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‘zoolander’: thr’s 2001 review.

On September 28, 2001, Paramount unveiled the Ben Stiller comedy in theaters.

By Kirk Honeycutt

Kirk Honeycutt

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On September 28, 2001, Paramount unveiled Ben Stiller’s Zoolander in theaters. The Hollywood Reporter’s original review is below:

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Zoolander Reviews

Zoolander is a great-enough movie on its own, a razor-sharp spoof of celebrity culture and the fashion world. However, Ferrell’s Mugatu is the secret ingredient.

Full Review | Aug 21, 2023

Think of 'Zoolander' as the anti-Austin Powers set to the retro-kitsch sounds of Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Wham! Stiller spins gags around his harmless idiot and enlists friends and acquaintances to join in on the fun.

Full Review | Aug 19, 2023

There's an old saying about actors, how one needs to be smart to effectively pretend to be stupid. If that's true, Ben Stiller is a very smart man.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Apr 22, 2022

While Zoolander the movie - like Zoolander the model - is a little light on brains, it definitely has its moments.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 15, 2022

Zoolander is a perfectly enjoyable film in and of itself, but coming after Stiller's exemplary bleak work on The Cable Guy (1996) it seems slightly disappointing.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Apr 10, 2021

This project is almost too silly for words.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Nov 9, 2020

In a world where so few comedies make me laugh anymore, this one made me hysterical.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.0/4.0 | Sep 27, 2020

Zoolander offers the breathless revelation that show business is a vain and hollow place.

Full Review | Oct 15, 2019

'Zoolander' is a fairly representative sample of the eclectic nature of Stiller's talent as a filmmaker. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Aug 28, 2019

Although it's in the lineage of other bombastic Fratpack numbers, it lacks the self-regarding tenor of many of those films.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 9, 2018

...a blatantly silly premise that is, for the most part, executed to entertaining and hilarious effect by filmmaker Stiller...

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 26, 2016

So lazy a comedy that I kept looking for Adam Sandler's name in the credits...essentially a funny 3-minute short with a bloated, unfunny full-length feature grafted on to it.

Full Review | Feb 10, 2016

About as dumb as dumb comedies can get, Zoolander suffers from a weak plot and even weaker characters, yet the performances by Stiller, Wilson and the extremely funny Will Ferrell more than make up for it.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 28, 2013

A surprisingly entertaining movie, but edgy.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 18, 2010

Ben Stiller often forgoes go-for-broke comedy for the sake of getting rich. Not so in "Zoolander," which is not only Cuba Gooding Jr. and Billy Zane's best work of the last decade, but what remains Stiller's flat-out funniest film - down to the DVD menu.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Dec 18, 2010

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 8, 2009

A fashion spoof draped over the bones of a puerile conspiracy adventure, this vanity comedy fails at every level barring its incidental details.

Full Review | Oct 18, 2008

It's patchy, but when it hits, Zoolander is as funny as any Frat Pack picture.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 14, 2008

At times Zoolander threatens to disappear up its own catwalk, but it's often very funny stuff.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 30, 2006

It's no Meet the Parents, but if you like Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson's brand of offbeat humor, Zoolander should be right up your fashion runway.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 1, 2006

Zoolander Review

30 Nov 2001

Some actors practically guarantee quality: Kevin Spacey, for example (we’ll ignore Pay It Forward, as indeed everyone should). Inversely, Chris Klein’s name above the title is ominous indeed. Meanwhile, Will Ferrell is fast becoming a byword for patchy but funny all-star spoofs. This month alone, he over-acts wildly in Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back, and again here as the flamboyant fashion designer criminal mastermind, Mugatu. The message is clear: if you see Ferrell, stick around.Stiller’s first directorial effort since 1996’s under-rated The Cable Guy is a mostly successful and unashamed attempt to make an utterly lunatic camp comedy, anchored superbly by its multi-tasking star. Based on a character Stiller debuted at the 1996 VH1 Fashion Awards (VH1 must have a sense of humour; it co-produced), Zoolander trades on the hold-the-front-page premise that male models are stupid. And so Stiller ladles on the hit-and-miss dumb jokes — including a priceless 2001 pisstake — thick and fast.Likewise the star cameos, the Stiller Rolodex proffering the likes of David Duchovny as a — ho! — conspiracy theorist, David Bowie as himself, Vince Vaughn as Zoolander’s perpetually appalled, perpetually silent brother, and family members (Taylor is aka Mrs. Stiller, while Jerry Stiller — Daddy! — is Zoolander’s crotchety agent). And, amidst the home video antics, Stiller dovetails perfectly with the unfathomably cool Wilson, so much so that you wish the ‘world’s top male models’ (worth a laugh in itself) shared more screentime.And while Zoolander’s okay US performance may have killed a sequel, its close cousin Austin Powers (witness the zany tone, the incompetent, sex-obsessed hero and — blimey! — Will Ferrell) discovered hit status on video. If justice prevails, this will, too.

Movies | 11 01 2016

Movies | 24 05 2015

Billy Zane Is Back Back Back For Zoolander 2

Movies | 21 04 2015

Cyrus Arnold Cast as Derek Zoolander's Son

Movies | 13 04 2015

Movies | 28 01 2015

Movies | 11 08 2014

Movies | 04 10 2011

Movies | 25 05 2011

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Zoolander Reviews

61 Metascore
1 hr 28 mins
Watchlist Where to Watch

Satire about a dim male supermodel who loses ground to a newcomer, then unwittingly becomes involved in an assassination plot.

UNZIPPED meets THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE in Ben Stiller's loopy spoof of New York fashionistas. The new prime minister of Malaysia (Woodrow Asai) has declared war on sweatshops, so a shadowy cabal of designers whose businesses rely on cheap third-world labor has put a price on his head. Meanwhile, spectacularly stupid male model Zoolander (Stiller) is in the midst of a personal crise: He's been ridiculed in a Time magazine cover story by investigative reporter Matilda Jeffries (Christine Taylor, Stiller's wife), seen the VH1 Male Model of the Year award given to arch-rival Hansel (Stiller's MEET THE PARENTS co-star Owen Wilson), and lost his air-headed but really, really good-looking roommates Brint (Alexander Manning), Rufus (Asio Highsmith) and Meekus (Alexander Skarsgard) to an accident occasioned by their awesome idiocy. The shaken Zoolander decides that perhaps being really, really good looking isn't the be-all and end-all of life, so he announces his intention to retire and devote himself to more meaningful pursuits — maybe something to do with teaching kids to read good. But flamboyant designer Jacopo Mugatu (Will Ferrell), who's been recruited by the conspirators of cut-rate chic to carry out their evil desires, has other ideas. The Malaysian prime minister will be in New York City for fashion week, so Mugatu entices Zoolander out of retirement to do his runway show and then, with the help of evil but supremely well-dressed sidekick Katinka (Milla Jovovich), kidnaps and brainwashes the brainless himbo, creating a mindless killing machine. Can this nefarious plot be foiled before Zoolander's fame becomes infamy? Built around a character developed for the 1996 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards show, this meticulously designed comedy contains some funny bits: Who knew that all political assassinations of the last 200 years had been masterminded by rogue rag traders? And who better than X-Files star David Duchovny, playing a gone-to-seed hand model, to tell us about it? The movie's attention to detail is unimpeachable and it's suitably chock-a-block with celebrity cameos, from designer Tommy Hilfiger to sleazy socialite Paris Hilton. But the conceit isn't really rich enough to fill out a feature-length running time, and the film often feels slack and attenuated. Overall, how funny you find it will probably depend on whether or not the mere sight of Stiller sucking in his cheeks, widening his eyes and striking preposterous poses makes you laugh uproariously.

Suggestions

Review: zoolander.

It’s a one-joke movie, but a funny one nonetheless.

This season’s Saturday Night Live may be sans late-night goddesses Molly Shannon and Cheri Oteri, but Zoolander is proof positive that Will Ferrell is still the show’s greatest asset. Although Ben Stiller’s newest isn’t as gut-busting as a Mad TV sketch, it’s a wickedly absurd jab at the male modeling profession: Think of it as VH1 meets Austin Powers meets SNL —never offensive, instantly forgettable, but deliriously fun. Fashion designer Jacobim Mugatu (Ferrell) spearheads an attack against the Malaysian prime minister by brainwashing supermodel Derek Zoolander (Stiller), famous for his “Blue Steel” look (uncannily similar to Sarah Jessica Parker’s Sex and the City mugshots). Male models are at the center of the world’s most famous assassinations; from Lincoln’s anti-slavery stance to Kennedy’s Cuban embargo, every political action seems to place a direct burden on fashion’s trendy strongholds. Indeed, Zoolander paints a pointed picture of the modeling industry as a ludicrously self-contained unit. Inter-personal strife is taken to the underground, where strutting competitions aren’t unlike Mexican cockfights. With the aide of Time reporter Matilda Jeffries (Christine Taylor) and an ex-hand model (a scruffy David Duchovny), Zoolander and fellow model Hansel (Owen Wilson) bring down Mugatu and his evil bitch-mate Katinka (a devilishly delectable Milla Jovovich— yes , we want to eat her). Mugatu’s brainwashing video is so preposterously wacky that it sticks out like a sore thumb (much like Reese Witherspoon’s application video from Legally Blonde ) in an otherwise hit-or-miss comic landscape. Yes, male models are idiots (three of them accidentally kill themselves in one of the film’s finer moments). It’s a one-joke movie, but a funny one nonetheless.

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Ed Gonzalez

Ed Gonzalez is the co-founder of Slant Magazine . A member of the New York Film Critics Circle, his writing has appeared in The Village Voice , The Los Angeles Times , and other publications.

Review: Happenstance

Review: I’m Going Home

The Untold Truth Of Zoolander

Ben Stiller has appeared in a smorgasbord of famous comedies. There's a great (or less often, terrible) Stiller comedy for practically any type of yuk-fest you enjoy watching, from the wildly successful comedy "Meet the Parents" to the trio of "Madagascar" movies to the provocative "Tropic Thunder." But perhaps one of his most memorable comedies is the 2001 feature "Zoolander." This project notably features Stiller stretching himself to play a role far removed from his nervous everyman archetype.

