'Zoolander' dir. Ben Stiller

The fashionistas are out in full cry for this film, which takes a sideswipe at their world. Ben Stiller eagerly pokes fun at the industry, with his usual crew of Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor and Will Ferrell in tow.

Mawkish, self-obsessed male model Derek Zoolander (Stiller) is a man on a mission, not that he realises it yet. He is too busy perfecting his latest 'look'. The premise of the slightly redundant plot is that male models, who are easily manipulated and in peak physical condition, make ideal political assassins.

A particularly ruthless designer known as Jacobim Mugatu (Ferrell) aims to use Zoolander to assassinate the Malaysian Prime Minister, who has recently made some new laws which have upset the profit margins of Mugatu's company.

Whilst it seems that Stiller is taking a stab at a political point, namely the immorality of sweatshop labour for high fashion, most of the film is a ludicrous, slightly camp comedy about the odd, odd world of Derek Zoolander. His rivalry with Hansel (Owen Wilson) takes centre stage in a face off between characters who do not seem to share a single brain cell between them.

This rivalry leads them to a 'walk-off' in which the models pose with the intention of getting David Bowie to decide in their favour. This is the first of many cameos which become increasingly nonsensical as the scenes rattle along, a habit which Ben Stiller has never really grown out of. It becomes increasingly jarring in the latter stages when it seems some of the plot holes are covered by a game of 'who's this?'

Nevertheless, Christine Taylor offers welcome relief from some of the high jinks with a turn as journalist Matilda Jeffries but she seems a bit underused and her story comes to a particularly predictable end.

There is a lot of fun in this one and it is an easy watch. It set the mould for Dodgeball and many other Stiller comedies. Yet, despite its initial derision for physical beauty at the expense of character, it ultimately celebrates the world of Derek Zoolander in all its pretentious glory.

Despite a slightly tepid ending, Zoolander offers a solid evening of entertainment with a few belly laughs along the way.