Zoolander (2001)

Zoolander has exactly one joke, and the joke is that Derek is the least informed man in any room, including the empty ones. Ninety minutes is about the limit for that, and the middle, a fashion-world plot about brainwashed models, gets thin. Ben Stiller doesn’t care. He commits so fully to Derek’s blank stare and pouty face that the dumbness turns into its own art form. The scale model of a learning center, the one Derek is outraged to find is too small for actual kids, is still one of the funniest moments of its decade. Derek can’t turn left, and the movie milks it beautifully. Owen Wilson’s Hansel is the most relaxed rival ever filmed, and their walk-off is gloriously ridiculous. Will Ferrell’s Mugatu throws tantrums like a fashion-week volcano and steals the back half. A C plus CinemaScore says audiences weren’t sure what they’d just seen. A 6.6 because it’s stupid on purpose, and smart about it. $57.35 says you try your best model face in a phone selfie tonight, and nobody ever sees it.

What works: Ben Stiller’s total commitment, Owen Wilson’s breezy Hansel and Will Ferrell’s tantrums make the silliness sing.

What doesn’t: The brainwashing plot is thin, and one joke about Derek’s dimness gets stretched past its limit in the middle.

Who it’s for: Fans of quotable, wonderfully dumb comedies who still can’t look at a tiny scale model without laughing.