The first time I saw the movie Zoolander I was a mere
11 years old. I don’t remember how I
ended up being allowed to watch the R rated film (or if I even was), but all I
remember is that I somehow saw the movie with my older sister and absolutely
HATED it. I thought it was one of the
stupidest, most boring things I had seen in my life. Even more frustrating, everyone else seemed
to find it hilarious while I was counting down the minutes until I could go
home and play Nintendo or something.
Flash forward about 5 years into the future. My friends and I are deciding to watch a
movie on Netflix and they all want to watch Zoolander. After I reluctantly agree, the next 89 minutes was filled with laughter
sometimes to the point of tears. I thought
it was HILARIOUS. Now, it is one of the
few movies that lies in my iTunes “bought” library that I can probably watch dozens of times
without getting bored.
Looking back on it, there are several reasons why I think my
opinion changed so much. The movie,
starring Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell, tells the story of a dimwitted male model at the
end of career who is brainwashed to assassinate the prime minister of
Malaysia. Yes, that is the actual
plot. I do not think I was at an age
where I could appreciate the humor the first time I saw the movie. Being an R rated movie, there is a fair
amount of sexual, drug-related, and satirical humor. As an 11 year-old, I wasn’t mature enough to
understand many of the jokes made. At 15-16
however, I was definitely at that prime “sex is funny” age to love the
movie. I also think the context of where
I watched the movie influenced my opinion.
Watching with my friends instead of my sister, I think I was much more
likely to find it funny. All in all, if
you haven’t seen Zoolander definitely check it out, because I think we all
might have finally reached that level where we can grasp the humor, except for
Greg maybe. A couple more years bud!
(Just kidding Greg.) Here's a little teaser with one of my favorite scenes of the movie.
I completely understand what you mean! I had a similar experience with another comedy movie when I was younger. It's kind of like how in disney movies they will put in little references and comments that we won't ever understand until we are older. Then we often sit there dumbfounded that DISNEY put that in a children's film and proceed to laugh about it. Zoolander is a quality flick!
ReplyDeleteThis post is really funny, Jeff. I remember that happening to me when I was younger. I watched a movie called "Sugar and Spice" with my best friends older sister and a bunch of her friends. The movie is about a cheerleader who becomes pregnant and turns into a robber to support her lifestyle. I thought it was beyond dumb when I first watched it, but when I watched it a couple years later I actually found myself laughing at the scenes I thought were stupid when I had been younger. I definitely think the age I watched it at affected my perception of the movie. By the way, love Zoolander- it's a classic!
ReplyDeleteYeah Katie I remember reading something about Disney putting subliminal messaging in a lot of their movies. Don't know if that was what you were talking about though. And Carly I can't quite say I've caught that one but I for sure know what you're talking about. And you're definitely right: Zoolander's a classic.
ReplyDeleteJeffrey, the fact that you previously did not appreciate my favorite movie, Zoolander, makes me lose respect for you. I honestly cannot believe you did not like Zoolander the first time you saw it. That is ludicrous! Although I am glad you now have come to your senses and appreciate Zoolander, for it is the shit. Also, that is my favorite scene... "It needs to be at least.... Three times bigger than this!!"
ReplyDelete