To portray Derek Zoolander, Stiller had to tackle the personality of an oblivious yet comically confident male model, which is just not the kind of role that pops up frequently in his filmography. It isn't only Stiller's deft and unique performance that makes "Zoolander" stand out, though. The film itself is also a riot and home to a bountiful supporting cast of comedic all-stars, including Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell.

Even if you know every line in "Zoolander" backward and forward, though, the lore of the film is still bound to be full of surprises, particularly when it comes to Derek Zoolander's origins and an animated "Zoolander" TV special that's flown right under the radar. Go grab your diploma from the Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too and prepare to study up on the untold truth of "Zoolander."

Zoolander's origins as a VH1 character

For many audience members, Ben Stiller's comically oblivious male model Derek Zoolander premiered on the big screen with the eponymous 2001 movie. But this feature film wasn't the character's first appearance in pop culture. Years earlier, Stiller had debuted the Zoolander character as a sketch comedy figure on VH1 in a filmed segment at VH1's 1996 Fashion Awards .

Though the supporting cast that would surround the character in his big-screen exploits weren't included just yet, Stiller established Zoolander's absent-mindedness and self-absorption quite firmly in his first sketch. This iteration of Derek Zoolander was seen talking to the camera about his daily routine to keep himself at the top of his craft as a male model by practicing eyebrow tilts. There are also gags, like Zoolander engaging in a playful skirmish with his fellow male models, that serve as precursors to jokes that would eventually emerge in the feature-length "Zoolander" movie.

As pointed out by sites like The Dissolve , there isn't a substantial amount difference between this early VH1 iteration of the character and the one seen in the two "Zoolander" movies. While some sketch comedy characters get tweaked when it's time to translate them into motion picture stars, Zoolander was consistent: Even the character's voice would remain the same over the years. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, they say, and that was certainly true of the original VH1 incarnation of Derek Zoolander.

Ben Stiller's unforgettable bit of improvisation

One of the most memorable scenes in "Zoolander" sees hand model J.P. Prewitt (David Duchovny) letting Derek in on an evil scheme to use male models for malicious purposes — and why exactly people from that line of work would be so perfect for this dastardly plan. After this deluge of exposition, Zoolander poses Prewitt an important question (and one that he'd just asked moments ago): "But why male models?" Incredulous at this seemingly air-headed query, Prewitt responds, "Seriously? I just told you!"

It's an amusing little exchange that gets a lot of mileage out of Stiller's total commitment to playing the ditziness of Zoolander without a hint of self-aware snark. To make this moment even better, it was actually improvised , with Stiller repeating the question about male models because he couldn't remember his actual line on the set and Duchovny staying in character to deliver that indignant follow-up. The great improvisation on both parties cemented this as one of the funniest parts of "Zoolander."

Zoolander's reckoning with 9/11

"Zoolander" is an extremely silly comedy full of gags about "centers for ants!" and sudden David Bowie cameos. But when the film was theatrically released at the end of September 2001, it had to contend with something exceedingly more serious. Just before "Zoolander" hit movie theaters, the World Trade Center attacks occurred and left a massive impact on the United States public. In the wake of such a devastating and senseless tragedy, everyone in the comedy world was figuring out when, if ever, it would be appropriate to laugh again.

Just 17 days after that event, "Zoolander" strolled into theaters not only with an abundance of ridiculous gags but also a subplot involving assassinating a foreign leader. The only alteration made to "Zoolander" to make it fit into a post-9/11 world was digitally removing the Twin Towers from any shots in the film featuring the buildings. In the end, "Zoolander" didn't become a worldwide smash. However, its solid $60.7 million worldwide box office gross indicated people were ready for some goofy laughs after so much horror.

Roger Ebert apologized to Ben Stiller for his Zoolander review

When "Zoolander" was first released, renowned critic Roger Ebert was no fan of this Ben Stiller comedy. Giving it just a single star, Ebert began his review by throwing down the gauntlet and offering up "Zoolander" as evidence of "why the United States is so hated in some parts of the world." While Ebert offered praise for Stiller's ludicrously simple-minded performance as well as the film's social commentary on the role of child labor in the American fashion industry, Ebert was overall negative on "Zoolander" and in particular its commentary on geopolitical relations.

It's impossible to read Ebert's review and not feel the unique tension of reviewing movies directly in the wake of the September 11 attacks, especially since Ebert references the tragedy in his review. From his perspective, the tastelessness of the film using the potential assassination of the leader of Malaysia as a key plot point must've seemed insulting rather than humorous in this context. Interestingly, though, this review was not the end of Ebert's relationship with "Zoolander." Years later, Stiller claimed to The Huffington Post that he had had an encounter with Ebert in which the film critic apologized to the director for his "Zoolander" review and admitted he had come around on the comedy.

Sum 41 almost made a Zoolander song

It's always appealing, especially for promotional purposes, when movies score original songs made by hot artists. After all, what's better for publicity than having your new feature film attached to the star power of a major musician? Thus, it's no surprise to learn that, per an interview with the band Sum 41 for Men's Health , the producers behind "Zoolander" asked the group to create an original tune for the movie. It wasn't meant simply to play over the end credits, though. This original song was meant to accompany a mid-movie gasoline fight between Derek Zoolander and a gaggle of other male models.

After a screening of "Zoolander," though, the band members absolutely refused to create a song for this particular scene in the comedy. This wasn't due to their objections over the content or actors in "Zoolander," though. On the contrary, their reason for refusing was solely due to the temporary song that was playing over the scene, "Wake Me Before You Go-Go" by Wham! Originally meant to be a placeholder needle drop until an original song was added instead, Sum 41 told the people behind "Zoolander" that the scene was already hysterical with this boppy retro tune. It can be awesome to get a popular band to create an original song for your movie, but sometimes, you just have to go with the classics.

Stiller has refused to cut Trump from Zoolander

Some parts of the "Zoolander" movies haven't aged perfectly, and one particularly distracting out-of-touch element in the first "Zoolander" comes in the form of an appearance by former U.S. President Donald Trump. Though plagued by controversy surrounding racism and other pieces of inappropriate behavior since the 1970s, Trump, circa. 2001, was seen in pop culture as just another larger-than-life celebrity.

Thus, when he was interviewed at the VH1 Fashion Awards, the production had his responses spliced into a star-studded montage at the start of "Zoolander." Though not explicitly stated in the text of "Zoolander," Trump's presence prompts the viewer to consider how the fictional celebrity blowhards in "Zoolander" aren't enormously different from similar figures in real life.

In the years since the film's release, Trump's image has only grown more and more clouded with controversies, and that's led to people expressing wishes for Trump's scenes in "Zoolander" to be cut. However, writer-director Ben Stiller has made it clear Trump won't be getting removed. "At the end of the day, that was a time when that exists and that happened," Stiller explained to MovieWeb . "There were so many movies (back then) that had a silly cameo from Donald Trump. He represented a certain thing." Considering these comments, those expecting a Trump-free cut of "Zoolander" to be released will have to adjust their expectations.

What it was like filming that David Bowie scene

In the middle of "Zoolander," arguably one of the film's most enjoyable moments emerges when Derek Zoolander and Hansel engage in a competition to see who can strut it best on a runway. Who could possibly judge such a contest properly? Well, that's where a surprise appearance from David Bowie as himself comes in. He pops up from the crowd to offer his expertise on who can serve the best looks. It's a memorable moment not just for the sight of Bowie in such a ludicrously comical context, but for how fitting it is that he would be perceived as the ultimate decider of what is and isn't good in men's fashion.

In retrospect, writer-director Ben Stiller is as shocked as any of us that this moment happened. While live-tweeting about the movie, Stiller remarked that everyone on the "Zoolander" set was "in shock" that Bowie was there to do this cameo. It may have been a stupefying experience, but Bowie fit like a glove into the sequence and managed to stand out as one of the most impactful appearances in a movie chock-full of celebrity cameos. Bowie's work in "Zoolander" was so memorable that Stiller ended up dedicating some words to this pop culture icon at the premiere of "Zoolander 2" in February 2016, just one month after Bowie passed away.

How Stiller thought male models would receive Zoolander

While watching "Zoolander," if you can take a break from giggling, it may cross your mind to wonder how real-life male models might take this comedy. It's not like Derek Zoolander is depicted as a total aberration in the world of male modeling: All individuals of this craft in "Zoolander" are depicted as dolts. One can't help but contemplate exactly how people in the actual modeling profession would receive this movie, and that thought process would have to run through the minds of people tasked with bringing "Zoolander" into the world as well.

It turns out, though, that writer-director Ben Stiller had already given this some thought and was pretty optimistic about how real-life male models would receive "Zoolander." "I have to say I think the male models will [understand the movie]," Stiller told Hollywood.com . "The male models are incredibly good-looking, incredibly nice young men who have had a really good sense of humor about this. Mark Vanderloo and Jason Lewis — they all know about it and I've met them and did some research and hung out with some of them." Given the time he invested with actual male models, Stiller grew confident that these individuals would actually enjoy, rather than be insulted by, the antics of Derek Zoolander and company.

How important Owen Wilson was to the Zoolander cast

Across their individual careers in Hollywood, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson have worked together numerous times. That's no coincidence, as the two clearly have a fondness for each other, and audiences enjoy watching their unique personalities bounce off one another. When it came time for "Zoolander," it was inevitable that Wilson would show up in the "Zoolander" cast . However, Stiller didn't just find Wilson to be an important part of the project, he openly viewed him as the most important part of this goofy puzzle of a movie.

"Owen was the most important casting to me in the movie because I think he is one of the funniest people around — and the part was written for him. I don't think [the movie] could have [been] made if he couldn't do it," Stiller explained to Hollywood.com . He went on to describe their friendship and their affinity for working together, as well as the unique personality that enabled Wilson to take what was once a VH1 sketch to the next level. "[When] making a movie like this where it's based on a short film — a sketch originally — you figure out ways to make it work in a longer format. ... The relationship with Derek and Hansel is really important and a real thing. He is just a uniquely funny guy. There's no other person like Owen."

