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* NotSoAboveItAll: Matilda is the OnlySaneMan in the main cast, until [[spoiler: she participates in an orgy.]]
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* NotSoAboveItAll: Matilda is the OnlySaneMan in the main cast, until [[spoiler: she participates in an orgy.]]]] Even more so when she goes on a long description of her clothing while holding Katinka at gunpoint in retaliation for her insulting her fashion sense earlier.
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** The latter is pretty HilariousInHindsight: it's been done for real... thanks, Vivienne Westwood!
to:
** The Amusingly, the latter is pretty HilariousInHindsight: it's has been done for real... thanks, real by John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood!Westwood, but the style was intended to be shocking.
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* RunningGag: Every time someone mentions Hansel, Mugatu immediately adds "He's so hot right now."
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* RunningGag: Every time someone mentions Hansel, Mugatu immediately adds some variation of "He's so hot right now."
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* RealLifeRelative: Christine Taylor, who played Matilda, is Ben Stiller's wife, and Maury was played by Jerry Stiller, Ben's father.
to:
* RealLifeRelative: Christine Taylor, who played Matilda, is Ben Stiller's wife, and Maury was played by Jerry Stiller, Ben's father.father, and the protester who eggs Mugatu in the beginning is Anne Meara, Ben's mother.
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* [[BannedInChina Banned in Malaysia]]: Probably due to the perceived implication that all of its citizens are sweatshop workers and that its prime minister was Zoolander's assassination target. Also banned in Singapore as a move of goodwill, but the Singaporean ban was later repealed.
to:
* [[BannedInChina Banned in Malaysia]]: Probably Malaysia and Singapore]]: In the former country, the movie was banned due to scenes showing Malaysians as sweatshop workers; in the latter country, it was banned due to the perceived implication that all of its citizens are sweatshop workers and that its prime minister was Zoolander's plot centered on an assassination target. Also banned in Singapore as a move of goodwill, but attempt against the Singaporean ban was later repealed.Dalai Lama.
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-->'''Derek Zoolander:''' What is this, a school for ''ants''? How can the children learn anything if they can't fit in the building?!.
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-->'''Derek Zoolander:''' What is this, a school center for ''ants''? How can the children learn anything if they can't fit in the building?!.
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* ItsPronouncedTroPAY: Mugatu's new campaign, "deraleect" (derelict).
to:
* ItsPronouncedTroPAY: ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: Mugatu's new campaign, "deraleect" (derelict).
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** Jon Voight seems to have based his performance as Derek's father on ChristopherWalken.
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* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler: Magnum]]
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* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler: Magnum]]Magnum, and Hansel's yoyo skills.]]
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Deleted line(s) 83,84 (click to see context) :
* OneSceneWonder: DavidBowie is the judge during the walk-off, and the movie even takes a moment to [[BossSubtitles put his name on the screen]]. Befitting the trope, Bowie's one scene is awesome.
** [[TooDumbToLive Don't forget Brint, Meekus, and Rufus. Particularly Brint.]]
** [[TooDumbToLive Don't forget Brint, Meekus, and Rufus. Particularly Brint.]]
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** When Zoolander reveals 'Magnum', however (Derek's father is watching the fashion show at bar), his dad is genuinely amazed and announces to the whole bar 'That's my son!'
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* VillainousBreakdown: "What have ''you'' done, Derek?! ''Nothing! '''You've got NOTHING!!!'''''"
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* VillainousBreakdown: "What have ''you'' done, Derek?! ''Nothing! '''You've got NOTHING!!!'''''"Mugutu ends up suffering one of these, during which he ends up [[LampshadeHanging pointing out that]] [[OnlySaneMan contrary to what everyone thinks, Derek's repertoire is somewhat limited]]:
-->"Who cares about Derek Zoolander anyway? The man has only one look for Christ's sake! Blue Steel? Ferrari? Le Tigre? They're the ''same face!'' Doesn't anybody else ''notice'' this?! ''[[OnlySaneMan I feel like I'm taking crazy pills]]''! I invented the Piano Key Necktie! I ''invented'' it! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, DEREK?! NOTHING! ''YOU'VE GOT NOTHING!! '''NOTHING!!!'''''"
