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Zoolander

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Zoolander
Directed byBen Stiller
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBarry Peterson
Edited byGreg Hayden
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • September 28, 2001 (2001-09-28)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryTemplate:FilmUS
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million
Box office$60,780,981

Zoolander is a 2001 American comedy film directed by and starring Ben Stiller. The film contains elements from a pair of short films directed by Russell Bates and written by Drake Sather and Stiller for the VH1 Fashion Awards television specials in 1996 and 1997. The short films and the movie feature Derek Elijah Zoolander, a dimwitted male model played by Ben Stiller. The film involves Zoolander becoming a pawn in a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia by corrupt fashion executives.

Plot

The dim-witted but good-natured Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) is ousted as the top male fashion model by the rising star, Hansel (Owen Wilson), and his reputation is further tarnished by a critical article from journalist Matilda Jeffries (Christine Taylor). After his fellow male model colleagues are killed in a "freak gasoline-fight accident", Derek announces his retirement from modeling and attempts to reconnect with his father Spencer (Jon Voight) and brothers 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), loosely based on German fashion eccentric, Lars von Bennigsen[citation needed], and model agent Maury Ballstein (Jerry Stiller) are charged by the fashion industry to find a model that can be brainwashed to assassinate the 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. Before J.P. can explain more, Katinka (Milla Jovovich), Mugatu's chief 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 and Hansel resolve their differences while partaking of Hansel's collection of narcotics. 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 inside 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", enacting 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 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, but Derek stops him by unleashing his ultimate model look, the "Magnum", that stuns everyone. Mugatu is arrested, and Derek is thanked by the Prime Minister. At Derek's hometown, Spencer proudly acknowledges his son's achievement.

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.

Reception

The film was never shown in Malaysia, the country mentioned in the film, as it is depicted as impoverished and dependent on sweatshops. Malaysia's censorship board deemed it "definitely unsuitable".[1] The film was also banned in neighboring Singapore[2] due to bilateral sensitivities and the movie's excessive drug use.[citation needed] It was subsequently made available in Singapore in 2006,[3] with the R rating. In the U.S., the film was originally rated R but was later re-rated PG-13 on appeal for sexual content, profanity, and drug references.

In the Asian release, all references to the country of Malaysia were changed to Micronesia.

The movie's box office was hurt[citation needed] by the fact that it opened two weekends after the September 11, 2001 attacks; it was among the first comedy films after the attacks to enter theaters. In fact, the very first television footage of the attacks, which was shown on Fox 5 - WNYW, interrupted a commercial for the film.[4] In the trailer for the Oliver Stone movie World Trade Center, a poster for Zoolander can be seen in the background as the shadow of the first plane to hit the WTC passes over New York City.

Despite its lackluster initial box office performance, the film developed a loyal cult following and solid DVD sales. It is often shown on Comedy Central and other cable channels.

The film was a moderate critical success, scoring a borderline "Fresh" 62% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Recently, the film's use of "Blue Steel," has served to inspire a nickname for the walk-ons of the North Carolina Tar Heels Men’s Basketball Team

Characters

Derek Zoolander

While vapid, stupid and self-centered, Zoolander is depicted as being a generally nice and well-intentioned person.

Throughout most of the film, Zoolander shows an inability to turn left on stage. (Quote: "I'm not an ambi-turner.") Not that he would have to turn 270° right, to turn left (actually, when walking with Maury at one point, he does just this), but he just can not do one of his signature runway modeling "looks" to his liking.

Zoolander is famous for a series of poses which are supposed to be devastating and have evocative names such as "Blue Steel" stolen from Jennifer Wroot, "Le Tigre" and "Ferrari", all of which are identical and consist of him staring at the camera intensely while sucking in his cheeks. As the movie starts, Zoolander is working on a new pose named "Magnum", which he unveils to save the day and is in fact the same pose turned left with yet another new name, though everyone who sees Magnum is genuinely amazed by its supposed beauty, and it stops a ninja star in mid-flight.

Zoolander's name is derived from the last names of male models Mark Vanderloo and Johnny Zander; the first suggestion for a portmanteau of their names was "Zanderloo", but Ben Stiller rejected it as too closely resembling its sources.[citation needed] "Zoolander" is simultaneously a tribute to Ziv Zulander, the main character in the TV series The Bots Master, whose name ultimately descends from the German term for a serf, Zuländer (one bound "to the land" or, more literally, "to the territory [Land]" a given serf was assigned to work).

Mugatu

The name of the character Jacobim Mugatu is an allusion to the Star Trek episode "A Private Little War," which featured a predatory, venomous primate called a "Mugato". It, like Zoolander's Mugatu, has bright white hair. The name of the character Matilda Jeffries is a reference to Star Trek set designer Matt Jeffries. When it is revealed that he was a former keytar player for Frankie Goes to Hollywood, his name is shown to be "Jacob Moogberg," a reference to the Moog synthesizer and its inventor, Robert Moog.