The forgotten Zoolander cartoon

"Zoolander" is such a wacky movie that it does sometimes feel like one is just watching a cartoon that somehow got airlifted into the real world. Given the innately zany, overly animated nature of these characters and their world, it shouldn't be a surprise that "Zoolander" was eventually turned into an animated property. Rather than a high-profile revamp or continuation of the original, though, this foray into animation came in the form of a one-off TV special launched with minimal fanfare.

Entitled "Zoolander: Super Model," this 84-minute long miniseries brought back Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Christine Taylor in voiceover versions of their roles from the original "Zoolander." Released in 2016, it would appear that this production's whole purpose was to promote "Zoolander 2," which debuted the same year, but that ambition was thwarted by how the film was released solely through Netflix — and only in the United Kingdom and Ireland .

It would take another four years for this oddball spin-off of the "Zoolander" franchise to makes its way to the U.S., where it would get an unglamorous debut on CBS All-Access in May 2020. The prospect of "Zoolander" entering the world of animation would seem to be one jam-packed with potential, but the treatment of "Zoolander: Super Model" during its release suggests that somebody behind the scenes of this franchise didn't feel the same way.

Ben Stiller's response to filming alongside his wife

Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller at a premiere

There are many famous faces in the "Zoolander" cast that Ben Stiller has some level of personal attachment to. The actor-director's former wife, Christine Taylor, was the female lead of "Zoolander" and, per Stiller himself, working with his significant other on a major theatrical comedy turned out to be quite the enjoyable experience for both of them.

"[Working with my wife] was great. I love my wife," said Stiller to Daily Bruin . "It was really helpful for me because I trust her sense of humor and she's really smart. When you're acting and directing, you miss having a director, so I would go to her a lot of times for feedback." For her part, Taylor also said it was delightful getting to spend so much time with Stiller on the set of "Zoolander" since, at the time of this 2001 interview, they were still in what she described as the "honeymoon phase" of their relationship. The on-set experiences proved so enjoyable that Taylor and Stiller would act together again in subsequent movies such as "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," "Tropic Thunder," and "Zoolander 2."

Owen Wilson is surprised how popular Zoolander has become

Owen Wilson has no shortage of famous movies in his filmography. This guy's been in everything from "Armageddon" to "Wedding Crashers," not to mention providing the voice of the protagonist for three separate "Cars" movies. If the average person were to come up to Wilson to praise his work, they could start with any number of titles. However, according to Wilson, it's "Zoolander" that's turned out to be among his most popular projects.

Despite the original "Zoolander" not registering as either his or Ben Stiller's biggest movie at the box office, Wilson has found himself bombarded with people who just can't get enough of those clueless male models. "I noticed that when I was travelling, there were a lot of people who came up to me quoting Zoolander," Wilson revealed to The Independent . "Ben said he had the same experience and a kind of following developed." Wilson said this fanbase had become so sizeable that the reaction when he and Stiller announced a sequel was akin to the kind of response when a new "Star Wars" project is revealed. Even in Wilson's dense body of work (and honestly, in entertainment at large), "Zoolander" still stands out as an especially beloved piece of cinema.

Zoolander (United States, 2001)

Under normal circumstances, Zoolander is the kind of movie I would recommend giving a pass to in theaters and waiting for the video release. But these are far from normal circumstances. In the wake of the World Trade Center disaster, audiences are looking for distractions, so anything that offers opportunities for laughter, no matter how uneven or scattered those opportunities may be, cannot be immediately dismissed. Thus it is for Zoolander . This is by no means a great (or even a very good) comedy, but there are times when it tickles the funny bone, and, for that reason if no other, it may be the right film for this time.

Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) is the king of the male modeling world. The winner of three straight Model of the Year awards, Derek stands ready to claim his fourth, until he is unseated by upstart newcomer Hansel (Owen Wilson), whose freshness and versatility outmatch Derek's trademark "blue steel" stare. To add insult to injury, the same week that Derek loses his perch atop the fashion world, Time magazine publishes a derogatory article about him, written by pretty Matilda Jeffries (Christine Taylor), whom Derek had given full access to his life. When his three best friends are killed in a freak accident, Derek decides he has had enough. He's going to give up modeling and devote himself to charity, building a school for "children who can't read good". But in steps Derek's agent, Maury Ballstein (Jerry Stiller), and fashion mogul Mugatu (Will Ferrell) with a deal to convince him otherwise. Mugatu claims that he wants Derek to be the model for his new "Derelicte" collection, but what he really desires is a "beautiful, self-absorbed simpleton" whom he can brainwash and turn into an assassin. Mugatu needs to find someone to kill the latest Prime Minister of Malysia, because the new ruler is determined to institute laws limiting child labor, an act that will wreck Mugatu's empire.

With a premise like the one embraced by Zoolander , a viewer could be forgiven for expecting the storyline to represent a barbed lampoon of the shallow fashion industry. However, while the film contains elements of satire, it is much gentler and less edgy than one might anticipate, parodying only the most obvious aspects of modeling (the "easy targets"). Instead, much of the comedy is of the Dumb and Dumber variety, with the naivete of a moron being played for laughs. Derek is obsessed with his looks, has trouble pronouncing any word with more than two syllables, doesn't know his left from his right, and sometimes has trouble completing sentences. Not all of the humor makes fun of Derek's stupidity; there are some clever things to be found in Zoolander as well. One ongoing gag is that Derek's vaunted "blue steel" look is about as silly an expression as Stiller could come up with. And there are in-jokes (for example, Stiller, an avowed Star Trek fan, named "Mugatu" after a creature from the late-'60s TV series) for those who care to look for them.

One of the primary problems with Zoolander is that it doesn't have enough material to fill the running length. Even at a short 85 minutes, the movie seems padded. There are some very entertaining sequences - such as the awards show, the runway "walk-off" duel, and the breakdance fight - but there are also dead patches where there's too much exposition and too little humor. Zoolander 's laugh-aloud moments redeem much of the movie, but they also leave us wishing the comedy had been more consistent. From a visual standpoint, Zoolander is a riot of colors, and the use of some of the '80s least intellectually stimulating pop hits (like "Relax") injects a little extra intentional campiness.

For Ben Stiller, Zoolander is a family affair. In addition to directing, co-producing, and co-writing the film, Stiller is also in front of the camera for nearly every scene. His father, Jerry, has a supporting role as a crooked agent with big balls (his name being "Ballstein") and a bigger prostate. Stiller's wife, Christine Taylor (who viewers may remember as Marcia in the two Brady Bunch movies), is Derek's love interest, Matilda. As Hansel, Owen Wilson vies to out-do Stiller in the vacuousness department. And Will Ferrell dons strange clothes and a stranger wig as Mugato. There are also cameos from the likes of Jon Voight, Cuba Gooding Jr., Gary Shandling, Natalie Portman, Winona Ryder, David Bowie, Fabio, David Duchovny, and Billy Zane.

Despite its numerous weaknesses, Zoolander is more enjoyable than many of 2001's crop of so-called comedies. For one thing, it's actually funny, even if only sporadically so. And, with all the open wounds of the past few weeks, if laughter is a cure, then it's hard to argue the medicinal value of something like Zoolander .

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Princess Bride, The (1987)
City Lights (1931)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Feast (2006)
Dumb and Dumberer (2003)
Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
Flirting with Disaster (1996)
There's Something about Mary (1998)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
Envy (2004)
Watch, The (2012)
Meet the Fockers (2004)
No Escape (2015)
Marley & Me (2008)
Royal Tenenbaums, The (2001)
Haunting, The (1999)
Internship, The (2013)
Dodgeball (2004)
(There are no more better movies of Christine Taylor)
License to Wed (2007)
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"Narcissistic Numskulls"

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

What You Need To Know:

(PaPa, Ho, PC, B, C, LLL, VV, SS, NN, A, DD, M) Pagan worldview with a homosexual subtext & homosexual worldview elements (though the narcissistic protagonist eventually gets married to a woman & has a child) plus some politically correct, anti-capitalist elements & some moral & redemptive elements (narcissistic protagonist becomes a hero & makes his father proud of him); about 26 obscenities & 8 mostly strong profanities, plus some bodily humor & urinating; some comic violence such as comical martial arts violence, a recreation of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, another man shot dead, pickaxe flies off the handle & hits someone off-screen, female villain struck on face & seems to enjoy tasting tiny trickle of blood, egg thrown, brainwashing session, explosion, & man deliberately knocked unconscious; depicted sexual references such as men kiss woman's upper shoulders & back & scene dissolves into an implied orgy, photo of men in sado-masochistic gear, man has an erection under a towel, veiled reference to masturbation, & narcissistic male models & fashion designers present a homosexual subtext in the movie; rear male nudity, people in skimpy outfits & sado-masochistic outfits shown; alcohol use; smoking & brief drug references including marijuana smoking; and, assassination plots revealed & rebuked or defeated, narcissism spoofed, crazy man says, “Obey my God,” while holding his little poodle, & stupid men play around with gasoline.

More Detail:

ZOOLANDER tries to re-invent the numskull comedy by setting its wild shenanigans in the unique world of high fashion. It almost succeeds in this endeavor, but ultimately succumbs to the problems facing many of today’s “hip” comedies: the failure to turn a good idea into a full-length feature movie comedy that uses story, character, wit, and physical humor to build audience laughter into a finely tuned crescendo.

Actor, director and co-writer Ben Stiller stars as the title character, Derek Zoolander, the world’s most famous supermodel. Derek is vain and surprisingly short in the brains department. When Derek loses his expected repeat of the Male Model of the Year honor to dashing newcomer (and equally mentally dense) Hansel, Derek’s narcissistic world begins to crumble. He wonders if there’s more to life than just being “really, really super good-looking.”

After failing to find the answer, things start looking up when fashion mogul Mugatu picks Derek to model his new “Derelicte” fashion collection. What Derek does not know is that Mugatu intends to brainwash Derek into assassinating the new president of Malaysia, who wants to stop the fashion industry from using cheap labor in his country. Helping Derek to unravel the plot is a female journalist from Time magazine and a mystery man who believes that all the political assassins of the last 200 years have been male models.

