Zoolander (2001)

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

Director:

Ben Stiller

Writers:

Drake Sather (character Derek Zoolander), Ben Stiller (character Derek Zoolander)

Stars:

Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor

1 win & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	Donald Trump
Christian Slater	...	Christian Slater

Storyline

Derek Zoolander is VH1's three time male model of the year, but when Hansel wins the award instead, Zoolander's world becomes upside down. His friends disappear, his father is disappointed in him, and he feels that he's not good as a model anymore. But when evil fashion guru Mugatu hires Zoolander, he thinks his life has turned back round again, that is until he finds out that Mugatu has actually brainwashed him to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Can Zoolander and his new friends find out how to prevent the incident before it's too late?

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Plot Keywords:

male model | fashion model | conspiracy | fashion | malaysia | 

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Taglines:

3% Body Fat. 1% Brain Activity.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Derek Zoolander

Filming Locations:

Corner of N. Moore St. & W. Broadway, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,525,043, 30 September 2001

Gross USA:

$45,172,250

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$60,780,981

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, VH1 Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ben Stiller had several family members in this film: his wife, Christine Taylor (Matilda), his father, Jerry Stiller (Maury Ballstein), his mother Anne Meara (protestor who hits Mugatu with an egg), his sister Amy Stiller (one of Hansel's friends in his loft), and his brother-in-law, Mitch Winston (director of the infomercial).

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Goofs

When Derek is being hypnotized and Mugatu says India and a picture of India is shown, it is a picture of India before 1947, when Pakistan was a part of India.

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Quotes

[first lines]
(Announcer): And here in Malaysia, there is an almost overwhelming sense of euphoria as the newly-elected prime 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.

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Alternate Versions

On the DVD, as an extra, there is an alternate version of the end credits, which features various clips from the movie, and Will Ferrell dancing.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Fake Commercials in Movies and TV (2015)

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Soundtracks

Faces
by Jay Gordon, Amir Derakh, Bobby Fernandez-Hewitt (as Bobby Hewitt),
Ryan Shuck & Paige Haley
Performed & Produced by Orgy
Orgy performs courtesy of Reprise Records

User Reviews

Silly and good for a few laughs.

If you are looking for a cerebral comedy, you certainly should not pick "Zoolander". It's dumb, rather silly and...dumb. But, it's also good for a few laughs and is a very amiable time-passer filled with lots of amazing cameos.

The film is about a narcissistic idiot male model, Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller). He's world famous but also quite empty-headed...so empty-headed that Mugatu* (Will Ferrell) is planning on brainwashing him into murdering the president of Malaysia. Why? Well, because Mugatu and the other evil fashion designers want to keep operating their sweatshops around the globe and the new leader of Malaysia is in favor of outlawing child labor! Fortunately, a writer for "Time", Matilda Jefferies (Christine Taylor**) is there to help uncover the plot and with the help of another really stupid male model (Owen Wilson) the three of them work to disrupt Mugatu's plans.

I will freely admit that the plot is pretty shallow and nonsensical as well as the ending being a bit dumb. However, the film is still works quite well because it is still quite funny and pokes a lot of fun at the fashion/modeling industry. While it's not a hilarious, must-see comedy, it does the trick and makes you laugh. And, it's interesting to see the many, many, many cameos by the rich and famous (such as David Bowie, Donald Trump, Natalie Portman, Lenny Kravitz, Fabio, Gwen Stafani and many more) as well as a chance to see nepotism in action, as Ben Stiller's parents (Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara), his sister (Amy Stiller) and his wife (Taylor)!

*Mugatu is the name of a nasty white ape-like monster from a Star Trek episode, "A Private Little War".

**If Taylor looks familiar, you might just remember her as the actress who played Marcia in the fabulous "Brady Bunch" movies.