Zoolander (2001)

Director:

Ben Stiller

Writers (WGA):

Drake Sather (character Derek Zoolander) &
Ben Stiller (character Derek Zoolander) ...

Release Date:

28 September 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

3% Body Fat. 1% Brain Activity.

Plot:

At the end of his career, a clueless fashion model is brainwashed to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Plot Keywords:

Assassination Attempt | Spy | Surrealism | Spy Spoof | Mermaid

Awards:

1 win & 9 nominations

Cast

Ben Stiller	...	Derek Zoolander
Owen Wilson	...	Hansel
Christine Taylor	...	Matilda Jeffries
Will Ferrell	...	Mugatu
Milla Jovovich	...	Katinka
Jerry Stiller	...	Maury Ballstein
David Duchovny	...	J.P. Prewitt
Jon Voight	...	Larry Zoolander
Judah Friedlander	...	Scrappy Zoolander
Nathan Lee Graham	...	Todd
Alexandre Manning	...	Brint (as Alexander Manning)
Asio Highsmith	...	Rufus
Alexander Skarsgård	...	Meekus
Donald Trump	...	Himself
Christian Slater	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Derek Zoolander (USA) (working title)
Zoolander (Germany)
Zoolander (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Zoolander (Argentina) (Peru) [es]
Zoolander (Austria) [de]
Zoolander, a trendkívüli (Hungary) [hu]
Zoolander: Un descerebrado de moda (Spain) [es]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 on appeal for sexual content and drug references.

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA | Australia | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | USA:PG-13 (re-rating after appeal) | Singapore:(Banned) (original rating) | USA:R (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Brazil:12 | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Iceland:L | Ireland:15 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Netherlands:MG6 | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

MFP Munich Film Partners GmbH & Company I. Produktions KG

Trivia:

Bret Easton Ellis, author of the 1998 book Glamorama, about a dimwitted male model who finds himself embroiled in a terrorist ring with roots in the fashion industry, sued Ben Stiller following the release of Zoolander, citing copyright infringement. The case was later settled out of court.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Hansel and Derek are in Maury's office trying to get the files in the computer, Derek says that they will be no better than the machine. When he says this, his mouth is closed.

Quotes:

[first lines]
(Announcer): And here in Malaysia, there is an almost overwhelming sense of euphoria as the newly-elected prome minister has given this nation a gift of hope promising to raise the substandard minimum wage and end child labor once and for all. Already considered a living saint he has become this small country's greatest hope for a thriving future in the new millennium.

Movie Connections:

References "Magnum, P.I." (1980)

Soundtrack:

Bossa and Cheese

Flawed, but so hilarious it doesn't seem to matter

When I first saw this I was expecting a total disaster of a movie. Persuaded by my older brother, I rented it and watched with a skeptical mind. I like Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson OK, but the idea just seemed so stupid and the fact it was based on some short on VH-1 making fun of male models seemed like it wasn't thought out too well.

What I ended up doing was laughing so much I nearly died. This movie's story is definitely pretty ridiculous and not completely thought out, but the list of characters and cameos alone make this worth a treat. This is probably the funniest I've seen Will Ferrel, and Jerry Stiller plays his usual old crotchedy man with flying colors. Almost every scene with them makes you laugh out loud. It seems pretty obvious that even though it was a feature film, Ben Stiller seemed to have a lot of control over this. Definitely isn't made to please the masses, but those who can appreciate ridiculous, campy humor and are fans of these actors will find themselves wanting to show this movie to anyone who hasn't seen it. I won;t ruin any of it, except to say the funniest line in the movie is "Merman! MERMAN!!!" And expect many great cameos, especially Billy Zane. You'll understand once you see it.