Joining Ben Stiller in these zany proceedings is Owen Wilson as Hansel, Ben’s father Jerry Stiller as Derek’s agent, Ben’s wife Christine as the Time reporter, and goofy comic actor Will Ferrell as Mugatu. (Ferrell plays Janet Reno, President George W. Bush, a nerdy cheerleader, and a host of other characters on TV’s SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.) There are several funny sequences in this movie (such as a runway “walk-off” between Derek and Hansel), as well as some pretty funny jibes at the fashion industry. Too many of the jokes, however, do not build upon one another, but are made for immediate effect only to then disappear. The actors help carry the show, though Jerry Stiller and Will Ferelly get a little annoying at times. It’s also hard to sympathize with a numskull unless he has a bigger, much meaner antagonist, or unless his goals and objectives are worthwhile. For example, the script tells us that Derek just wants to make his father proud (a noble goal perhaps), but this is not always stressed. Derek also tries to find some bigger purpose for his life, but then he gets caught up in his own narcissism again. Furthermore, while Will Ferrell is very funny as the evil antagonist Mugatu, it’s hard to take him seriously.

This is not what makes ZOOLANDER unfit for viewing, however. The reason for that problem is the movie’s foul language, including several strong profanities, and its lackadaisical attitude toward sexual immorality and even drug abuse. Thus, there is an implied orgy scene in the movie, two or three sexual body jokes about male genitals, and brief references to sado-masochism and masturbation. Also, there are a couple jokes about Hansel’s drug use, which makes light of a significant, dangerous problem that affects millions of children every day. All of these things fit in well with the homosexual subtext that exists in some parts of the fashion world and in this movie.

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Zoolander 2.

Common Sense Says
Parents Say 10 Reviews
Kids Say 24 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Racy sequel to cult comedy hit is a hot (but funny) mess.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Strong but relatively infrequent language includes "s--t," "bitch

Plenty of innuendo, and several jokes about both breast size and orgies. No grap

Many products/brands seen/mentioned: Netflix, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Uber, CNN, Valen

A gunshot draws blood and ultimately kills its victim. One character wants to bl

Social drinking by adult characters.

Any Positive Content?

While there's a lot of shallow behavior on display (as well as jokes at othe

Derek and Hansel may not be the smartest or deepest of characters, but they usua

Strong but relatively infrequent language includes "s--t," "bitch," "a--hole," and one "f--k."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Plenty of innuendo, and several jokes about both breast size and orgies. No graphic nudity/simulated sex in the orgy scenes, but the groupings include women, men, and animals; related discussion of the resulting pregnancies (a turn of events that freaks one character out). After a character flashes her cleavage, two men are visibly aroused. One scene shows character briefly touching a woman's (clothed) breast at her invitation. A man inadvertently tells a kid about a sexual encounter the man had with the kid's mother.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Many products/brands seen/mentioned: Netflix, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Uber, CNN, Valentino, Facebook, Instagram, Samsung, and more.

Violence & Scariness

A gunshot draws blood and ultimately kills its victim. One character wants to blow up a room full of famous fashion folks out of sheer spite and bitterness. A man throws a knife at another, stabbing him in the cheek; the same knife is later used to stab someone in the thigh. Though blood is shown, these scenes are intended to be funny.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

While there's a lot of shallow behavior on display (as well as jokes at others' expense, including a character who's overweight), underneath the surface is the idea that sometimes when you're down and out, there's nowhere to go but up. Also, don't be defeated by challenges; instead, regroup and come up better and wiser.

Positive Role Models

Derek and Hansel may not be the smartest or deepest of characters, but they usually mean well and are totally without guile, which is somewhat appealing. Jokes are made at an overweight character's expense.

Parents need to know that Zoolander 2 -- the highly anticipated sequel to star Ben Stiller 's 2001's silly but edgy modeling comedy Zoolander -- has a lot of similar content, from violence and mayhem played for laughs to jokes about orgies (and tons of cameos, natch). While there's no graphic nudity or actual simulated sex on display, the orgy scenes involve groups that include men, women, and animals. There's other innuendo, breast-size jokes, and sexual references as well. Characters are shot and stabbed, and other murders are planned. There's some swearing, including one "f--k," as well as social drinking and plenty of blatant product placement. Jokes are made at the expense of a kid who's overweight. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

Parents say (10)
Kids say (24)

Based on 10 parent reviews

What's the Story?

It's been years since supermodel Derek Zoolander ( Ben Stiller ) stopped a deadly weapon with his signature "look," Magnum, and built the Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good, and things aren't looking so great for him. His school collapsed, killing his wife and injuring his best friend, Hansel ( Owen Wilson ), who now won't speak to Derek and has retired from modeling, spending his days with his perpetual orgy. When the tabloids photograph Derek losing his temper while attempting to make spaghetti for his son, Child Protective Services whisks the boy away, leaving Derek holed up in the wilds of northern New Jersey. Then Billy Zane (reprising his role as himself from the original) shows up with an invitation for Derek to attend a fashion show hosted by the supreme fashionista, Alexanya Atoz ( Kristen Wiig ). Reunited in Rome, Derek and Hansel find themselves roped into a murderous plot hatched by the evil Mugatu ( Will Ferrell ), who still hates Derek.

Is It Any Good?

To enjoy ZOOLANDER 2 is to ignore all the usual ways in which you measure fine filmmaking (like plot and story arc), because a) it's a hot mess, and b) it's still funny. Nostalgia fuels the comedy, from the moment we spot Derek in all his high-haired, narcissistic glory (and brief morose "hermit crab" stint) and Hansel in his loopy, laid-back ditziness. There are few better buddies to pair up in a buddy comedy than these two. (They're well-matched by Penelope Cruz as a swimsuit-model-turned-Interpol-investigator; she holds her own against the returning stars' wackiness.)

That the storyline -- something about the fountain of youth and Derek's son -- makes absolutely no sense (and is uncomfortable to boot, given that it makes fun of a young boy's weight) doesn't fully detract from the enjoyment of seeing Derek and Hansel back in action. But make no mistake, this movie is silly, crude, and even a bit outdated with all the jokes about supermodels, their (lack of) intellect, and their obsession with weight. It's also sometimes irritating in its zany mindlessness. But anything with Stiller, Wiig, Ferrell, and Wilson deserves watching ... as long as you adjust all expectations accordingly.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Zoolander 2 's messages. In theory, it's mocking the shallower aspects of fashion and celebrity culture, but it also makes jokes at the expense of an overweight character. Is that inappropriate or in keeping with the film's themes? Can media affect kids' body image?

Derek and Hansel are portrayed as airheaded supermodels: Is that a cliche? How does the movie balance its affection for the characters with its commentary on models and fashion?

Does the film work as a sequel? What are the perils of following up on a movie that's become a cult favorite?

Who's the intended audience of this movie? Why do so many people love silly comedies? Why do different types of humor appeal to different people?

Movie Details

In theaters : February 12, 2016
On DVD or streaming : May 24, 2016
Cast : Ben Stiller , Owen Wilson , Penelope Cruz
Director : Ben Stiller
Inclusion Information : Female actors
Studio : Paramount Pictures
Genre : Comedy
Run time : 102 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : crude and sexual content, a scene of exaggerated violence, and brief strong language
Last updated : May 31, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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Best classic comedy films.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Zoolander Review

By Annette Cardwell

Facts and Figures

Year : 2001

Run time : 89 mins

In Theaters : Friday 28th September 2001

Box Office USA : $44.7M

Box Office Worldwide : $60.8M

Budget : $28M

Distributed by : Paramount Pictures

Production compaines : Paramount Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment, Scott Rudin Productions, Red Hour Productions, Tenth Planet Productions

Contactmusic.com : 3.5 / 5

Rotten Tomatoes : 64% Fresh: 84 Rotten: 47

IMDB : 6.6 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director : Ben Stiller

Producer : Stuart Cornfeld , Scott Rudin , Ben Stiller

Screenwriter : Drake Sather , Ben Stiller , John Hamburg

Starring : Ben Stiller as Derek Zoolander, Owen Wilson as Hansel, Christine Taylor as Matilda Jeffries, Will Ferrell as Mugatu, Milla Jovovich as Katinka, Jerry Stiller as Maury Ballstein, David Duchovny as J.P. Prewitt, Jon Voight as Larry Zoolander, Donald Trump as Himself, Christian Slater as Himself, Tom Ford as Himself, Cuba Gooding Jr. as Himself, Steve Kmetko as Himself, Tommy Hilfiger as Himself, Natalie Portman as Herself, Lenny Kravitz as Himself, Gwen Stefani as Herself, Heidi Klum as Herself, Mark Ronson as Himself, Paris Hilton as Herself, David Bowie as Himself, Tyson Beckford as Himself, Fred Durst as Himself, Lance Bass as Himself, Lil' Kim as Herself, Garry Shandling as Himself, Claudia Schiffer as Herself, Veronica Webb as Herself, Lukas Haas as Himself, Justin Theroux as Evil DJ, Andy Dick as Olga the Masseuse, Jennifer Coolidge as American Designer, Nora Dunn as British Designer, James Marsden as John Wilkes Booth, Patton Oswalt as Monkey Photographer, Victoria Beckham as Herself, Sandra Bernhard as Herself, Stephen Dorff as Himself, Winona Ryder as Herself, Vince Vaughn as Luke Zoolander, Billy Zane as Himself, Fabio as Himself, Alexander Skarsgård as Meekus, Judah Friedlander as Scrappy Zoolander, Nathan Lee Graham as Todd

Also starring : Stuart Cornfeld , Scott Rudin , Drake Sather , John Hamburg

Zoolander Movie Site
Rotten Tomatoes

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Review by Brian Eggert February 9, 2016

Trying to determine if you actually enjoyed Ben Stiller’s Zoolander ? Here’s a tip: Ask yourself if you’re a Brint or a Meekus. Allow me to explain. There’s a scene in the 2001 comedy where two of Zoolander’s male model roommates poke fun at his competition, a hipster model named Hansel. “Ex-squeeze me, but have you ever heard of styling gel?” says Meekus, played by a young Alexander Skarsgård. Brint, played by Alexander Manning, replies defensively, “I’m sure Hansel’s heard of styling gel. He’s a male model.” Meekus counters, “Uh, Earth to Brint, I was making a joke.” Brint answers, “Uh, Earth to Meekus. Duh, okay. I knew that!” Meekus comes down hard, “Uh, Earth to Brint, I’m not so sure you did, ‘cuz you were all ‘Well I’m sure he’s heard of styling gel’ like you didn’t know it was a joke!” Wounded, Brint responds, “I knew it was a joke, Meekus. I just didn’t get it right away.” Later, they all go out for an Orange Mocha Frappuccino and burn to death.