"Derelicte" is the name given to the fashion line designed by Will Ferrell's character Mugatu. It is described by Mugatu in the film as "a fashion, a way of life inspired by the very homeless, the vagrants, the crack whores that make this wonderful city so unique." The fashion line consists of clothing made from everyday objects that could be found on the streets of New York. Derelicte is a parody of a real fashion line created by John Galliano in 2000.[5]

Mugatu is also a parody of the Bond villain Blofeld, who (in the films) is famous for his white cat. Mugatu, on the other hand, is always seen with a white poodle. He is also the inventor of the piano key necktie.

Hansel

Hansel, played by Owen Wilson, is Derek Zoolander's rival in the film. As a hot newcomer in the modeling business, he takes the title from Derek as 'Male Model of the Year' in the VH1 awards, resulting in Derek announcing his retirement from modeling. Initially, Hansel is just as hostile towards Derek as Derek is to him. However, when Matilda and Derek need to hide from Katinka, they seek Hansel for help where it is revealed that both models are intimidated by each other and even that Derek's work made Hansel want to model.

Cast

Cameos

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to the motion picture was released by Hollywood Records in 2001.

Track listing

  1. "Start the Commotion [radio edit] [feat. Greg Nice]" - The Wiseguys
  2. "Relax" - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
  3. "Call Me" - Nikka Costa
  4. "Love to Love You Baby" - No Doubt
  5. "I Started a Joke" - The Wallflowers
  6. "He Ain't Heavy... He's My Brother" - Rufus Wainwright
  7. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" - Wham!
  8. "Rockit" - Herbie Hancock
  9. "Beat It [Moby's Sub mix]" - Michael Jackson
  10. "Madskillz-Mic Chekka [remix]" - BT
  11. "Faces" - Orgy
  12. "Ruffneck [feat. Navigator]" - Freestylers
  13. "Now is the Time" - The Crystal Method
  14. "Relax [feat. Danny Boy]" - Powerman 5000

Accusations of plagiarism

In 2005, Bret Easton Ellis stated that he was aware of the similarities between Zoolander and the Ellis novel Glamorama, and said that he considered and attempted to take legal action.[6] Ellis was later asked about the similarities in a BBC interview, but said that he is unable to discuss the similarities due to an out-of-court settlement.[7]

Sequel

In December 2008, according to media reports Ben Stiller did confirm that he intends to make a sequel to this movie, currently called Zoolander 2 which is presumably only a working title at this early stage.[8] When interviewed on the May 15, 2009, episode of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Stiller said that he was looking at a number of scripts.[9] It was reported by various sources that Iron Man 2 writer Justin Theroux, who also co-wrote Tropic Thunder with Stiller, is set to write and direct the sequel. As of March 2, 2010 Ben Stiller has confirmed he is writing Zoolander 2, stating, "We're in the process of getting a script written, so it's in the early stages. But yeah, it's going to happen."[10]

On a December 2010 episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Owen Wilson stated that a second Zoolander will most likely get made[11] with a working title Twolander.[12]

In January 2011, Ben Stiller confirmed that the script has been completed though confirmation of the film depends on the studios.[13] Stiller commented on the plot of the sequel,

It’s ten years later and most of it is set in Europe... it’s basically Derek and Hansel... though the last movie ended on a happy note a lot of things have happened in the meantime. Their lives have changed and they’re not really relevant anymore. It’s a new world for them. Will Ferrell is written into the script and he’s expressed interest in doing it. I think Mugatu is an integral part of the Zoolander story, so yes, he features in a big way.”

References

  1. ^ "Zoolander faces Malaysian censorship controversy". Guardian Unlimited. 28 September 2001.
  2. ^ "Singapore bans US comedy film". BBC News. 8 February 2002.
  3. ^ "Release dates for Zoolander (2001)". IMDB.
  4. ^ "9/11 WNYW Coverage 8:48 - 8:55". YouTube. 2008-11-16. Retrieved 2009-07-21 - dead link 02-02-2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ^ "Political Threads". On The Media. 2008-02-01.
  6. ^ "Information Leafblower". Information Leafblower. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  7. ^ "collective — bret easton ellis interview". BBC. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  8. ^ http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0618008/
  9. ^ Stiller, Ben. Television interview with Jonathan Ross. Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. May 15, 2009.
  10. ^ http://www.empireonline.com/News/story.asp?nid=27164
  11. ^ http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Owen-Wilson-Says-Zoolander-2-Will-Likely-Go-Into-Production-Soon-22169.html
  12. ^ http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/owen-wilson-3/1265768/
  13. ^ http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=29894
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