-->"Who cares about Derek Zoolander anyway? The man has only one look for Christ's sake! Blue Steel? Ferrari? Le Tigre? They're the ''same face!'' Doesn't anybody else ''notice'' this?! ''[[OnlySaneMan I feel like I'm taking crazy pills]]''! I invented the Piano Key Necktie! I ''invented'' it! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, DEREK?! NOTHING! ''YOU'VE GOT NOTHING!! '''NOTHING!!!'''''"
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* VillainousBreakdown: "What have ''you'' done, Derek?! ''Nothing! '''You've got NOTHING!!!'''''"
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* ManchurianAgent: Derek, after he gets brainwashed.
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* ThrowItIn: At the end of [[TheCameo David Duchovny's]] [[MisterExposition long-explanation for why models make the perfect assassins]], Ben Stiller forgot what the next line was, and tried to wordlessly re-do the take by repeating his earlier line, "But why male models?" Duchovny, not wanting to ruin the take, ad-libbed "...are you serious? I just told you that, a moment ago."
to:
* ThrowItIn: At the end of [[TheCameo David Duchovny's]] [[MisterExposition long-explanation for why models make the perfect assassins]], Ben Stiller forgot what the next line was, and tried to wordlessly re-do the take by repeating his earlier line, "But why male models?" Duchovny, not wanting to ruin the take, ad-libbed "...are you serious? I just told you that, a moment ago."" Fortunately, the error [[TheDitz fit Stiller's character]] and was left in the final film.
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* TooDumbToLive: Derek and his friends.
to:
* TooDumbToLive: Derek's friends. Derek and his friends.himself was lucky enough to avoid the explosion.
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Derek Zoolander is a [[MemeticMutation really, really, ridiculously good-looking]] (but incredibly shallow) male model who suffers both a professional and personal setback when he loses the Male Model of the Year crown to Hansel ("he's so hot right now") and his friends to a [[TooDumbToLive tragic gasoline-fight accident]]. His manager sends him to a day spa, but it turns out to be a brainwashing center, where Derek becomes a sleeper agent programmed to assassinate the prime minister of Malaysia (an obstacle to the fashion industry's continued use of cheap Malaysian labor). It's up to Derek, his love interest Matilda, and his rival-turned-friend Hansel ([[RunningGag "he's so hot right now"]]) to foil this plot and help Derek live past thirty.
to:
Derek Zoolander is a [[MemeticMutation really, really, ridiculously good-looking]] (but incredibly shallow) shallow and not too bright) male model who suffers both a professional and personal setback when he loses the Male Model of the Year crown to Hansel ("he's so hot right now") and his friends to a [[TooDumbToLive tragic gasoline-fight accident]]. His manager sends him to a day spa, but it turns out to be a brainwashing center, where Derek becomes a sleeper agent programmed to assassinate the prime minister of Malaysia (an obstacle to the fashion industry's continued use of cheap Malaysian labor). It's up to Derek, his love interest Matilda, and his rival-turned-friend Hansel ([[RunningGag "he's so hot right now"]]) to foil this plot and help Derek live past thirty.
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** Considering the giant "MUGATU" on his sweater is in Arial, which would make any graphic designer wince, who knows how his mind works?
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* PunctuatedForEmphasis: When introducing Derek as a nominee for Model of the Year, the announcer guy enunciates each syllable separately (see page quote). Derek silently counts along to make sure that his name is indeed five syllables.
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* PunctuatedForEmphasis: When introducing Derek as a nominee for Model of the Year, the announcer guy enunciates each syllable separately (see page quote). Each syllable also comes from a different speaker. Derek silently counts along to make sure that his name is indeed five syllables.
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* SoundtrackDissonance: A minor case when Derek and his roommates try to forget their troubles, as "Wake Me up before You Go-Go" plays (it contains a reference to a yo-yo, which is rival Hansel's thing).
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* NotSoAboveItAll: Matilda is the OnlySaneMan in the main cast, until [[spoiler: she participates in an orgy.]]
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* RealLifeRelative: Christine Taylor, who played Matilda, is Ben Stiller's wife.
to:
* RealLifeRelative: Christine Taylor, who played Matilda, is Ben Stiller's wife.wife, and Maury was played by Jerry Stiller, Ben's father.
