Original artwork, not a still
Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?
— Zoolander • 2001
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the film's gag and its joke about itself in one question: a man with no inner life makes a sincere attempt at depth and cannot get past his own reflection. Derek is sweet precisely because the question is sincere. Fans quote it as a humble-brag and as a soft-hearted way to puncture vanity, and the "really, really" stutter is the part everybody keeps.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for ZoolanderShow the scene
In Ben Stiller's 2001 comedy Zoolander, Derek has just been knocked off the top of the male-modelling world by the scooter-riding newcomer Hansel. His fellow-model friends Brint and Meekus are trashing Hansel's hair and tripping over a joke about styling gel when Derek cuts in. He asks them whether there might be more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good-looking, perhaps something like helping people. Brint asks which people. Derek has no idea, and the friends decide that models already help by making everyone else feel good. The film comes back to the idea at the end, when Derek opens his school for kids who can't read good.
Sources (2)
- Springfield! Springfield!: Zoolander scriptScene where Derek, Brint and Meekus talk about HanselReference checked
- Wikipedia: ZoolanderPlotReference checked
Context reviewed
