“Zoolander” is just the latest example of this phenomenon. It’s a film that, at times, is so stupid you begin to wonder why in the hell you’re laughing so hard. But somehow the humor, though sporadic, is incredibly infectious.

      How a studio approved the film’s pitch is beyond me, but then again, what exec would dare turn down a Ben Stiller comedy? “Zoolander” gets to the heart of what we all think about male models. That is, if male models had an inkling of grey matter up there, they’d be doing something more beneficial for society. Which might be why the film works so well. Ben Stiller plays Derek Zoolander, winner of three straight Model of the Year awards and the undisputed champion of the male modeling world. With his trademark “Blue Steel” guise, Zoolander has dominated the fashion world, and is poised to win his unprecedented fourth title in a row, until fresh-faced newcomer Hansel (Owen Wilson) shockingly knocks him off. Armed with a switchblade razor scooter, flowing blonde locks and Owen Wilson’s nose (huh?), Hansel turns Zoolander’s world upside down. Meanwhile, fashion mogul Mugatu (Will Ferrell) has been pressured by a syndicate of evil fashion leaders to assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia for his stance on cleaning up child-labor abuses in the country, thus destroying the heart of the fashion industry, Malaysian sweatshops. He needs a witless “self-absorbed simpleton” whom he can brainwash and convert into an assassin, and what better candidate than Derek Zoolander, whose world has collapsed before his eyes.

      The film plays out like a “Dumb, and Dumber”, as Derek and Hansel, two morons continuously stumbling into good fortune, team up to beat Mugatu at his own game. The laughs are frequently hit and miss, though when they hit, they are absolutely hilarious. In one of the funniest sequences, Derek challenges Hansel to a “walk-off”, where the two models go toe-to-toe in an underground runway showdown, exposing the gritty and dangerous dark-side to the male modeling world. Stiller and Wilson are riotously funny in the scene, and an unbelievable cameo by David Bowe as judge of the competition simply tops the cake. In another great scene, Mugatu shows Derek a scaled model of a literary center for “kids who can’t read good” to be built in his honor, in which Derek furiously replies, “This is a center for ants! How can we teach children to read if they can't even fit inside the building?"

      The humor is often outrageously comical, but there are times when the film goes too far trying to fetch laughs. For instance, in a strange cameo, David Duchovny’s character, a hand model, explains that the assassination of two of America’s most beloved and influential presidents, Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, were a result of fashion moguls in a power struggle. The scene is uncomfortable to watch and even more so when listening to the accompanying audience laughter. There is a fine line between parodying, for example, the lone gunman conspiracy -- ala “Seinfeld” -- and making a parody of the assassination itself.

      Still, in a time when silly laughter is a greatly needed diversion to the recently transpired events in America, “Zoolander” is a welcome alternative to 24-hour-a-day CNN headline news coverage. It may not be a good film, but if it’s true that laughter is the best medicine, it certainly does the job.

Stephen Wong, 2001