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Derek Zoolander is the title character of this movie, played by Ben Stiller. Stiller adopted an affect for Derek that just doesn't play for 90 minutes. Zoolander is known for having one "look," or facial expression for modeling. Although he claims to have many, the schtick is that in spite of the different titles they're all the same face. While this is amusing, and sure to elicit a chuckle, someone (i.e., director and co-writer Ben Stiller) should have wondered if maybe that single schtick, along with playing Zoolander as a numbskull could hold up for the length of an entire movie (even an 89-minute movie).

There are some nice supporting performances by Owen Wilson, Jerry Stiller, and Will Ferrell, who plays the evil fashion designer Mugatu. I'm a huge fan of Will Ferrell's work on SNL, which is just brilliant. But it's depressing seeing him on the big screen in such stinkers as Zoolander, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. I hope someone in Hollywood eventually finds a way to exploit Ferrell's considerable talent in films.

I'd talk about the plot, such as it is, but it's better for you to find out for yourself. There are some funny moments, with references to 70s and 80s pop culture (both the Cheryl Ladd and Jacklyn Smith clothing collections are referenced, for example), and the fashion world. I'd call this one a maybe as a renter overall, and I'll leave it at that.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Zoolander is presented in anamorphic widescreen at approximately 2.35:1, and the picture quality is very good. Blacks are exceptionally deep, which makes the outlandish color scheme of the film pop off the screen. Flesh tones are warm and saturated, but not overly so. Stiller's Zoolander and especially Owen Wilson's Hansel are purposefully shown with lots of stylized makeup and the transfer shows every gradation. Depth and dimensionality are generally very good, although some sequences appear just a hair soft and also exhibit some edge enhancement artifacts that appear to be an attempt to compensate. Background details are solid, making for an image that is more than respectable.

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?

Zoolander's Dolby Digital 5.1- channel soundtrack is very nice. There's a lot of pop music that drives the film, and the fidelity and imaging in that regard is clean with very strong dynamics. The surrounds are always providing some envelopment, and in some of the aggressive sequences in the film both the split surrounds and LFE kick in and make the soundtrack a lot of fun. Not exactly Saving Private Ryan, but pretty nicely done.

English and French 2.0 Dolby Surround tracks are provided as well, but only English subtitles. I comment on this a lot, but isn't that a little weak considering how many Spanish speaking people there are in Region 1? Aside from the Spanish speaking people in the US, isn't Mexico still in North America?

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

First off, the Menus are hyped on the packaging as "really good looking," and let me add that they're funny as hell, and clever, too. While interactive menus are common, it's rare to see menus that actually enhance the presentation, as is the case with this DVD. Too bad the rest isn't quite as clever...

The supplements on this DVD begin with a screen-specific audio commentary with Ben Stiller and co- writers Drake Sather and John Hamburg, and it's pretty entertaining and informative. Among the things we learn are that Will Ferrell used his own hair, while his poodle did not, and that Jerry Stiller's chest hair was not his own (and may in fact have been Will Ferrell's). Also a nice reference that Mugatu (Will Ferrell's character) is named after an alien from the original Star Trek series, which is OK since Zoolander is also a Paramount property.

Also included are five Deleted Scenes with or without a monotone delivered commentary by Ben Stiller, and there's some material here that I really think would have made the movie better. The first deleted scene shows some very good material of interviews conducted at a fashion show, but Stiller indicates that there just wasn't time to include it. (Just out of curiosity, how can you have pace problems in an 89-minute movie?) Some material that was excised from the mining montage was also very good. Also included are five Extended Scenes with commentary by Stiller. Unlike the deleted scenes, I didn't see anything here that didn't belong on the DVD. Also included is the Alternate Title Sequence for the beginning of the film, which I think has better energy than what was used for the film.

The VH-1/Vogue Fashion Award Skits from 1996 and 1997 run 2 minutes 30 seconds and just under 4 minutes respectively. These skits show some of the promise of the Zoolander concept. They're both irreverent and funny, and they play very well. While I didn't appreciate the final product, these skits look like they could be the basis for a good comedy. A Music Video by the Wiseguys for "Start the Commotion" is included, and is mostly clips from movie.

Although no official teaser or trailer is included there are a whole gaggle of Promotional Spots, and they're all worth watching. Six of them are in the guise of Public Service Announcements by Zoolander. Three are real or send-up "MTV Cribs" spots (I don't watch enough MTV to be able to tell if these are real or fake), and there are six "Interstitials," which are send up interviews with the Zoolander movie characters of Zoolander, Matilda and Mugatu. This is some of the funniest stuff on the disc. Zoolander also has a special distinction as being the only comedy I've seen that doesn't have funny Outtakes. Like the movie itself, the outtakes manage to flop in spite of the talented and funny people acting in them.

Finally, what would a DVD of a male modeling parody film be without some Photo Galleries? Included here are the modeling shoots shown in the film featuring Zoolander and his arch-modeling nemesis Hansel, which are classic. A third gallery shows production stills taken throughout the actual movie shoot.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts