Editing Zoolander

{{short description|2001 film by Ben Stiller}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Zoolander
| image          = Movie poster zoolander.jpg
| alt            = <!-- See [[WP:ALT]] -->
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Ben Stiller]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Scott Rudin]]
* Ben Stiller
* [[Stuart Cornfeld]] 
}}
| screenplay     = {{Plainlist|
* [[Drake Sather]]
* Ben Stiller
* [[John Hamburg]] 
}}
| story          = {{Plainlist|
* Drake Sather
* Ben Stiller
}}
| based_on       = {{Based on|Characters|Drake Sather<br>Ben Stiller}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|<!--- Per poster billing. --->
* Ben Stiller
* [[Owen Wilson]]
* [[Will Ferrell]]
* [[Christine Taylor]]
* [[Milla Jovovich]]
* [[Jerry Stiller]]
* [[Jon Voight]] 
}}
| music          = [[David Arnold]]
| cinematography = [[Barry Peterson (cinematographer)|Barry Peterson]]
| editing        = Greg Hayden
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Village Roadshow Pictures]]
* [[VH1|VH1 Films]]
* NPV Entertainment
* [[Red Hour Productions]]
* [[Scott Rudin|Scott Rudin Productions]] 
}}
| distributor    = [[Paramount Pictures]]<!--- DO NOT add more distributors, see [[WP:FILMDIST]] --->
| released       = {{Film date|2001|09|28}}
| runtime        = 89 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 89:14--><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/zoolander-2001 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305051705/http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/zoolander-2001 | url-status=dead | archive-date=March 5, 2016 | title=''Zoolander'' (12) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=October 5, 2001 | access-date=December 27, 2014}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $28 million<ref name="numbers">{{cite web |title= Zoolander (2001) - Financial Information |url= https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Zoolander#tab=summary |website= The Numbers }}</ref><ref name="mojo" />
| gross          = $60.8 million<ref name="numbers" />
}}
'''''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.<ref name="Morris">{{cite news |last1=Morris |first1=Daniel |title=Film Talk: Looking Back – Hitting the catwalk with Zoolander |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/entertainment/2023/04/08/film-talk-looking-back--hitting-the-catwalk-with-zoolander/ |access-date=9 April 2023 |work=Express & Star |date=2023-03-08}}</ref> It is the last film from [[Paramount Pictures]] with the involvement of [[Village Roadshow Pictures]].

A [[satire (film and television)|satire]] on the [[Fashion#Fashion industry|fashion industry]], the film follows [[Fashion Model|fashion model]] Derek Zoolander (Stiller) who is tricked by fashion mogul Jacobim Mugatu ([[Will Ferrell]]) into assassinating the [[Prime Minister of Malaysia]], whose [[progressivism|progressive]] laws on the fashion industry would harm his businesses. The film received generally positive reviews and was a box-office success.  A sequel, ''[[Zoolander 2]]'', was released in February 2016.<ref name="zoo2">{{cite web|title='Zoolander 2' Coming February 2016|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/zoolander-2-announced/|website=SlashFilm|date=March 10, 2015|access-date=March 10, 2015}}</ref> An animated film, ''[[Zoolander: Super Model]]'', was released on [[Netflix]] in the UK in August 2016.<ref name="exclaim.ca">{{cite web |title=Watch the Trailer for the 'Zoolander' Cartoon Movie |url=http://exclaim.ca/comedy/article/watch_the_trailer_for_the_zoolander_cartoon_movie/ |date=Nov 17, 2016 |first1=Josiah |last1=Hughes |website=Exclaim |access-date=August 19, 2016 }}</ref>

== Plot ==
<!-- On an edit on May 1, 2021, this plot section was reduced from 705 to 461 words. Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot sections must be between 400 to 700 words. Discuss on the talk page before removing or adding details you feel are essential. -->
In [[New York City]], male model Derek Zoolander is at a low point; he is ousted as the top male fashion model by rising star Hansel McDonald, his roommates and colleagues are killed in a "freak gasoline-fight accident", and an attempt to reconnect with his [[South Jersey|southern New Jersey]] working-class relatives ends with the family rejecting him. Meanwhile, fashion mogul Jacobim Mugatu and Derek's agent Maury Ballstein are charged by the fashion industry with finding a model who can be [[Brainwashing|brainwashed]] into [[Assassination|assassinating]] the new progressive-leaning [[Prime Minister of Malaysia]], whose policies will prohibit them from retaining cheap [[Child labour|child labor]] in the country. Mugatu hires Derek, whom he had never worked with, to star in the next [[Fashion show|runway show]] for his brainwashing plan. It involves Derek being [[Ivan Pavlov#Reflex system research|conditioned]] to attempt the assassination when the song "[[Relax (song)|Relax]]" by [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]] is played.

