MovieChat Forums > Zoolander (2001) Discussion > Did I miss something?

Did I miss something?

posted 14 years ago by CelldwellerNS
9 replies | jump to latest

When talking about or reviewing this movie, nobody seems to mention the huge chunk of awkward, tactless, insensitive and completely unfunny time in this movie spent making fun of eating disorders. What idiot writer thought it would be funny to make fun of a mental/emotional disorder that causes people to kill themselves? When I saw this movie in theaters, the audience was just dead quiet and you could practically taste the awkwardness in the air as characters laughed on-screen about bulimia. That whole scene just left me with a bad feeling about an otherwise decent movie, and I'm still surprised at how little backlash I've seen about it.

[–] ThresholdDweller 14 years ago

I always thought this scene was well handled for it being an all out, farcical comedy. Matilda's dramatic and very sober admission that she was bulimic, plus her angry reaction to Derek and Hansel's laughter, as well as the line "It's a disease!" seemed to me like an attempt by Stiller to inject just a tiny bit of awareness about bulimia into the movie. Derek and Hansel's laughter also served to underline how utterly stupid and clueless they were.

Stiller could have decided not to mention bulimia at all, which would amount to ignoring an all too prevalent problem in the modeling industry -- or he could have made Derek and Hansel's reactions serious, which would have been totally out of character for them and would have come off like a forced "after school special" moment. The fact is, the movie lampoons the vapid, surfacey world of professional models, and omitting the issue of bulimia (and the lengths that some people will go to in order to "look good") might have come off as even more of a slap in the face. Just my thoughts.

[–] Miss_Sui_Generis 14 years ago

Very well said, Vince. There is a link between a diminished libido or reluctance to have sex which comes from eating disorders, and that was mentioned as well. To that, Derek and Hansel reacted in character as well.

[–] thecalciumbus 14 years ago

Lighten up, Francis.

[–] ralpmg 13 years ago

Yes you did and i bet you also missed the remark that somewhat wrote before me also.
Lighten Up , Francis .

[–] paddy215 14 years ago

The scene makes fun out of the characters, not the disorder.

[–] Maximus-8 13 years ago

You entirely miss the point. It's not mocking the disorder. It's supposed to show how utterly idiotic the two characters are.

[–] hubcap18 11 years ago

It's clear that the OP did "miss something."

_______
"The sun is shining...but the ice is slippery."

[–] king_of_bob 11 years ago

What idiot writer thought it would be funny to make fun of a mental/emotional disorder that causes people to kill themselves?

Did you not pay attention to the movie AT ALL? The two characters "making fun" of eating disorders are incredibly stupid. They don't understand that it's a real issue. It isn't necessarily what the writers believes, just what those two incredibly stupid characters believe.

Prof. Farnsworth: Oh. A lesson in not changing history from Mr. I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!

[–] Boromir (10131) a year ago

The scene make fun of both dumb models who didn't understand what is bulimia and why it's wrong.

More importantly, I recognize a sharp criticism of the normalization of eating disorders in the modeling world. To such an extent that vomiting and obsessively maintaining a low weight have become a part of the accepted practice in the industry. They may be dumb, but they are no different from other models in the industry when it comes to their lack of awareness of the dangers of their lifestyle, at least during the time of the film. Perhaps it's challenging to grasp these ideas upon the first viewing.