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* ShoutOut: [[MichaelJackson "Beat It"]] plays over the walk-off between Derek and Hansel; Derek's brainwashing sequence channels ''Film/AClockworkOrange''; Derek and Hansel imitate the "Dawn of Man" sequence in ''[[TwoThousandOne 2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', complete with the soundtrack playing ''AlsoSprachZarathustra''; The confrontation between Derek and his manager before he walks for Mugatu refers to ''TheGodfather Part II''.
to:
* ShoutOut: [[MichaelJackson "Beat It"]] plays over the walk-off between Derek and Hansel; Derek's brainwashing sequence channels ''Film/AClockworkOrange''; Derek and Hansel imitate the "Dawn of Man" sequence in ''[[TwoThousandOne 2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', complete with the soundtrack playing ''AlsoSprachZarathustra''; The confrontation between Derek and his manager before he walks for Mugatu refers to ''TheGodfather ''Film/TheGodfather Part II''.
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* {{Technology Marches On}} Derek's tiny cell phone was a hilarious reveal meant to display how privileged he was (this being 2001 before having a cell phone was highly commonplace), but by today's standards, it looks extremely out of date and low grade despite being still ridiculously tiny.
to:
* {{Technology Marches On}} Derek's tiny cell phone was a hilarious reveal meant to display how privileged he was (this being 2001 before having a cell phone was highly commonplace), but by today's standards, it looks extremely out of date and low grade despite being still ridiculously tiny.tiny, largely because it [[HilariousInHindsight failed to anticipate]] that the advent of smart phones would stop dead the trend they were exaggerating.
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* PunctuatedForEmphasis: When introducing Derek as a nominee for Model of the Year, the announcer guy enunciates each syllable separately (see page quote). Derek silently counts along to make sure that his name is indeed five syllables.
Deleted line(s) 114 (click to see context) :
* ThisIsSparta: When introducing Derek as a nominee for Model of the Year, the announcer guy enunciates each syllable separately (see page quote). Derek silently counts along to make sure that his name is indeed five syllables.
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* ShaggyDogStory
-->'''Hansel:''' So I'm rappelling down Mount Vesuvius when suddenly I slip, and I start to fall. I mean, I'm about to ''die.'' Just falling, "Ahhh! Ahhh!" I'll never forget the terror. When suddenly I remember, "Holy shit, Hansel, haven't you been smoking Peyote for six straight days, and couldn't some of this maybe be in your mind?"
-->'''Derek:''' ...and?
-->'''Hansel:''' ...it was. I was totally fine. I've never even ''been'' to Mount Vesuvius.
-->'''Hansel:''' So I'm rappelling down Mount Vesuvius when suddenly I slip, and I start to fall. I mean, I'm about to ''die.'' Just falling, "Ahhh! Ahhh!" I'll never forget the terror. When suddenly I remember, "Holy shit, Hansel, haven't you been smoking Peyote for six straight days, and couldn't some of this maybe be in your mind?"
-->'''Derek:''' ...and?
-->'''Hansel:''' ...it was. I was totally fine. I've never even ''been'' to Mount Vesuvius.
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* IdiotBall: PlayedForLaughs of course. Seriously, Derek and Hansel in particular are dumber than a bag of hammers.
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** --> '''Derek:''' Maybe you don't understand that the world doesn't revolve around you and your 'Do whatever it takes, ruin as many people's lives, just so long as you can make a name for yourself as an investigatory journalist, no matter how many friends you lose, or people you leave dead and bloodied along the way, just so long as you can make a name for yourself as an investigatory journalist, no matter how many friends you lose, or people you leave dead and bloodied and dying along the way?'
to:
--> '''Derek:''' Maybe you don't understand that the world doesn't revolve around you and your 'Do whatever it takes, ruin as many people's lives, just so long as you can make a name for yourself as an investigatory journalist, no matter how many friends you lose, or people you leave dead and bloodied along the way, just so long as you can make a name for yourself as an investigatory journalist, no matter how many friends you lose, or people you leave dead and bloodied and dying along the way?'
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** --> '''Derek:''' Maybe you don't understand that the world doesn't revolve around you and your 'Do whatever it takes, ruin as many people's lives, just so long as you can make a name for yourself as an investigatory journalist, no matter how many friends you lose, or people you leave dead and bloodied along the way, just so long as you can make a name for yourself as an investigatory journalist, no matter how many friends you lose, or people you leave dead and bloodied and dying along the way?'