Journalist Matilda Jeffries, feeling responsible for Derek's downfall as she wrote a scathing ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' article about him, becomes suspicious of Mugatu's offer. She tells her concerns to Derek, but he ignores her. After receiving info through calls from former [[hand model]] J.P. Prewett, Matilda and Derek meet him in a cemetery. Prewett reveals that the fashion industry has been behind several of history's political assassinations, including [[Assassination of Abraham Lincoln|Abraham Lincoln]] and [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|John F. Kennedy]], and the brainwashed models are soon killed after they have completed their task. Mugatu's cronies attack the group, forcing Derek and Matilda to flee. They go to Hansel's home, the last place they believe Mugatu will think to look. Derek, Hansel and Matilda bond, the two male models resolving their differences while partaking of Hansel's collection of narcotics and participating in group sex with Matilda and others. Derek and Hansel break into Maury's office to find evidence of the assassination plot, but they cannot operate his computer to find them.

Derek goes to the runway and Mugatu's [[disc jockey|DJ]] plays a remix version of "Relax". This activates Derek's mental programming, only for it to stop after Hansel breaks into the DJ booth and shuts off the turntable. After Hansel smashes the computer on the floor (since he took Matilda saying the incriminating files were "in the computer" literally), a guilt-ridden Maury admits to the conspiracy. Mugatu then attempts to kill the Prime Minister himself by throwing a [[shuriken]] at him, but Derek stops it by unleashing his ultimate model look, "Magnum". In Derek's rural hometown, his father Larry watches the event on television and proudly acknowledges Derek as his son while Mugatu is arrested. A few years later, Derek, Hansel and Maury start "The Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Who Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too". Derek and Matilda have a son named Derek Zoolander Jr., who has already [[Zoolander 2|developed his first modeling look]].

== Cast ==
{{Multiple image|align=right|direction=horizontal|total_width=450
|image1=Ben_Stiller_2010_(Cropped).jpg|alt1=A photograph of Ben Stiller|caption1=[[Ben Stiller]]
|image2=Owen_Wilson_Cannes_2011.jpg|alt2=A photograph of Owen Wilson|caption2=[[Owen Wilson]]
|image3=Will_Ferrell_2012.jpg|alt3=A photograph of Will Ferrell|caption3=[[Will Ferrell]]

}}
{{Cast listing|
* [[Ben Stiller]] as Derek Zoolander
* [[Owen Wilson]] as Hansel McDonald 
* [[Christine Taylor]] as Matilda Jeffries
* [[Will Ferrell]] as Jacobim Mugatu
* [[Milla Jovovich]] as Katinka Ingabogovinana
* [[Jerry Stiller]] as Maury Ballstein
* [[David Duchovny]] as J.P. Prewett
* [[Jon Voight]] as Larry Zoolander
* Woodrow Asai as Prime Minister of Malaysia
* [[Vince Vaughn]] as Luke Zoolander
* [[Judah Friedlander]] as Scrappy Zoolander
* [[Alexander Skarsgård]] as Meekus
* [[Nathan Lee Graham]] as Todd
* [[Justin Theroux]] as Evil DJ
* [[Andy Dick]] as Olga the masseuse
* [[Andrew Wilson (actor)|Andrew Wilson]] as Hansel's corner guy
* [[John Vargas]] as Italian designer
* [[Jennifer Coolidge]] as American designer
* [[Tony Kanal]] as French designer
* [[Patton Oswalt]] as Monkey photographer
* Mason Webb as Derek Zoolander Jr.
}}
[[David Bowie]] and [[Billy Zane]] made prominent cameos as themselves, with Bowie acting as judge for a "walk-off" and Zane appearing as a friend of Derek. Comedian [[Godfrey (comedian)|Godfrey]] and Taj Crown appear as janitor disguises for Derek and Hansel, respectively. Also making cameos were [[Lance Bass]], [[Tyson Beckford]], [[Victoria Beckham]], [[Emma Bunton]], [[Stephen Dorff]], [[Shavo Odadjian]], [[Fred Durst]], [[Tom Ford]], [[Cuba Gooding Jr.]], [[Fabio Lanzoni]], [[Theo Kogan]], [[Lukas Haas]], [[Tommy Hilfiger]], [[Paris Hilton]], [[Carmen Kass]], [[Heidi Klum]], [[Lenny Kravitz]], [[Karl Lagerfeld]], [[Lil' Kim]], [[James Marsden]], [[Anne Meara]], [[Natalie Portman]], [[Frankie Rayder]], [[Mark Ronson]], [[Gavin Rossdale]], [[Winona Ryder]], [[Garry Shandling]], [[Christian Slater]], [[Gwen Stefani]], [[Donald Trump]], [[Melania Trump]], [[Donatella Versace]], [[Sandra Bernhard]], [[Amanda Lepore]], and [[Veronica Webb]].

