Review: Made-over ‘Zoolander’ redeems itself on DVD

Geoff Carter

Friday, March 22, 2002 | 9:14 a.m.

"Zoolander" is every bit as stupid on DVD (Paramount DVD, $29.99) as it was in theaters late last year. Ben Stiller's turn as fluff-brained male supermodel Derek Zoolander is just as trying, its humor just as crass and the movie's child-labor subplot is just as ill-advised.

Yet something funny happened on the way to the after-market: "Zoolander" became funny. It was too slight to fill theaters, but in your home it's ideal. Even Stiller acknowledges this: The narration for the Special Features menu, performed in character, expresses gratitude to "the hundreds of people who saw 'Zoolander' and wanted more."

As it turns out, the "more" you get is enough to raise "Zoolander" a notch. Stiller -- who also directed and co-wrote the film with Drake Sather and John Hamburg -- isn't above admitting that some elements just didn't work. He shakes his head at Andy Dick's makeup ("too distracting") and hints at a darkly comic ending that was cut early on in scripting. (It would have elevated the film.)

Having gotten the mea culpas out of the way, Stiller lays on the goods. Deleted scenes feature more of the film's funny cast -- Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell -- in top form. In one scene, Wilson -- as rival model Hansel -- simultaneously seduces and mocks Winona Ryder. In a hilariously funny "gag reel," Ferrell shows off his improvisational chops with a number of hilarious vamps on the line, "That Hansel is so hot right now."

The DVD also includes two short films Stiller made for "The VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards," the genesis of the Zoolander character. It's an almost foolhardy choice, considering the way the feature-length film cribs from them (the dialogue from both appears, almost verbatim, in the feature). But it's hard not to laugh as Stiller laments the lack of "left-handed runways" in the fashion world.

As for the movie itself, it's a better experience with a remote control. With the wand of power in hand you can watch Wilson's improvs again and again ("I've often wondered what bark on trees is made of"). You can limit your exposure to Stiller's breathy delivery, which could melt your brain if left unchecked.

Most importantly, you can replay the "walk-off" sequence until you run right out of breath. This showdown between Stiller and Wilson's characters -- and between the actors, by default -- boasts some of the funniest physical humor you'll ever see. Here are two of the goofiest-looking men in Hollywood playing male models, with David Bowie acting as puppetmaster: It's almost too much to bear.

"Zoolander" is not a great film, but on DVD it graduates to being a good one. It used to be that a director couldn't justify his film for years, and often in some obscure film journal no one reads. Stiller puts his "Zoolander" in focus with this disc, and all it took was a few months and a willingness to please hundreds of fans.