Zoolander

Zoolander
Credits
Title:	Zoolander
Genres:	Comedy
Directed by:	Ben Stiller
Written by:	Drake Sather; Ben Stiller; John Hamburg
Produced by:	Stuart Cornfeld; Celia D. Costas; Joel Gallen; Monica Levinson; Scott Rudin; Adam Schroeder; Ben Stiller; Lauren Zalaznick
Music by:	David Arnold
Cinematography:	Barry Peterson
Edited by:	Gregy Hayden
Production
Distributed by:	Paramount Pictures Village Roadshow Pictures Scott Rudin Productions Red Hour Films
Released:	September 28th, 2001
Rating:	PG-13
Running time:	89 min.
Country:	USA
Language:	English
Budget:	$28,000,000
Gross:	$45,162,741 (US) $60,780,981 (Worldwide)
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Zoolander is an American feature film of the comedy genre. It was written, directed and produced by Ben Stiller, who also plays the eponymous character in the movie, Derek Zoolander. It was co-written by Drake Sather and Josh Hamburg. The film was produced by Village Roadshow Pictures and distributed through Paramount Pictures. It premiered in the United States on September 28th, 2001.

Plot

Wikipedia entry

The dim-witted but good-natured Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) is ousted as the top male fashion model by the rising star, Hansel McDonald (Owen Wilson), and his reputation is further tarnished by a critical article from journalist Matilda Jeffries (Christine Taylor). After his three roommates and colleagues are killed in a "freak gasoline-fight accident", Derek announces his retirement from modeling and attempts to reconnect with his father Larry (Jon Voight) and brothers Luke (Vince Vaughn) and Scrappy (Judah Friedlander) by helping in the coal mines. Derek's delicate methods make him an impractical miner, and his family rejects him.

Meanwhile, fashion mogul Jacobim Mugatu (Will Ferrell) and model agent Maury Ballstein (Jerry Stiller) are charged by the fashion industry to find a model who can be brainwashed into assassinating the new progressive-leaning Prime Minister of Malaysia, allowing them to retain cheap child labor in the country. Though Mugatu has previously refused to work with Derek for any show, Derek accepts Mugatu's offer to star in the next runway show. Mugatu takes Derek to his headquarters, masked as a day spa, where Derek is conditioned to attempt the assassination when the song "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood is played. Matilda, who felt partially responsible for Derek's retirement, is suspicious of Mugatu's offer, and tipped off by an anonymous caller, tries to enter the spa, but is thrown out. Matilda tries to voice her concerns to Derek once he leaves, but he ignores her.

Matilda follows Derek to a pre-runway show, where he loses to Hansel in a "walk-off" judged by David Bowie. Matilda receives another anonymous call to meet at a nearby cemetery. Matilda along with Derek find the anonymous caller is hand model J.P. Prewett (David Duchovny), who explains that the fashion industry has been behind several political assassinations, and the brainwashed models are soon killed after they have completed their task (J.P. escaped because he himself is a hand model and so is smarter than the "face and body boys" like Derek.) Before J.P. can explain more, Katinka (Milla Jovovich), Mugatu's tough henchwoman, and her aides attack the group, forcing Derek and Matilda to flee. They decide to go to Hansel's home, the last place they believe Mugatu will think to look, and Derek, Hansel, and Matilda bond. Matilda admits the reason she hates models is because, as a child, she was bullied for being overweight and developed bulimia, and she believes models hurt people's self-esteem. Derek and Hansel resolve their differences while partaking of Hansel's collection of narcotics and participating in group sex with Matilda and others. While recovering, Derek also finds that he is falling in love with Matilda. Derek and Hansel break into Maury's offices to find evidence of the assassination plot, but cannot operate his computer to find them. Derek leaves for the show, Hansel following later with the computer in hand, believing that, as told to him by Matilda, "the files are in the computer".

Matilda tries to intercept Derek before the show, but Katinka thwarts her attempt. As Derek takes the runway, Mugatu's disc jockey starts playing "Relax", activating Derek's mental programming. Before Derek can reach the Prime Minister, Hansel breaks into the DJ booth, and switches the music to Herbie Hancock's "Rockit", breaking Derek's conditioning. Hansel and the DJ have a brief "breakdance" fight before Hansel eventually unplugs the system, moments before Derek was about to snap the Prime Minister's neck. Mugatu attempts to cover up the incident, but Hansel offers Maury's computer as evidence, smashing it to the ground which he believes would release the incriminating files. Though the evidence is destroyed, Maury steps forward and reveals he had backed up the files, and offers to turn over the evidence of the assassination plot after years of guilt for his complicity in the conspiracy. Mugatu attempts to kill the Prime Minister himself by throwing a shuriken, but Derek stops him by unleashing his ultimate model look, "Magnum", that stuns everyone and causes the shuriken to freeze in the air in front of Derek's face and fall harmlessly to the ground. At Derek's hometown, Larry is watching the event on TV, and proudly acknowledges Derek as his son. Mugatu is arrested, and Derek is thanked by the Prime Minister.

In the film's dénouement, Derek, Hansel, and Maury have left the fashion industry to start "The Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too". Derek and Matilda are shown as now having a son named Derek Zoolander, Jr., who has already developed his first modeling look.

Cast

Actor	Role

Notes

• Zoolander (2001) redirects to this page.

• Production on Zoolander began on September 14th, 2000. Principal photography concluded in January, 2001.

• The movie was shot on location in Los Angeles, California as well as Yonkers and New York City, New York. Scenes of the coal mine were filmed in Ogdensburg, New Jersey.

• This is the first film produced by Red Hour Films, which is Ben Stiller's production company.

• Zoolander was released on DVD by Warner Bros. in Region 1 format on March 12th, 2002. It was released on Blu-ray on August 21st, 2012.

• Screenwriter Drake Sather committed suicide with a gun in Los Angeles, California on March 3rd, 2004. He was forty-four years old.

Fun Facts

Winona Ryder is but one of many celebrity guest stars seen in Zoolander.

• The tagline for this film is, "3% Body Fat. 1% Brain Activity."

• This is Ben Stiller's third feature film as a director. It is his first film as a screenwriter.

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

• The film has been banned in Malaysia because of the use of fictional Malaysian Prime Minister as the subject of assassination. It was originally also banned in neighboring Singapore, but the ban has since been lifted.

• Images of the World Trade Center towers were removed before the movie's 28 September 2001 release. They were edited out in one shot and obscured in another.

• In addition to family members, Zoolander is chock full of celebrity guest stars playing themselves such as Tommy Hilifiger, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Gwen Stefani, Paris Hilton, Natalie Portman, Winona Ryder, Lenny Kravitz and even Fabio! Yes, Fabio.

External Links

Zoolander at AMG Zoolander at IMDB Zoolander at Wikipedia

Zoolander at Metacritic Zoolander at Themoviedb.org Zoolander at Rotten Tomatoes

Keywords

2000s; 2001; Miner

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