== Production ==
===Development===
Ben Stiller first created the character for a skit at the1996 VH1 Fashion Awards.<ref name="Kaplan"/> The name "Derek Zoolander" was invented by Bates while he was editing the first short film and was inspired by the names of two male models who both worked for [[Calvin Klein]]: the [[Dutch people|Dutchman]] [[Mark Vanderloo]] and the [[Americans|American]] Johnny Zander.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://money.cnn.com/video/media/2016/02/12/model-jonny-zander-inspired-zoolander-movie.cnnmoney/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306220758/http://money.cnn.com/video/media/2016/02/12/model-jonny-zander-inspired-zoolander-movie.cnnmoney/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |title=Meet the model who inspired 'Zoolander' |author1=Bronte Lord |author2=Logan Whiteside |author3=Alison Kosik |name-list-style=amp |publisher=[[CNNMoney]] }}</ref><ref name="Foreman">{{cite web |date=February 12, 2016 |last=Foreman |first=Katya |title=The male model: How did we get to Zoolander? |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20160212-the-male-model-how-did-we-get-to-zoolander |website=BBC Culture }}</ref>

===Casting===
Owen Wilson  was Stiller's first choice for the role of Hansel but it was uncertain if he would be available and auditions were held. [[Jake Gyllenhaal]] auditioned for the role. Andy Dick was going to play Mugatu, but was unavailable due to a previous commitment to the TV show ''[[Go Fish (TV series)|Go Fish]]''.<ref name="Kaplan">{{cite web |date=28 September 2021 |last1=Kaplan |first1=Ilana |title=''Zoolander'' at 20: How a Post-9/11 Flop Became the Comedy Everyone's Still Quoting |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a37762711/zoolander-20th-anniversary-ben-stiller-interview/ |website=Esquire |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220100851/https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a37762711/zoolander-20th-anniversary-ben-stiller-interview/ |archive-date= Dec 20, 2023 }}</ref><ref name="vf-history-20">{{cite web |first1=Andrew |last1=Buss |title="But Why Male Models?": An Oral History of Zoolander |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/09/zoolander-20th-anniversary-oral-history |website=[[Vanity Fair (magazines)|Vanity Fair]] |publisher=Condé Nast |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930124439/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/09/zoolander-20th-anniversary-oral-history |archive-date=2021-09-30 |date=30 September 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref> Stiller had originally intended to play Derek's agent Maury as well, but was already set to play the lead role and direct the film, leading him to cast his father Jerry Stiller as Maury instead.<ref name="newsau">{{Cite web |last=Coy |first=Bronte |date=September 11, 2017 |title=16 years on: What you never knew about Zoolander |url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/16-years-on-what-you-never-knew-about-zoolander/news-story/ed99c5eb7a0e601ec029b7fb8272bb2c |access-date=March 11, 2022 |website=[[News.com.au]]}}</ref>