So are you a Brint or a Meekus? Did you appreciate the humor of Zoolander upon first viewing, like a Meekus? Or like a Brint, did it finally make sense years later, or even bypass you completely? If you’re a Meekus, you probably enjoy the film very much. If you’re a Brint, don’t feel bad, a lot of people are. Mark Caro of the Chicago Tribune wrote the film “exceeds the time span over which watching people acting dumb and making funny faces remains funny.” Roger Ebert seemed to take issue with the film’s politics and unfavorable representation of Malaysia, specifically the assassination attempt against their Prime Minister in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. (In retrospect, there’s little connection between the two events, but emotions were high in the fall of 2001, so who can blame him?) Favorable reviews were lukewarm, with mild praises sprinkled about words like “trivial” and “superficial”. But isn’t that what modeling is all about?

At any rate, those who rightly praised Zoolander for parodying such an absurd industry, and what’s more focusing on male models instead of the mountainous clichés associated with female models, remain few. Stiller’s one-note satire of the often ridiculous fashion industry contains plenty of insider jabs lost on viewers unfamiliar with high fashion (I include myself in that group). Its comic style avoids the customary scatological jokes embraced by most comedies (although, sex is prevalent; there’s one unnecessary scene with a curiously shifty erection). Instead, the film invents its own brand of mockery by poking fun at the vanity paraded about in the fashion world as artistic beauty. Further, it acknowledges the cruel conditions under which many of the top designers produce their clothes. But that’s not to suggest you should mistake Zoolander for having a deep-rooted social commentary.

Originally created by Stiller and writer-producer Drake Sather for a series of short films that aired during VH1 Fashion Awards in the mid-1990s, Derek Zoolander is an exceedingly stupid male model. As the tagline says, “3% Body Fat. 1% Brain Activity.” What’s even more amusing is that Stiller himself is not a classically attractive man, being short and sort of funny looking. Yet, he’s playing a character everyone onscreen, many of them involved in the fashion industry, ironically acknowledges as a beautiful physical specimen, albeit old for a male model (Stiller was 35 while filming). This single joke that models are moronic—even bulimic—wears thin over the course of a mere 89-minute runtime. But Stiller’s cast of cartoonishly over-the-top characters always entertains, particularly his costars Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell.

Somehow, Zoolander is also a brainwashing thriller not unlike The Manchurian Candidate , except set within the fashion industry. Amid the E! network interviews and random cameos from countless good-looking celebrities (David Bowie, Natalie Portman, Gwen Stefani, Billy Zane, James Marsden, Tom Ford, Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, Claudia Schiffer, Winona Ryder, and Garry Shandling), something sinister is afoot. Threatened by the Prime Minister of Malaysia’s decree to increase wages for (but not stop) child labor, fashion industry leaders hire malevolent designer Mugatu (Ferrell) to find a model that can be quickly brainwashed and programmed to kill the Malaysian leader. Enter Zoolander, a three-time Male Model of the Year and a fashion icon with his various trademarked pout looks—all identical, but not. When Zoolander loses his coveted prize to Hansel (Wilson), who’s “so hot right now”, the model begins to believe life is about more than being “really, really ridiculously good-looking”.

Fortunately, Stiller doesn’t fully saturate his audience in this surreal fashion world. Christine Taylor (Stiller’s wife) plays Matilda, a Time magazine journalist, and the only main character with an IQ above 80—she’s the audience’s straight man entry point to the fashion world, and it’s often her eye-rolls at Zoolander’s stupidity that make certain scenes tolerable. Matilda puts forth most of the effort to wrangle the sworn enemies Zoolander and Hansel to join forces and stop the assassination attempt, and expose a history of male-models-turned-assassins. Without her, the whole film would be about Zoolander finally overcoming his inability to turn left. (In addition to his wife, Stiller’s dad Jerry appears as the founder of Zoolander’s modeling agency, Balls Models. Look for his mom and sister in brief appearances too.) Then again, neither Zoolander’s arc nor the assassination scheme would be enough on their own.

Wild brainwashing videos with Ferrell’s hysterically weird faces incite belly laughs, while often clever gags about Zoolander’s stupidity amuse. The plot is thin, the short runtime padded with montages and comic asides, but many of those asides are the best parts of Zoolander . When the protagonist’s roommates try to cheer him up early on with an “Orange Mocha Frappuccino”, the sequence, set to Wham!’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, proceeds as Zoolander and his model friends perform for a camera that isn’t there. Soon they’re splashing each other at a gas station with windshield cleaner, and then gasoline. One of them lights a cigarette and—BOOM! Through the nonsensical humor, the production is actually top notch, especially the work by costume designer David C. Robinson. His ostentatious outfits for Mugatu and his henchwoman Katinka (Milla Jovovich) combine the most eccentric fashion touches with James Bond villainy.

Although Stiller is perhaps best known for his neurotic, Woody Allen-esque characters from Flirting with Disaster and Meet the Parents , with Zoolander he harkens back to the parodying goofiness of his earliest video shorts—such as his bowling spoof on The Color of Money that earned him a brief spot on Saturday Night Live, and later his own sketch comedy show. Having made more than a dozen films together, Stiller and Wilson are at their prime here, whereas Ferrell’s outlandish villainy steals several scenes from them both. Zoolander may prevail on a singular joke that male models are dumb, but it’s a funny joke, actually, and Stiller finds countless ways to remind us just how dumb they are. There’s an old saying about actors, how one needs to be smart to effectively pretend to be stupid. If that’s true, Ben Stiller is a very smart man.

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Movie Review: Zoolander (2001)

This movie has lived so long in my soul that I don’t need to watch it anymore, really. Zoolander may well be the origin of memes as far as I’m concerned. Infinitely quotable, both absurd and stacked with cameos, Zoolander arrived in my young life at a time where it basically branded itself on my gray matter.

The version in my head, edited by the memories of a young teen, is kinda better than the actual movie. The jokes are so absurdly funny when you anticipate them and quote with them. “What is this, a school for ants? It needs to be at least…three times bigger than this.” “I’m not an ambi-turner.” “Orange mocha Frappuccino!” “I’ve got the black lung, pop. Cough. Cough.”

I didn’t pick up on the bits that I wasn’t old enough to understand. The various sex stuff, whatever. But I completely forgot this movie has blackface in it. It’s the kind of “plausible deniability” blackface that white folks like to do. Zoolander makes himself up as a Black man for a disguise — which is initially really funny here because they cast a man who looks very different from Ben Stiller but does the facial expressions perfectly — and then wipes off some of the makeup to turn back into Ben Stiller.

But only some of the makeup is removed and much of his skin remains painted dark-brown while he begins acting like one of the primates from the beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The brown skin coloring is left in a way to make him look more like a monkey. When I was young, it never registered. These seemed to be two distinct unrelated jokes.

There was also plausible deniability for Ben Stiller’s use of blackface in his movie Tropic Thunder. One thinks maybe Ben Stiller just thinks blackface is funny.

I’m now old enough to hear the racist dog whistles, and uh, bark bark bark.

It kinda ruins the whole thing for me? I have this petty thing where I think white people trying to wink-nudge about blackface means they’re actually garbage humans telling on themselves. Tina Fey, looking at you. They’ll talk about how “humor has changed” and you “can’t do that anymore” like it was *ever* okay. It is not. It was not. What changes is how safe and common it is to call out the racism.

This point occurs near the end of the movie, shortly before the climactic fashion show. There is other humor that is edgy and inappropriate but still so funny—like the bulimia joke *kills* even more now that I have recovered from an eating disorder. “You can read minds?”—but blackface is a world apart in violence. This kind of thing makes me so cynical.

Also, trigger warning for Donald Trump jumpscares.

I want to comment on everything else I love about it. David Duchovny as a hand model. The entire performance by Milla Jovovich. Billy Zane shows up to have Zoolander’s back. A young Lightning McQueen is pretty adorable as Hansel—kachow! wowww! The central romantic couple is played by an IRL married couple and I’m SUCH a sucker for it. Plus, addressing the exploited labor in the fashion industry is (unfortunately) timeless in its relevancy. I completely understand how Zoolander transformed my brain. But…I don’t think I really want it in my rewatch rotation and it’s lost its stance as a benign comedy in my head.

Ben Stiller has always had a good ear for such goofy stylized comedy. He’s also really good at leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I guess that’s the stuff you can get away with when you have so many extremely famous friends like Billy Zane.

As with George of the Jungle , where I am left feeling bereft by a childhood influence that is not aging well, I elect not to rate this movie in my review.

Review: Crimes of the Future (2022) *****

Movie Review – Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) – *****

Review: Princess Mononoke (1999) ****

TIFF 2024: 20 World Premieres We Can’t Wait to See

The Toronto International Film Festival gets underway this week with over 200 feature films and dozens of special events. We will have multiple people on the ground in Canada to report on the best, the worst, and everything in between. Now, a lot of what people see in Toronto, and some of what we’ll cover, are films that premiered at other festivals like Cannes, Venice, and Telluride, including new takes on Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada,” David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds,” and a full review of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis.”

However, we’re especially excited about the world premieres, the films that drop in Toronto before anywhere else in the world, including new works by Mike Leigh, Ron Howard, Gia Coppola, Mike Flanagan, David Gordon Green, and many more. So we thought we’d spotlight 20 of the most intriguing world premieres, accompanied by the official synopses courtesy of TIFF. Come back to this space over the next two weeks for reviews of all of these and more by Brian Tallerico, Zachary Lee, Monica Castillo, Tomris Laffly, and Marya E. Gates.

