# Zoolander is on TV. Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 10, 2006, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821 "2006-11-10T03:59:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/1 "2006-11-10T03:59:18Z")
Is it like _The Life Aquatic_ and thigh-slappingly hilarious if only you belong to the right Mensa club which _understands_ this is thigh-slappingly funny? I’m afraid I didn’t get it. Nor do I get most movies Owen Wilson appears in. Apparently he has slept with all the important Hollywood executives or something? And he’s actually _good_ in bed? Even with that nose which makes me want to constantly avert my eyes? Couldn’t a few thousand bucks fix that? ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/2 "2006-11-10T05:54:22Z")
[QUOTE=levdrakon] I’m afraid I didn’t get it. Nor do I get most movies Owen Wilson appears in. Apparently he has slept with all the important Hollywood executives or something? And he’s actually _good_ in bed? Even with that nose which makes me want to constantly avert my eyes? [/QUOTE] It has it’s inspired moments - the sex scene with the monk, the gas fight, the spa scene brainwashing dream sequence with Will Ferrell. Haaaapeee! Eh, pretty much any scene with Will Ferrell. He was good in that. It looks like Owen Wilson’s mother was having trouble giving birth so somebody used a pair of pliers to pull him out by the nose. That’s my take on it. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/3 "2006-11-10T05:57:51Z")
They could be showing Marci X so count your blessings. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/4 "2006-11-10T06:06:32Z")
I thought it was a great movie. Inspired, even. Loved the 2001 parody too. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/5 "2006-11-10T06:33:01Z")
It’s grown on me. (And it does always seem to be playing somewhere on TV – I saw it last night on Comedy Central.) There’s some funny stuff there. [QUOTE=Hansel (Owen Wilson)] I wasn’t like every other kid, you know, who dreams about being an astronaut, I was always more interested in what bark was made out of on a tree. Richard Gere’s a real hero of mine. Sting. Sting would be another person who’s a hero. The music he’s created over the years, I don’t really listen to it, but the fact that he’s making it, I respect that. I care desperately about what I do. Do I know what product I’m selling? No. Do I know what I’m doing today? No. But I’m here, and I’m gonna give it my best shot. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Zoolander] What is this? A center for ants? How can we be expected to teach children to learn how to read… if they can’t even fit inside the building? [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/6 "2006-11-10T06:40:15Z")
Eugoogly. Eugoogly. Eugoogly. ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/7 "2006-11-10T08:01:47Z")
[QUOTE=levdrakon] Is it like _The Life Aquatic_ and thigh-slappingly hilarious if only you belong to the right Mensa club which _understands_ this is thigh-slappingly funny? [/QUOTE] As mentioned, I think there are several inspired moments. I loved the gasoline fight, personally. And some of Ferrell’s jokes are great fun too. It isn’t in the actual jokes themselves mostly, it’s the delivery alone. I can’t think of any other comedian that would make me smile simply by saying “Derelicte”. There are parts that bother me though. I think Jerry Stiller’s part was a missed opportunity. I know that he’s Ben’s father and all of the inside jokes that comes with that, but still. It seemed like he deserved some better lines. Oh and I find Wes Anderson’s films to be much more subtle. For the record. ---
**Author:** ![Charger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@Charger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charger)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/8 "2006-11-10T08:05:07Z")
[QUOTE=levdrakon] I’m afraid I didn’t get it. Nor do I get most movies Owen Wilson appears in. [/QUOTE] He is sooo hot right now. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/9 "2006-11-10T08:24:16Z")
[QUOTE=Charger] He is sooo hot right now. [/QUOTE] They’re break-dance fighting! ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/10 "2006-11-10T08:38:18Z")
[QUOTE=Red Barchetta] They’re break-dance fighting! [/QUOTE] Your mistake indeed! ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LP9xGY0oIfE/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/LP9xGY0oIfE?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/11 "2006-11-10T09:57:11Z")
They’ve got a motherfucking walkoff…with David Bowie. It’s one of the very few Ben Stiller movies I like. And Derelicte is freaking inspired. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/12 "2006-11-10T13:51:53Z")
[QUOTE=anu-la1979] And Derelicte is freaking inspired. [/QUOTE] Hey anyone who doesn’t like this movie can Dere-lick my balls! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/13 "2006-11-10T14:08:37Z")
The rumor was that Owen Wilson considered himself too pretty and broke his nose on purpose. The truth, more pedestrian: IMDB: Usually declines to discuss the source of his distinctive-looking nose, which was clearly broken at one time. The broken nose was apparently the result of a football injury attained while on the football team in high school (all three Wilson brothers had played high school football, the elder Andrew with the greatest success). [The bridge](http://www.antonellagambotto.com/NonfictionOwen.htm) of Owen Wilson’s nose is an hourglass of bone: twice-smashed and corseted by cartilage, it speaks of off-center sensibilities. First broken in high school and then again during flag football at the University of Texas, it will not be ignored. Brando’s broken nose only emphasized his beauty and Mickey Rourke literally effaced himself through facelifts and boxing, but Wilson simply kept himself interesting. This spin intensified the pleasure he took in playing Zoolander’s mindless male model Hansel. …His looks are too eccentric to play straight. “I must look like a freak,” he said, “but if I were to change it I would get so much grief from my brothers.” ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/14 "2006-11-10T14:12:28Z")
As you hinted at in your OP, it is one of those films (Mystery Men is another) that was panned by some critics, had no so great box office, and _looks_ like its stupid, but is actually really intelligent and really funny. ---
**Author:** ![jacob\_wrestling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/76d3ee/32.png) [@jacob\_wrestling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacob_wrestling)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/15 "2006-11-10T15:18:29Z")
I think the great fun of this movie is the inspired delivery (especially by Farrell) of its sheer stupidity, coupled with its eminent quotability. There’s not anything to “get”. Face it: there’s nothing more to life than being really, really, _ridiculously_ good-looking. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/16 "2006-11-10T16:02:22Z")
I guess there’s a moral in there somewhere. I thought the ending was kinda cute. A school for kids aren’t so good at reading but want to be good at other stuff. Or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/17 "2006-11-10T16:51:05Z")
My brother’s answering machine message was, “I invented the piano key neck tie! I invented it!” It was hilarious, you call him up and hear Will Ferrell yelling for five seconds then you hear a beep. The first time I heard it I didn’t know what the hell to do. Just thought I’d share. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/18 "2006-11-10T16:59:24Z")
[QUOTE=levdrakon] Nor do I get most movies Owen Wilson appears in. [/QUOTE] Have you tried _Bottle Rocket_? Owen did some of the writing too which, at times, is supurb. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@The\_Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Octagon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/19 "2006-11-10T17:09:45Z")
Zoolander’s not the Life Aquatic. Zoolander was funny. No one in the Life Aquatic died in a freak-gasoline-fight-accident. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821/20 "2006-11-10T17:24:54Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] Have you tried _Bottle Rocket_? Owen did some of the writing too which, at times, is supurb. [/QUOTE] I’m not sure if I’ve seen that or not but I’m willing to watch anything with _Luke_ Wilson in it. Wes Anderson movies make me nervous though. I see it’s one of his earlier works. Maybe it’ll help me figure out what his original genius was. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoolander-is-on-tv-why/379821.md?page=2)