[[David Bowie]] appeared as himself as the judge of the walk-off scene, filming his cameo in September 2000. He later stated, "It was just too funny a script to walk past. An absolute hoot!"<ref name="Pegg" /> With his entrance accompanied by a freeze-frame and a snippet of his song "[[Let's Dance (David Bowie song)|Let's Dance]]" (1983), biographer [[Nicholas Pegg]] describes Bowie's appearance as "willingly sending up the media's image of him as the ultimate arbiter of cool."<ref name="Pegg">{{cite book |last=Pegg |first=Nicholas |author-link=Nicholas Pegg |title=The Complete David Bowie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LqFkDQAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Titan Books]] |location=London |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-78565-365-0 |edition=Revised and Updated |page=679}}</ref>

=== Filming ===
The opening scenes were filmed at the real life 2000 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards during commercial breaks.

"Derelicte" is the name given to the fashion line designed by Mugatu and is a parody of a real fashion line created by [[John Galliano]] in 2000.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 1, 2008 |title=Political Threads |url=http://onthemedia.org/transcripts/2008/02/01/08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207141402/http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2008/02/01/08 |archive-date=February 7, 2008 |access-date=February 9, 2008 |publisher=[[On the Media]]}}</ref> It is described by Mugatu in the film as "a fashion, a way of life inspired by the very [[homeless]], the [[vagrants]], the [[crack whore]]s that make this wonderful city so unique."  The fashion line in the film consists of clothing made from everyday objects that could be found on the streets of New York. Galliano used clothing worn by the destitute as an inspiration for a real-life fashion line in 2000.

During the scene in which David Duchovny, as J.P. Prewett, explains the conspiracy to Derek, he finishes answering Derek's original question "Why male models?" only for Stiller, in character, to ask again, "But why male models?" Stiller [[ad libitum|improvised]] this line because he had forgotten what he was actually supposed to say, but Duchovny allowed it, replying in character, "You serious? I just... I just told you that a moment ago."<ref name=newsau/>

The original ending to the film would have entailed Derek getting fatally struck by a train and ascending to [[heaven]], but the idea was scrapped as the producers feared they could not fit it into the film's original budget.<ref name=newsau/>

=== Censorship ===
''Zoolander'' was never shown in [[Malaysia]], as the film depicts an attempted assassination of the Malaysian prime minister. [[Film Censorship Board of Malaysia|Malaysia's censorship board]] deemed it "definitely unsuitable".<ref>{{cite news | title = Zoolander faces Malaysian censorship controversy | url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/sep/28/filmcensorship.news | date = September 28, 2001 | publisher = [[TheGuardian.com]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Malaysia shuns Stiller's 'Zoolander' | url = https://apnews.com/32c6700a490095f52f85b0829c7a77eb | date = September 27, 2001 | work = [[Associated Press]] | access-date = April 2, 2019}}</ref> The film was also banned in neighboring [[Singapore]]<ref>{{cite news | title = Singapore bans US comedy film | date = February 8, 2002 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1809357.stm | publisher = BBC News}}</ref> due to "controversial elements" according to the country's Board of Film Censors.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2002-02-09 |title=Zoolander banned in Singapore |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/zoolander-banned-in-singapore/article18286381/ |access-date=2024-02-18 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}}</ref> It was subsequently made available in Singapore in 2006,<ref>{{cite web | publisher = [[IMDb]] | title = Release dates for Zoolander (2001) | url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196229/releaseinfo}}</ref> with an NC-16 rating. In the United States, the film was originally rated R for its sexual content, profanity and drug references, but was later re-rated PG-13 on appeal.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021 }}

In the Asian release, all references to the country of Malaysia were changed to [[Micronesia]], the subregion which Hansel mistook for Malaysia at one point in the western version.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/films/15-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-zoolander/86738|title=15 things you (probably) didn't know about Zoolander|date=2013-11-14|work=ShortList|access-date=2017-12-05 }}</ref>

In the United States, since the film was released on September 28, 2001 (about two weeks after the [[September 11 attacks]] on the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]]), Stiller made the executive decision to digitally remove any backgrounds that originally contained the Twin Towers in the background skyline.<ref>{{cite web|title=Twin Towers Removed From Zoolander Film|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2001-10-30-0110300058-story.html|work=Sun Sentinel|date=October 30, 2001 |access-date=October 30, 2001}}</ref> Stiller defended his decision to erase images of New York's World Trade Center Towers from the film, saying he did what he thought was appropriate at the time.<ref name="vf-history-20" /> The Twin Towers were later restored for the 2016 Blu-ray release.