“Daniela Forever”

In the latest from Nacho Vigalondo ( Colossal , TIFF ’16), Henry Golding ( Crazy Rich Asians ) soulfully portrays a bereaved man who enrolls in a clinical trial for a drug that allows him to reunite with his lost lover (Beatrice Grannò) through lucid dreams.

TIFF and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation are proud to select Daniela Forever for the third edition of the Sloan Science on Film Showcase.

Following the Saturday, September 7 screening, the Sloan Science on Film Showcase will feature a Q&A with director Nacho Vigalondo and a scientific expert in lucid dreaming. The Showcase promises to explore dream states and the neuroscience behind lucid dreaming.

Funding for the Science on Film Showcase is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Public Understanding of Science and Technology program, which supports books, radio, film, television, theatre, and new media to reach a wide, non-specialized audience and to bridge the two cultures of science and the humanities.

Oscar-winning director Ron Howard’s scintillating historical thriller stars Jude Law and Vanessa Kirby as high-minded Europeans who seek a new life on a previously uninhabited island in the Galápagos, only to discover that hell is other people.

Based on historical events, this scintillating thriller from Oscar-winning director Ron Howard stars Jude Law ( Vox Lux , TIFF ʼ18; Dom Hemingway , TIFF ʼ13) and Vanessa Kirby ( Pieces of a Woman , TIFF ʼ20) as high-minded Europeans seeking a new life on a previously uninhabited island in the Galápagos archipelago. They and those who follow them believe they’ve found paradise — only to discover that hell is other people.

Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Law, also at the Festival in The Order ) and his partner Dora Strauch (Kirby) flee their native Germany in 1929, repudiating the bourgeois values they believe are corroding mankind’s true nature. On the isle of Floreana, Friedrich can focus on writing his manifesto, while Dora resolves to cure her multiple sclerosis through meditation. Their hard-won solitude, however, is short lived.

They are joined by Margaret (Sydney Sweeney) and Heinz Wittmer (Daniel Bruehl), who prove to be earnest, capable settlers. Next comes Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn (Ana de Armas) a self-described Baroness and the “embodiment of perfection,” who arrives with two devoted lovers, an Ecuadorian servant, a wardrobe full of evening gowns, and plans to erect a luxury hotel. Between inclement weather, unruly wildlife, and a total lack of amenities, all three groups find life on Floreana arduous. But nothing will test their mettle more than the challenge of coexisting with desperate neighbours capable of theft, deception, and worse.

“The Fire Inside”

Renowned cinematographer Rachel Morrison makes her feature directorial debut with this film about boxer Claressa Shields’ true-life ascent to the Olympics. It’s a unique sports story that goes beyond the triumph of the underdog to ask what comes after.

Young Claressa Shields (Ryan Destiny) sneaks into a boxing gym, eager to spar with the boys. Local volunteer coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry) quickly takes her under his wing. Claressa proves fiercely talented but soon Crutchfield must go beyond the duties of a coach to keep her on track as she starts to feel not just the pressure of winning, but also the glare of her beleaguered hometown of Flint, Michigan seeking hope in her resilience.

Destiny gives a stunning performance as Shields, weaving between grounded and intense as she tries to shake off her precarious reality. You’re quickly rooting for Claressa’s ascent to the Olympics but also forced to confront the crushing disappointment when things don’t turn out. All the while, Henry keeps us in the fight with a performance that finds warmth and patience amid the frustrations.

“Friendship”

Channelling the cringe comedy of his hit sketch series I Think You Should Leave , Tim Robinson portrays a suburban dad obsessively pursuing camaraderie with his charming neighbour (Paul Rudd).

When an errant delivery pulls suburban dad Craig Waterman (Tim Robinson) into the orbit of his mysterious and charismatic new neighbour Austin Carmichael (Paul Rudd), a sweet bromance seems to blossom over an innocent evening of urban exploration, punk rock, and a mutual appreciation for paleolithic antiquities. But what should have been the start of a beautiful friendship is soon waylaid as Craig’s obsessive personality begins to alienate his new pal, subsequently inducing a spiral that threatens to upend Craig’s entire life.

With his cult hit sketch series I Think You Should Leave , Robinson has established himself as one of comedy’s most consummate conductors of cringe, skilfully exploring the quiet desperation of stubborn individuals who struggle to navigate society’s shifting social mores. In Friendship , this satirical brand of discomfort is set to simmer across a procession of awkward faux pas as writer-director Andrew DeYoung (whose comedy credentials include episodes of Our Flag Means Death and PEN15 ) judiciously crafts the conditions for Robinson to hysterically oscillate between his patented childlike vulnerability and uproariously pathetic rage.

“Hard Truths”

In his 23rd film, British director Mike Leigh reunites with Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Secrets & Lies) to create a challenging but ultimately compassionate look at modern family life.

Reuniting with Oscar-nominated Secrets & Lies star Marianne Jean-Baptiste and returning to contemporary London for a story inverse to his 2008 Festival favourite Happy-Go-Lucky, the latest from seven-time Oscar-nominated auteur Mike Leigh is bracingly tough, darkly funny, and pierced with insight. Shifting between various members of an extended Black family in London, Hard Truths is a psychologically rich ensemble film as only Leigh can cultivate.

Hypersensitive to the slightest possible offence and ever ready to fly off the handle, Pansy (Jean-Baptiste) does not ingratiate. She criticizes her husband Curtley (David Webber) and their adult son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett) so relentlessly that neither bother to argue with her. She picks fights with strangers and sales clerks and enumerates the world’s countless flaws to anyone who will listen, most especially her cheerful sister Chantal (Michele Austin), who might be the only person still capable of sympathizing with her. As the film peels back Pansy’s pain and the daily fallout left in its wake, we wonder if a breaking point will come for the family.

Starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East, this fiendishly irreverent chamber horror from writer-director duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (the celebrated scenarists behind A Quiet Place) considers how an innocent chat about theology can go terribly awry.

Deliciously dark and frequently hilarious, this chamber horror from writer-director duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (the celebrated scenarists behind A Quiet Place) considers how an innocent chat about theology can go terribly awry. Starring Hugh Grant in a brilliantly against-type performance, Heretic is a fiendishly irreverent tale of battling convictions.

Sister Paxton (Chloe East, TIFF ’22’s The Fabelmans) and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher (Prospect) are cheerfully going about their mission to spread good news about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Working down a list of doors to knock on, they arrive at the quiet suburban house of Mr. Reed (Grant), who seems not only polite and hospitable but also genuinely fascinated by the history and teachings of Mormonism.

In fact, Mr. Reed is quite knowledgeable about all the world’s major religions and is eager to discuss them with the women. Perhaps too eager. With the rain coming down outside and Mr. Reed’s wife making pie in the next room, the setting is utterly cozy. The only thing that could spoil it would be if Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes wanted to leave.

In Joseph Kahn’s breakneck sci-fi/horror satire, a high school science teacher (Brandon Routh) does battle with a parasitic alien entity, as well as the apathy of the small town it has been gradually absorbing.

Joseph Kahn ( Bodied , TIFF ’17) returns to Midnight Madness with a berserkly sardonic creature feature that riffs on classic science-fiction horror films from The Blob to The Faculty , but with a crucial subversion: what if an invading alien entity was met not with panic and fear, but cavalier indifference?

In the small American town of Eastbrook, nearly two decades after a viscous vine-like growth — colloquially referred to as “the Ick” — began encroaching on every nook and cranny, a nonplussed populus have found their lives seemingly unaffected by the creeping anomaly. The exceptions to this oblivious conformity are Hank Wallace (Brandon Routh), a former high-school football prospect turned hapless science teacher, and his perceptive student Grace (Malina Weissman), who both regard the Ick with a suspicious scrutiny that is soon violently validated. Bursts of bloody bedlam and blasé attitudes ensue, cannily satirizing how a society can grow accustomed to living in a perpetual state of emergency.

A father hopes to ride the coattails of his long-lost son’s rocketing stardom in this feature debut from eight-time Grammy winner Anderson .Paak.

Anderson .Paak is best known for his brilliant music career, but this first feature film opens up a vibrant new avenue for him as an artist. In K-Pops, .Paak directs and acts opposite his real-life son Soul Rasheed for a family project inspired by his own personal history and parental connection to Korea.

BJ (.Paak) is a washed-up drummer with a love for music that’s both naive and obsessive. When his friend pushes him to travel to South Korea and work on a pop idol show, he meets Tae Young (Rasheed), a young performer in competition to be the nation’s next music star. Soon, BJ is introduced to Tae Young’s mother, Yeji (Jee Young Han), a woman he had a brief relationship with more than a decade ago. Tae Young is the son he never knew existed.

BJ makes up for lost time, showing a sincere interest in getting to know Tae Young while helping his troupe bring something special to their music and choreography. But in the background, BJ’s desire for stardom persists, tempting him to choose between fame or family once again.

“The Last Showgirl”

A seasoned performer must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run. Starring Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Dave Bautista.

Most films set in Las Vegas centre on the high-wattage neon glow of The Strip. But the latest from Gia Coppola (Palo Alto, TIFF ’13) turns that tradition around, showing us a story from behind the lights, with a captivating and affecting lead performance by Pamela Anderson.

Shelley (Anderson) has been a Las Vegas showgirl for over 30 years, the feather and crystal–adorned centrepiece of Sin City’s last remaining traditional floor show. The stage and the women she shares it with are her loving, bickering, sequin-clad family. When the stage manager Eddie (Dave Bautista, an island of masculinity in a sea of women) announces the show will close permanently in two weeks, Shelley and her co-workers must make decisions for their future. But the future looks different when you are 50 rather than 20, and your sole job skill is dancing.

Emotionally floundering, Shelley tries to reconnect with a daughter she hardly knows, which proves just as diﬃcult as losing the only job she has ever had. Bolstered by her best friend Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis), a brash cocktail waitress who laughs a little too loud and too often, Shelley must find her place in a world that she shut the (stage) door on years before.

