Zoolander

Dimwitted male model Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller, who also directed and co-wrote with Drake Sather and John Hamburg) may be incredibly stupid, but he’s Albert Einstein compared to the bigwigs at Paramount Pictures who thought it would be funny to release a movie making jokes about assassinating the prime minister of Malaysia. That’s the plot here, such as it is: Zoolander is brainwashed, Manchurian Candidate-style, into murdering the hapless Muslim because of his (the prime minister’s) opposition to child labor in the clothing industry. In a different world, the film would be just another five-minute skit blown up until it’s not funny anymore; as it is, it’s tasteless and offensive to boot. Owen Wilson plays the new pretty face in town, and many star cameos add nothing to the proceedings.