=== Accusations of plagiarism ===
''[[Glamorama]]'', a 1998 [[satire (film and television)|satirical]] novel by [[Bret Easton Ellis]], tells the story of a vacuous male model who becomes involved in a plot concocted by international terrorists who recruit from within the fashion industry.<ref name="StarTribune">{{cite news |newspaper=[[Star Tribune]] |last=Hanson |first=Eric |title=Ellis dissects the glitterati in 'Glamorama' |url=https://www.startribune.com/ellis-dissects-the-glitterati-in-glamorama/11380706/ |date=1999-01-30 |access-date=December 22, 2021 }}</ref> In 2005, Ellis stated that he was aware of the similarities between ''Zoolander'' and ''Glamorama'' and said that he attempted to take legal action.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.informationleafblower.com/blog/archives/2005/09/the_better_you_1.html |title=Information Leafblower |publisher=Information Leafblower |access-date=July 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210062304/http://www.informationleafblower.com/blog/archives/2005/09/the_better_you_1.html |archive-date=February 10, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> Ellis was later asked about the similarities in a 2009 BBC interview but said that he is unable to discuss the topic due to an out-of-court settlement.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A6127427 |title=collective&nbsp;— bret easton ellis interview |publisher=BBC |access-date=July 21, 2009 |archive-date=August 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140804160030/http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A6127427 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
''Zoolander'' earned $15.5 million during its opening weekend, ranking in second place behind ''[[Don't Say a Word]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-journal-three-new-films-lure-p/128760450/ |title=Three new films lure public back to movies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724022433/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-journal-three-new-films-lure-p/128760450/ |date=October 1, 2001 |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=July 24, 2023 |page=7 |publisher=[[Daily Journal (Franklin, Indiana)|The Daily Journal]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> It grossed $45.2 million in the U.S. and Canada and $15.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $60.8 million against a budget of $28 million.<ref name="mojo">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0196229/ |title=Zoolander |website=Box office Mojo |access-date=June 14, 2020}}</ref>

=== Critical response ===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 64% based on 136 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A wacky satire on the fashion industry, ''Zoolander'' is one of those deliberately dumb comedies that can deliver genuine laughs."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zoolander|title=Zoolander|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|date=September 28, 2001|access-date=May 30, 2025}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a [[weighted average]] score of 61 out of 100 based on reviews from 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/zoolander|title=Zoolander|website=[[Metacritic]]|date=September 28, 2001|access-date=December 11, 2015}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/box-office-ryan-reynolds-deadpool-864451/ |title=Box Office: Ryan Reynolds' 'Deadpool' Earns Record $47.5M Friday for Massive $130M Debut |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=May 10, 2022 |date=February 12, 2016 |first=Pamela |last=McClintock}}</ref>

Reviews appreciated ''Zoolander'' as an escapist, upbeat satire on New York fashion.<ref name = "Variety">{{cite web|author-link=Todd McCarthy|last=McCarthy|first=Todd|date=September 27, 2001|url=https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/zoolander-1200469725/|title=Zoolander|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|accessdate=April 14, 2021}}</ref><ref name = "THR">{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/zoolander-original-movie-2001-review-933382|title='Zoolander': THR's 2001 Review|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=September 28, 2016|accessdate=April 15, 2021}}</ref> [[BBC Online|BBC]] film critic Nev Pierce labeled it "sharply observed", specifically with its parody magazine covers and dialogue.<ref name = "BBCreview">{{cite web|last=Pierce|first=Nev|date=November 12, 2001|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20011113051743/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/11/12/zoolander_2001_review.shtml|archivedate=November 13, 2001|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/11/12/zoolander_2001_review.shtml|title=Zoolander (2001)|website=[[BBC Online]]|accessdate=January 12, 2022}}</ref>

