there should be in that title.

All in all, for better or worse, this comes off as a sort of "Austin Powers" flavored movie, but without the forced sentiment. Derek Zoolander doesn't go through any sort of artificial, After School Special change of heart in the movie, he's as dumb, shallow, and vacuous at the end of this trifle as he is at the beginning. And that's fine...it's the way we want him.

I did laugh more at this movie than I have at any other this year, and it's something I needed right now. If you like Ben Stiller, you'll love this movie. If you haven't liked him in the past, you may enjoy this for it's over-the-top silliness; or it may give you nightmares. I really liked it, so did my wife. But we both like Ben.

Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older