Yes, ladies and germs, it was 24 months ago that I began this endeavor, casting my musings on cinema out into the Internet void. I know. I KNOW. What did you ever do without me to guide your entertainment choices? Please, no applause. Your gratitude is reward enough. But if you feel so compelled, gift cards from Best Buy are greatly appreciated.

So, Filmboy has entered his terrible two’s. Expect me to start running around any day now constantly saying "no" and putting stuff in my mouth. To start out my second year, I’m reviewing a movie that arrives just in time to cheer up our weary nation:

"Zoolander" is a silly, silly film and thank god for it. Like most of the country, I really needed a good laugh. A jolly respite. Forget about everything for awhile, hit the giggle button and just go to town. Ben Stiller’s latest effort definitely did the trick. I laughed and then I laughed again. "Zoolander" is not a classic, but it’s exactly what you need.

Remember how your mom would make that special dessert so you’d feel better after a skinned knee or a bad grade? Well, "Zoolander" is like a bowl of chocolate pudding topped with Cool Whip made by Mom to soothe your wounded psyche. It’s also a goofy tour de force from an actor/writer/director who would probably eat glass if he thought it would get a laugh.

Unlike Jim Carrey (another actor who seems to do anything for a quick chuckle), Stiller seems to act absurd — not for the attention — but because he simply wants to please the audience. When I watch Carrey, it’s like a kid hungry for adoration. Deep down inside, little Jimmy’s yelling, "You love me ‘cuz I’m funny, right?" With Stiller, I get the vibe that he just wants to make people laugh. At least that’s my theory based on my extensive knowledge of the psychological profiles of both performers.

Zoolander is a wacky little gem.

"Zoolander" is Stiller’s return to the director’s chair after the misfire of "The Cable Guy," which incidentally starred Jim Carrey. Stiller’s been so successful lately playing the nudge in movies like "There’s Something About Mary" and "Meet the Parents" that I forgot how wonderfully ridiculous this guy can be. He was great in those flicks, but he was getting laughs by reacting to outrageous situations rather than being outrageous himself. Don’t forget that this is a guy who originally made a name for himself by dressing up like Eddie Munster and starring in dead-on movie parodies like "Cape Munster" for his brilliant (and under-appreciated) TV show, "The Ben Stiller Show."

He returns to his madcap roots by writing (with "NewsRadio" scribe Drake Sather and "Meet the Parents" co-author John Hamberg) and directing this tale of a clueless male model named Derek Zoolander and his role in the attempted assassination of the prime minister of Malaysia. Who knew that the fashion industry is secretly run by a cunning group of shadowy figures that manipulate world events for their own profit?

When the Prime Minister’s efforts to improve child labor in his country threatens this dark circle’s stable of cheap workers, they call in their evil toady — designer Jacobim Mugatu (played to the hilt by SNL’s Will Ferrell) — to brainwash a witless pawn to do their bidding.

Enter Derek Zoolander, fresh from losing his fourth consecutive title as "Male Model of the Year" to hot newcomer Hansel (Owen Wilson from "Shanghai Noon" in a celebration of vapid Zen machismo) and forlorn following the death of his roommates in a bizarre gas station explosion. He’s chosen by Mugatu to be the face of a new fashion campaign and whisked away to a "day spa." Instead of seaweed wraps and massages, however, Zoolander is programmed to kill during a zany sequence involving Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Mugatu’s disembodied head and blue spandex.

Owen Wilson's performance is a celebration of vapid Zen machismo.

The rest of the movie has Zoolander discovering his fate and trying to thwart the assassination with the help of journalist Matilda (Stiller’s wife, Christine Taylor from "The Brady Bunch Movie") and Hansel. The fun of this movie lies in its sheer absurdity. We’ve got arguments settled with runway walk-offs that are treated like back alley brawls, inane clothing and hairstyles (for example, Mugatu resembles a giant renegade Oompa Loompa), Maori tribesmen, breakdance fighting and midgets. And if I’ve learned anything from Andrew Borntreger at badmovies.org, it’s that any movie goes better with midgets.

Stiller has a superb gift for tweaking pop culture. Try to find some old episodes of his TV show or check out "Reality Bites," his film directorial debut, to see what I mean. He knows how to spin the zeitgeist to achieve the maximum comic effect. While the public may not be as obsessed with the cult of the supermodel as we once were (Stiller first created this character for VH1’s 1996 Fashion Awards show), it’s still fresh enough in our minds to be efficient satire. Throwing in the brainwashed killer subplot pushes everything merrily over the top.

Will Ferrell resembles a giant renegade Oompa Loompa.

In addition to a top-notch cast that wholeheartedly follows their leader overboard, Stiller has recruited a horde of famous faces for cameos. Actual supermodels, designers, rock stars and actors playing themselves as fawning Zoolander groupies (including Winona Ryder and Natalie Portman) gives this flick a "Where’s Waldo" type of stargazing appeal.

Even so, some stars shine brighter than others in their tiny parts. David Duchovny is almost unrecognizable in a small, but pivotal and humorous role. He cheerfully tosses a cream pie in the face of his "X-Files" image. B-Movie veteran Billy Zane is a blast as one of Zoolander’s clubbing pals while Jon Voight and Vince Vaughn steal a few grins as Zoolander’s coal-mining pop and bro. Seeing them wear Zoolander’s trademark jet-black coif with their mining togs is a big yuk.

Writer/Director/Star Ben Stiller knows how to spin the zeitgeist to achieve the maximum comic effect.

"Zoolander" is a wacky little gem. It’s not one for the time capsule, but it’s perfect viewing for the here and now. This movie will put a smile on your face and make everything better for a little while. It is "model" entertainment. Ewww, I didn’t just say that, did I? Um, I’m very sorry. Sometimes the comedy gods come calling and I’m not strong enough to resist. These are the times when being a film reviewer is no pun . . . uh, fun. Oh, somebody help me . . . you better leave now before someone gets hurt.