Kirk Honeycutt of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' felt the film mostly achieved the difficult goal of being "silly and smart" at the same time.<ref name = "THR"/> Its humor, however, was generally considered hit-and-miss.<ref name = "Variety"/><ref name = "THR"/> Honeycutt wrote it had both predictable "low-grade gags" and "weirdly hip and even witty ones".<ref name = "Variety"/><ref name = "THR"/> Pierce thought "the frenetic buffoonery does score several big laughs" but could take time for some viewers to adapt to, such as in the first hour, "where several jokes fail to click and Ferrell's camp villainy simply grates".<ref name = "BBCreview"/>

Some reviews criticized the incorporation of child labor law themes;<ref name = "THR"/> [[Roger Ebert]] criticized the portrayal as insensitive.<ref name = "RogerEbert"/> McCarthy, while finding the assassin subplot clever, also found it too serious for the comical vibe.<ref name = "Variety"/>

[[Todd McCarthy]] of ''[[Variety Magazine|Variety]]'' praised the performances and highlighted its many cameos.<ref name = "Variety"/>  He called Stiller's performance "constantly amusing" if overplaying his "look" a little, but stated "the character's intentional superficiality wears a little thin at feature length".<ref name = "Variety"/> The journalist exclaimed Wilson "gets far more comic mileage than one could have imagined possible overlaying ruthless careerism with an affably vacant grunge/Eastern veneer".<ref name = "Variety"/> Pierce wrote how the actors contributed to the film's style; he argued that Wilson's "impeccable timing in the climax elevates the sometimes bizarre material to moments that border comedy genius" and that the use of cameos "lends an air of authenticity to the idiocy".<ref name = "BBCreview"/>

Although praising the production design, costumes and choice of pop songs, Todd McCarthy felt the film did not have "truly confident visual stylization" to make comic book-esque villains like Mugatu enjoyable, and that long conversations were not fluidly written and edited.<ref name = "Variety"/> He also went after the removal of the Twin Towers as "disruptive" and offending the audience's intelligence.<ref name = "Variety"/>

[[Roger Ebert]] added that "to some degree, ''Zoolander'' is a victim of bad timing", referencing the film's release two weeks after [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]] and the presidential assassination plot point which he found to be in bad taste. He found some parts of the film funny and gave it a rating of one star out of four.<ref name = "RogerEbert">{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/zoolander-2001|title=Zoolander|author=Roger Ebert|date=September 28, 2001|publisher= [[Chicago Sun-Times]] |access-date=January 17, 2016}}</ref> According to Stiller, years later in private, Ebert admitted that he had changed his mind and now thought that the film was funny and apologized to him for going "overboard".<ref>{{cite web |date=April 22, 2013 |author=Christopher Rosen |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/roger-ebert-zoolander-review_n_3129322 |title=Roger Ebert 'Zoolander' Review: Ben Stiller Says Late Film Critic Apologized For Scathing Notice |work=[[The Huffington Post]] |access-date=January 1, 2021 }}</ref>

The film received votes from two critics at the [[Sight and Sound|''Sight & Sound'']]'s poll of the greatest films of all time in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b850c9e59/sightandsoundpoll2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401083051/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b850c9e59/sightandsoundpoll2012|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 1, 2018|title = Votes for Zoolander (2001) &#124; BFI}}</ref>

== Analysis ==
Fashion journalist [[Hadley Freeman]] categorized ''Zoolander'' as unique to other mainstream fashion films such as ''[[Designing Woman]]'' (1957), ''[[Funny Face]]'' (1957) and ''[[The Devil Wears Prada (film)|The Devil Wears Prada]]'' (2006); whereas these films usually employ the same critiques of unintelligent models, silly clothing and insipid business practices, ''Zoolander'' is much more surreal in how it puts these cliches together, as shown in its premise of male models being hypnotized to kill a prime minister.<ref>{{cite web|author-link=Hadley Freeman|last=Freeman|first=Hadley|date=May 2, 2007|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2007/may/02/zoolanderisthefinestfilma|title=Zoolander is the finest film about fashion ever|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=April 14, 2021}}</ref>

== Soundtrack ==
The soundtrack to ''Zoolander'' was released on September 25, 2001.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zoolander 2001 Soundtrack |url=https://theost.com/2001/zoolander.html |website=TheOST.com |access-date=December 23, 2013 }}</ref>