“The Life of Chuck”

Mike Flanagan takes a detour from the macabre with this adaptation of a uniquely structured Stephen King novella that unravels a seemingly ordinary accountant’s world.

With The Life of Chuck , Mike Flanagan takes a detour from the macabre to explore one of Stephen King’s alternate sensibilities in an adaptation that carries the spirit of his most optimistic work. The world feels like it’s ending and everybody’s saying goodbye to Chuck. Wherever Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor) goes, he can’t get away from Charles Krantz (Tom Hiddleston). His face is showing up on billboards, window signs — even TV commercials. What’s so special about this seemingly ordinary accountant and why does he warrant such a sendoff?

Their connection includes Marty’s ex-wife (Karen Gillan), her co-worker, his neighbour, and just about everyone else they know. Chuck’s life story soon begins to unravel in front of us, going back to a childhood with grandfather Albie (Mark Hamill), who teaches him about accounting and passes on a love for dancing, all the while keeping him from a prophetic secret in the attic.

“The Luckiest Man in America”

Featuring Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell), Walton Goggins, and David Strathairn, this stranger-than-fiction drama resurrects a hugely popular 1980s game show and the “luckiest man in America” who broke it.

This stranger-than-fiction drama resurrects a hugely popular 1980s game show and the “luckiest man in America” who broke it. Directed by Samir Oliveros ( Bad Lucky Goat ) and featuring performances from Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell), Walton Goggins, and David Strathairn, The Luckiest Man in America illuminates a forgotten turning point in television history, when a network executive took a gamble and inadvertently made an obsessive eccentric into a folk hero.

Michael Larson (Hauser) shouldn’t even be there. An unemployed ice cream truck driver from Lebanon, Ohio, Michael only made it into auditions for Press Your Luck because he stole someone else’s appointment. The show’s casting director (an excellent Shamier Anderson) thinks Michael is a creep, but co-creator Bill Carruthers (Strathairn) likes Michael’s chutzpah and sees him as a Middle-American everyman the audience can cheer for — the dark horse is in.

Michael fumbles through the first several minutes of play, but once host Peter Tomarken (Goggins) moves onto the second “spin” section of Press Your Luck , where contestants try to get a randomly lit electronic game board to stop on a winning tile, Michael suddenly can’t lose. In fact, he quickly breaks the show’s record — before breaking its savings account. Is Michael cheating? Or does he understand something about Press Your Luck that no one has seen before?

“Nightbitch”

An overworked stay-at-home mom (Amy Adams) tries to catch a break, any break, while caring for her rambunctious toddler. Also, she might be turning into a dog.

Based on the bestselling 2021 novel of the same name, director Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me, TIFF ’21) has created a profoundly original exploration of motherhood and identity, destined to be one of the most talked-about films of the year.

Amy Adams plays Mother, a former city-dwelling artist and curator who chooses to stay home (now a suburban home) with her toddler son as her husband travels frequently for business. She loves her son deeply, but that does not prevent her from feeling isolated and exhausted. How did her life become a numbing grind of diaper changes and cutting bananas into little pieces?

Still unstrung from an extremely unsuccessful attempt to connect with other mothers at the library’s Baby Book Time, and unable to keep her emotions bottled up inside any longer, Mother begins to see and hear things in the night that beckon to her. Soon, something primal and feral rises up within her, allowing her to unleash — and return to — her inner power and identity.

“Nutcrackers”

Ben Stiller stars as a city slicker forced to look after a quartet of mischievous rural orphans in this fish-out-of-water comedy that speaks to the hidden talents in each of us just waiting for a chance to shine.

Over a singular, decades-long career, Ben Stiller has shown himself comfortable in everything from farcical comedies like Zoolander to brainy Wes Anderson classics. His Nutcrackers director David Gordon Green has displayed similar range, from his acclaimed indie debut George Washington to stoner comedy Pineapple Express to the Halloween horror reboot. What both have in common is a taste for genuine dramatic emotion. In Nutcrackers , they let it all out.

Hotshot Chicago real estate developer Michael (Stiller) never had time for family. His sister once said he was incapable of love. But when Michael’s sister and her husband have a terrible accident, their house, farm, and four boys become Michael’s responsibility. He drives out to his sister’s small Ohio town thinking all he needs to do is sign some papers and get back to the city, but it’s not nearly that simple.

With the parents gone, the boys are practically feral. Until the family services worker (Linda Cardellini) can find them a home, their only guardian is Uncle Mike. Before he knows it, Michael is chasing chickens and providing improvised “health” classes. Desperate to free himself from inherited fatherhood, he’s both surprised and thrilled to learn his sister trained her boys in ballet. Can that make them cute enough to foster?

Lily James and Oscar winner Riz Ahmed star in this dazzlingly clever high-concept thriller directed by David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water) about a reclusive middleman for would-be whistleblowers seeking to settle with corporate malefactors.

This clever, high-concept thriller stars Oscar winner Riz Ahmed as a rigorously reclusive middleman for would-be whistleblowers seeking to settle with corporate malefactors. Deftly helmed by David Mackenzie (Outlaw King, TIFF ’18), Relay is a cat-and-mouse game for an age of hyper-surveillance when it’s never been harder to leave no trace.

Ash (Ahmed) brokers deals between parties who never learn what he looks like, sounds like, or where he’s located. A brilliant manipulator of technologies old and new, Ash’s primary method of communication is a telephone relay service where operators are legally bound to withhold the identities of their users. Ash’s latest client is Sarah Grant (Lily James, TIFF ’17’s Darkest Hour), a former bio-tech company staffer who’s been on the run since stealing documents that, if made public, would be scandalous for her employer. Sarah now wants to return the documents in exchange for whatever remuneration she can get.

The case should be business as usual for Ash, but the henchmen hired to follow Sarah are ruthless and dogged. What’s more, Ash begins to connect with Sarah on a personal level, potentially compromising the private existence he’s worked so arduously to construct.

“The Return”

Odysseus washes up on the shores of his kingdom to find it much changed since he left to fight in the Trojan War, in this classical drama starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche.

Director Uberto Pasolini’s slow-burning adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey reunites The English Patient stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche for a film grounded in a classical style that captures the steeliness of the Greek epic, where gazes are locked tight and every breath and word is measured.

The Return picks up as Odysseus (Fiennes, also at the Festival in Conclave ) washes onto the shores of Ithaca. It has been more than 20 years since he left his kingdom to fight in the Trojan War and, in all that time, his wife and queen Penelope (Binoche) has waited. Their son, Telemachus (Charlie Plummer), has lost faith that his father will return and worries for his mother’s safety as a group of increasingly unruly suitors pressure her to take one of them as the new king.

Barely recognizable to himself or to the people who once revered him as a mighty warrior, Odysseus slowly makes his way toward the castle, seeing what has become a desolate island in his absence. With tension growing, Penelope works on weaving a red quilt, promising that she’ll choose a suitor once it’s finished. It becomes a symbol of all the little ways she keeps holding on. When Odysseus finally enters the fray, Penelope puts forth an iconic and instantly recognizable test for her weakened king to prove himself true among a viper’s nest of men lusting for power.

“Unstoppable”

Moonlight ’s Jharrel Jerome gives another outstanding performance amid a star-studded cast (including Don Cheadle and Jennifer Lopez) in this heartfelt sports drama about a college wrestler who dreams of going pro.

Stories like Anthony Robles’ are the stuff of inspirational fiction, except this one actually happened. Though born without a right leg and growing up in a volatile household, Robles never let go of his dream. He set out to develop the strength and skills that college wrestling demands. He aimed to earn a place on a US Division 1 team despite being its only disabled athlete. And he competed to win.

Starring Jharrel Jerome ( Moonlight , TIFF ’16; When They See Us ) as Robles in another outstanding performance, Unstoppable is both an irresistible sports drama and a family story full of heart. In the wrestling circle and the locker room, he has to convince two tough coaches (Michael Peña and Don Cheadle) that his grit and potential are real. At home, he contends with a mother going through some growing up of her own. Jennifer Lopez, too often underrated, is terrific here.

Unstoppable marks the follow-up to the sports drama Air, from Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity company. Director William Goldenberg, a veteran editor who also cut Air , brings a similar optimism and authenticity to this film. Weaving Jerome’s competition performance together with visual effects and Robles himself doubling in some shots, the wrestling scenes carry the on-the-mat urgency of genuine footage.

“We Live in Time”

Featuring gorgeously detailed performances from Oscar nominees Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, this inventively structured romance explores the question of how to make the most of our time in this world.

Featuring gorgeously detailed performances from Oscar nominees Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, this inventively structured romance from director John Crowley (TIFF ’19’s The Goldfinch , TIFF ’15’s Brooklyn ) and screenwriter Nick Payne explores the question of how to make the most of our time in this world.

Since their first encounter, Almut (Pugh) and Tobias (Garfield) have rarely had a dull moment. A meet-cute car accident, giving birth in the unlikeliest of locations, a world-class gastronomical competition… their time together seems fated to brim with striking events.

We Live in Time alternates between three distinct chronologies, allowing us to experience this couple’s story in a way that heightens our understanding of how memory collides with present experience and how meaning is made through accumulation.

As the film begins, Almut is given a sobering medical diagnosis and options for treatment that may or may not prove effective. What if the time spent in treatment wastes time that could be spent living life to the fullest?

“Went Up the Hill”

Dacre Montgomery ( Stranger Things ) and Vicky Krieps ( The Dead Don’t Hurt ) deliver haunting performances in Samuel Van Grinsven’s atmospheric ghost story that explores the legacy of loss and dark family secrets.

Jack (Dacre Montgomery, Stranger Things ) travels to a remote region of New Zealand to attend the wake of his estranged mother Elizabeth, a troubled architect who abandoned him as a child. Jack claims he was invited to the funeral by his mother’s widow, Jill (Vicky Krieps, TIFF 2023’s The Dead Don’t Hurt ), who has no recollection of contacting him.

