The part of David Bowie was originally supposed to be played by Sting.

Zoolander defied my expectations. Even though I usually like Ben Stiller’s work, I really didn’t think I’d enjoy this movie. For one thing, it’s based on a TV skit, always a bad sign. For another, humor built around the main character's stupidity usually doesn't appeal to me. (Prime example: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.) Most importantly, the trailers and TV commercials just didn’t strike me as funny. But, against all odds, the movie made me laugh, start to finish. Go figure.

Okay, they weren’t all big belly laughs. Sometimes they were chuckles, or even just smiles. It still scored higher on the amusement scale than my last few comedies. Check the archives — it was a bad summer for humor.

Here’s the setup: The newly-elected Prime Minister of Malaysia plans to outlaw child labor in his country, thus cutting into the profits of clothing manufacturers. A team of fashion industry leaders (Could that be Kathy Lee Gifford hiding in the shadows? No, don’t be silly.) dispatch high-strung fashion designer Mugatu* (Will Ferrell) to take care of the problem. He brainwashes the world’s most successful male supermodel, Derek Zoolander (Stiller), turning him into an assassin.

Don't hate them because they're beautiful. Hate them because they're as dumb as a bag of hammers.

The character of Derek Zoolander was developed by Stiller in a skit for the VH-1 Fashion Awards. Why did this skit-to-movie transformation work for me where so many attempts by the Saturday Night Live crew have failed before? Maybe it’s the fact that it satirizes the world of high fashion and our celebrity-obsessed culture, prime targets in my book. (Is there anything sillier than the concept of a “supermodel?”) Self-absorbed people who make their living by being, as Derek constantly puts it, “really, really good-looking,” have never seemed more trivial, and the movie does a good job of lampooning them.

Sure, the satire could have been more biting at times. Spoofing an easy target, the movie never really goes for the jugular. But Stiller and Owen Wilson as Derek’s rival, Hansel, have a lot of fun making their characters every bit as shallow, vain and dim-witted as we always assume models to be, yet completely different from each other. The scene where they laugh off a woman's confession that she suffered from bulimia is typical of their characters. In their world, vomiting up the occasional meal makes perfect sense.

Isn't that Michael Jackson's jacket from the Thriller video?

In spoofing pop culture, of course, Stiller also plays to it. The movie includes a staggering number of well-known people in cameos. My personal favorite was David Bowie judging the “walk-off,” a runway competition between Derek and Hansel. I also enjoyed David Duchovny as an over-the-hill hand model — or finger-jockey, in model lingo — playing Deep Throat to an "investigatory journalist." This guy just can't get enough of the conspiracy theories.

Stiller, who also directed and co-wrote the movie, is a comedic actor of great range. Whether he’s playing an ordinary guy in frustrating situations (Meet the Parents, There’s Something About Mary) or an outrageous character (Zoolander, Mystery Men) or making short films and skits for TV, he finds the funny. (The scene in Permanent Midnight where he shoots up in front of the baby? Hilarious! Okay, maybe not.) If Zoolander isn’t his best work ever, it’s still better than most of the comedies I’ve seen this year.

As a side note, after the tragic events of September 11th, the producers decided to digitally alter a shot of the Manhattan skyline to remove the twin towers of the World Trade Center. I can understand their dilemma: the sight might distract viewers from the movie. But it was the wrong thing to do. The skyline without the towers was even more distracting, and sad. They should have either left the shot alone or removed it altogether.

* Obscure Star Trek reference.

Gorilla Pants rating: 2.5 out of 4 bananas