{{Track listing
| extra_column    = Artist
| total_length    = 63:01

| title1          = [[Start the Commotion]]
| length1         = 2:35
| extra1          = [[The Wiseguys]] featuring [[Nice & Smooth|Greg Nice]]

| title2          = [[Relax (song)|Relax]]
| length2         = 3:57
| extra2          = [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]]

| title3          = [[Call Me (Blondie song)|Call Me]]
| length3         = 4:08
| extra3          = [[Nikka Costa]]

| title4          = [[Love to Love You Baby (song)|Love to Love You Baby]]
| length4         = 4:22
| extra4          = [[No Doubt]]

| title5          = [[I Started a Joke]]
| length5         = 3:09
| extra5          = [[The Wallflowers]]

| title6         = [[He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother]]
| length6        = 4:38
| extra6         = [[Rufus Wainwright]]

| title7          = [[Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go]]
| length7         = 3:51
| extra7          = [[Wham!]]

| title8          = [[Rockit (song)|Rockit]]
| length8         = 5:26
| extra8          = [[Herbie Hancock]]

| title9         = [[Beat It]]
| note9          = Moby's Sub Mix
| length9        = 6:13
| extra9         = [[Michael Jackson]]

| title10         = Madskillz-Mic Chekka
| note10          = Remix
| length10        = 5:50
| extra10         = [[BT (musician)|BT]]

| title11         = Faces
| length11        = 4:28
| extra11         = [[Orgy (band)|Orgy]]

| title12         = Ruffneck
| length12        = 5:43
| extra12         = [[Freestylers]] featuring Navigator

| title13          = Now Is the Time
| length13         = 5:37
| extra13          = [[The Crystal Method]]

| title14          = Relax
| length14         = 3:06
| extra14          = [[Powerman 5000]] featuring [[Danny Boy (rapper)|DannyBoy]]

}}

The [[Kruder & Dorfmeister]] remix of [[David Holmes (musician)|David Holmes]]' song "Gone" is in the movie when Zoolander is at the [[day spa]], shortly before his brainwashing.

== Sequel ==
{{Main|Zoolander 2}}
In December 2008, Stiller confirmed that he intended to make a sequel to ''Zoolander'',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/news/ni0618008/ |title=Stiller Confirms Zoolander Sequel |publisher=[[World Entertainment News Network|WENN]] |date=December 1, 2008 |via=IMDb |access-date=March 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205091225/https://www.imdb.com/news/ni0618008/ |archive-date=December 5, 2008}}</ref> and by January 2011, a script had been completed.<ref>{{cite magazine | date=2011-01-14 |author=James White |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/ben-stiller-talks-submarine/ |title=Ben Stiller Talks Submarine |magazine=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |access-date=August 31, 2021}}</ref> Filming commenced at [[Cinecittà]] studios in [[Rome]] in early 2015,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/408055-zoolander-2-to-shoot-in-rome-this-spring|title=Comingsoon.net - Zoolander 2 to Shoot in Rome This Spring!|date=February 9, 2015}}</ref> and on March 10, Stiller and Wilson appeared at the [[Paris Fashion Week]] in character as Derek Zoolander and Hansel McDonald. ''Zoolander 2'' was released on February 12, 2016. Unlike its predecessor, it received generally negative reviews.<ref name="zoo2" />

An animated film, ''[[Zoolander: Super Model]]'', was released on [[Netflix|Netflix UK]] in August 2016.<ref name="exclaim.ca" />

== Legacy ==
In late 2022, the film went viral on the short-form video hosting service, [[TikTok]]. The trend used clips of scenes featuring Stiller and Wilson, creating a renewed interest in the movie.<ref>{{cite web |title=What's With The 'Zoolander' Memes And What's The 'Zoolander Song' On TikTok? |url=https://www.msn.com/en-nz/movies/news/whats-with-the-zoolander-memes-and-whats-the-zoolander-song-on-tiktok/ar-AA15vbfS.html |website=msn.com |access-date=April 28, 2023 }} {{Dead link|date=August 2024}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://russellbates.com/work/zoolander/ Derek Zoolander, Male Model: The original short film and background story]<!-- [[WP:EL]] sources should be integrated into the article as references -->
* {{IMDb title|0291853|Derek Zoolander: Male Model}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Mojo title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}

{{Zoolander}}
{{Ben Stiller}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoolander}}
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