Out of a sense of obligation to her late wife, Jill invites Jack to stay at their house until the funeral, intrigued, as he is, for them to learn more about each other. As Jack grapples with his complex emotions about his mother and the boyfriend he has left behind, his encounters with Jill begin as terse and sometimes tense affairs. Their lives are soon upended further when Elizabeth’s spectral presence makes itself known, inhabiting each of their bodies in turn but leaving no memories of what was said — or done — during the possessions.

“The Wild Robot”

Featuring the voices of Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara, Lupita Nyong’o, Stephanie Hsu, and Bill Nighy, this DreamWorks Animation sci-fi adventure follows a robot designed to assist humans who finds herself stranded on an island populated exclusively by beasts.

Based on Peter Brown’s bestselling children’s books, this adventure from Oscar-nominated director Chris Sanders ( Lilo & Stitch ) and DreamWorks Animation follows a robot (voiced by Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o), designed to assist humans who finds herself stranded on an island populated exclusively by beasts. Also featuring the voices of Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara, and Oscar nominees Stephanie Hsu and Bill Nighy, The Wild Robot is an epic tale of survival, in which animals and machines must question their programming and embrace their hidden strengths.

Rozim 7134 (Nyong’o) exists to receive orders. But on the rugged isle where Roz first boots up, no orders are forthcoming. There’s no owner is to be found and none of the island’s motley menagerie of animals have any use for her skills. Until, that is, she meets Brightbill (Kit Connor), an orphaned gosling who attaches to Roz the moment he’s born. Taking advice from a fox called Fink (Pascal), Roz compiles a set of directives to help Brightbill through his infancy. But in this place where every creature is either predator or prey, learning to eat, swim, and fly isn’t enough. Brightbill needs to negotiate sticky social situations and find entry into a flock before migration season comes. In short, he needs qualities like tenderness and nurturing — things Roz will need to look deep inside her robot soul to find.

“Without Blood”

This parable-like tale of family, war, and revenge is directed by Angelina Jolie and was filmed at Rome’s famed Cinecittà Studios.

As a director, Angelina Jolie has made a decisive turn from her glamorous on-screen image, crafting thoughtful dramas that illuminate the horrors war visits on individuals. In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011) and First They Killed My Father (TIFF ’17) sharpen that focus further to war’s impact on women and girls in Bosnia and Cambodia, respectively. Without Blood sees Jolie returning to that neglected theme in the cinema of war. This time she directs another global screen icon, Salma Hayek Pinault.

In a frontier landscape at the beginning of the 20th century, gunmen descend on a remote farmhouse, determined to exact revenge. Their target, a doctor — alone with his son and daughter — tries desperately to protect his children. Inevitably, bullets fly.

Years later, Nina (Hayek Pinault) engages Tito (Demián Bichir), a lottery seller, in what seems like casual conversation at his kiosk. But the encounter is anything but chance. It soon dawns on him. “I know who you are,” Tito says, “and I know why you’ve come.“ As their conversation continues, it becomes clear that revenge casts a long shadow, and takes many forms.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Movie Review: Zoolander (2001)

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Zoolander movie review & film summary (2001)
To some degree, "Zoolander" is a victim of bad timing, although I suspect I would have found the assassination angle equally tasteless before Sept. 11. The movie is a satirical jab at the fashion industry, and there are points scored, and some good stuff involving Stiller and Owen Wilson, who play the world's two top male models-funny ...
Zoolander
Rated: C+ • Jul 12, 2006. Zoolander is a great-enough movie on its own, a razor-sharp spoof of celebrity culture and the fashion world. However, Ferrell's Mugatu is the secret ingredient. Aug ...
'Zoolander' Original Movie 2001 Review
September 28, 2016 9:47am. Photofest. On September 28, 2001, Paramount unveiled Ben Stiller's Zoolander in theaters. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below: Ben Stiller's ...
Zoolander Movie Review
Our review: Parents say (23 ): Kids say (53 ): ZOOLANDER delights with silly jokes that you can't help but giggle at, and teens will finds lots to enjoy. If you think it sounds dumb, it is. But it's a good dumb, like Austin Powers: Man of Mystery or Dodgeball. Watch it for the scene where Derek and Hansel do street battle, male model-style ...
Zoolander
Zoolander is a great-enough movie on its own, a razor-sharp spoof of celebrity culture and the fashion world. However, Ferrell's Mugatu is the secret ingredient. Full Review | Aug 21, 2023
Zoolander (2001)
Zoolander: Directed by Ben Stiller. With Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor, Will Ferrell. At the end of his career, a clueless fashion model is brainwashed to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Zoolander
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. [4] It is the last film from Paramount Pictures with the involvement of Village Roadshow Pictures.
Zoolander
Summary Follows the world's most famous -- and empty-headed -- male model as he discovers the horrifying secret behind why there are no male models who live past the age of 30. (Paramount Pictures) Comedy. Directed By: Ben Stiller. Written By: Drake Sather, Ben Stiller, John Hamburg.
Zoolander Review
89 minutes. Certificate: 12. Original Title: Zoolander. Some actors practically guarantee quality: Kevin Spacey, for example (we'll ignore Pay It Forward, as indeed everyone should). Inversely ...
Zoolander (2001)
The humor is simple but far from dumb. The dueling "walk-off" between rival male mannequins is inspired, as are the sly juxtapositions of the male model's faux physicality with such real-world demands as coal mining. The gags hit more than they miss, and Stiller has moments of inspired absurdity, but he's capable of something more cutting and ...
Zoolander
Zoolander Reviews. Writer-producer-director-star Ben Stiller wears many hats (and plenty of outrageous outfits) in this goofy satire about the fashion industry. Stiller plays a dim male model who ...
Review: Zoolander
It's a one-joke movie, but a funny one nonetheless. This season's Saturday Night Live may be sans late-night goddesses Molly Shannon and Cheri Oteri, but Zoolander is proof positive that Will Ferrell is still the show's greatest asset. Although Ben Stiller's newest isn't as gut-busting as a Mad TV sketch, it's a wickedly absurd jab ...
The Untold Truth Of Zoolander
Ben Stiller's unforgettable bit of improvisation. One of the most memorable scenes in "Zoolander" sees hand model J.P. Prewitt (David Duchovny) letting Derek in on an evil scheme to use male ...
Zoolander 2 movie review & film summary (2016)
Sounds pretty heavy-handed as satire goes, but the thing. is, "Zoolander 2" has indulged in so many inversions of its narrative by this. time that the insult to fashionistas comes off as both entirely sincere and. futilely insubstantial. But this is all better gist for some future Ivy League.
Zoolander
Zoolander's laugh-aloud moments redeem much of the movie, but they also leave us wishing the comedy had been more consistent. From a visual standpoint, Zoolander is a riot of colors, and the use of some of the '80s least intellectually stimulating pop hits (like "Relax") injects a little extra intentional campiness.
Zoolander Movie Reviews
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ZOOLANDER
ZOOLANDER tries to re-invent the numskull comedy by setting its wild shenanigans in the unique world of high fashion. It almost succeeds in this endeavor, but ultimately succumbs to the problems facing many of today's "hip" comedies: the failure to turn a good idea into a full-length feature movie comedy that uses story, character, wit, and physical humor to build audience laughter into ...
Zoolander (2001)
Permalink. Zoolander (2001): Dir: Ben Stiller / Cast: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor, Will Ferrell, Milla Jovovich: Ben Stiller plays supermodel Derek Zoolander who is the best in the business with his latest fashion called Magnum. He is on top of his game until Hanszel wins male model of the year.
Zoolander 2 Movie Review
Our review: Parents say (10 ): Kids say (24 ): To enjoy ZOOLANDER 2 is to ignore all the usual ways in which you measure fine filmmaking (like plot and story arc), because a) it's a hot mess, and b) it's still funny. Nostalgia fuels the comedy, from the moment we spot Derek in all his high-haired, narcissistic glory (and brief morose "hermit ...
Zoolander Review 2001
In Zoolander, the world's most successful, influential and intellectually-challenged male model Derek Zoolander wonders, "Is there more to life than being really really really good looking?"
Zoolander
There's a scene in the 2001 comedy where two of Zoolander's male model roommates poke fun at his competition, a hipster model named Hansel. "Ex-squeeze me, but have you ever heard of styling gel?" says Meekus, played by a young Alexander Skarsgård.
Movie Review: Zoolander (2001)
Movie Review: Zoolander (2001) 2024-01-29 / No Comments. This movie has lived so long in my soul that I don't need to watch it anymore, really. Zoolander may well be the origin of memes as far as I'm concerned. Infinitely quotable, both absurd and stacked with cameos, Zoolander arrived in my young life at a time where it basically branded ...
Zoolander (2001)
Sequel: "Zoolander 2" (2016) B en Stiller ("There's Something About Mary," "Meet the Parents") wants to do it all. he's the co-writer, director and star of the comedy "Zoolander". Even parents Anne Meara ("Judy Berlin") and Jerry Stiller ("Seinfeld") are in the film—after all, he is in charge! And let us not forget Ben's wife, Christine Taylor, and his sister Amy.
TIFF 2024: 20 World Premieres We Can't Wait to See
Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Law, also at the Festival in The Order) and his partner Dora Strauch (Kirby) flee their native Germany in 1929, repudiating the bourgeois values they believe are corroding mankind's true nature.On the isle of Floreana, Friedrich can focus on writing his manifesto, while Dora resolves to cure her multiple sclerosis through meditation.
September 2024 Popular People
After a few stage gigs and a handful of made-for-TV movies, he scored a supporting role in ... taking the now-iconic character to a better opening weekend and even more enthusiastic reviews than the first go-around. September 2. 3. ... California, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Zoolander 2 (2016), Brigsby Bear (2017) and Y2K (2024 ...
Justin Theroux engaged to Nicole Brydon Bloom
Movie Reviews Trailers Film Festivals Movie Reunions ... recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. He also has writing credits for Tropic Thunder, ... and Zoolander 2.


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Featuring	, , , , Christine Taylor
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Producer	, Stuart Cornfeld, Scott Rudin, Paris Hilton
Distributor	, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS

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Zoolander (United States, 2001)

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