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* AlsoSprachZarathustra: Part of a ShoutOut to ''[=~2001: A Space Odyssey~=]''.
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* AlsoSprachZarathustra: Part of a ShoutOut to ''[=~2001: A Space Odyssey~=]''.''TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey''.
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[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zoolander.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:200:Derek Zoolander: Really Really Really Ridiculously Good Looking[[TradeSnark ™]] ]]
--> ''For the last decade, male modelling has been dominated by one name, and five syllables: Der! Ek! Zoo! Lan! DER!''
Derek Zoolander is a [[MemeticMutation really, really, ridiculously good-looking]] (but incredibly shallow) male model who suffers both a professional and personal setback when he loses the Male Model of the Year crown to Hansel ("he's so hot right now") and his friends to a [[TooDumbToLive tragic gasoline-fight accident]]. His manager sends him to a day spa, but it turns out to be a brainwashing center, where Derek becomes a sleeper agent programmed to assassinate the prime minister of Malaysia (an obstacle to the fashion industry's continued use of cheap Malaysian labor). It's up to Derek, his love interest Matilda, and his rival-turned-friend Hansel ([[RunningGag "he's so hot right now"]]) to foil this plot and help Derek live past thirty.
As of an announcement on March 2, 2010, a sequel is being written.
----
!This film has examples of:
* ActorAllusion: Jon Voight as Derek's father.
-->"Damn it Derek, I'm a coal miner, not a professional film or television actor."
** David Duchovny as [[TheXFiles a conspiracy theorist]].
** Ben Stiller's character's manager is played by his father, and his love interest is played by his wife.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: After giving Derek a long list of what he's supposed to do as an assassin, Mugatu adds: "Obey my dog!"
* AlsoSprachZarathustra: Part of a ShoutOut to ''[=~2001: A Space Odyssey~=]''.
* BabiesEverAfter: The ending. Derek's son even adopts his first look: a pout reminiscent of his daddy's.
* BackhandedApology: The {{Jerkass}} version gets used twice.
* [[BannedInChina Banned in Malaysia]]: Probably due to the perceived implication that all of its citizens are sweatshop workers and that its prime minister was Zoolander's assassination target. Also banned in Singapore as a move of goodwill, but the Singaporean ban was later repealed.
* TheBaroness: Katinka.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: The fashion industry has been behind every major assassination for the past 200 years, using male models as assassins.
* BerserkButton: "One look? ''ONE LOOK?!''"
* BigNo: Derek's reaction (actually a "Brint!") when he realizes his friends are about to [[ManOnFire get burned to death]] by a carelessly lit cigarette.
* BrainlessBeauty: Male models. (Although according to David Duchovny's character, hand models "work differently"). Also, Fabio is apparently too smart for the job that Mugatu brainwashed Zoolander to do.
* BuffySpeak: The Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too.
* TheCameo: Lots, from the celebrities at the fashion show in the opening part of the film to Billy Zane's memetic role to David Bowie as the walkoff judge, and lots more where that came from. Also includes James Marsden in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot as John Wilkes Booth during the assassination exposition.
* CaptainOblivious: The runway competition.
* CastingGag: [[TheXFiles David Duchovny]] as a former hand model and ConspiracyTheorist.
* CatchPhrase: Mugatu's variations on Hansel being "so hot right now."
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: [[RhymesOnADime Rhymes with "Derek Zoolander".]]
* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler: Magnum]]
* CookingDuel: The runway walk-off.
* CompetenceZone: None of the male models lives past thirty (except the precious few who wise up and retire beforehand), something that TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness ruthlessly enforces.
* ConspiracyKitchenSink: According to J.P. Prewett (David Duchovny's character), pretty much every assassination in history can be traced back to the international fashion industry.
--> '''Matilda:''' Wait a minute, Lee Harvey Oswald wasn't a male model.
--> '''Prewett:''' You're goddamn right he wasn't, but those two lookers on the Grassy Knoll sure as shit were!
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: The fashion industry executives.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: This exchange from the film's climax.
--> '''Matilda:''' Derek, you did it!
--> '''Derek:''' I know! I turned left!
--> '''Matilda:''' (beat) That too, but you also saved the Prime Minister of Malaysia!
--> '''Derek:''' Oh. Cool.
* CymbalBangingMonkey: In a flashback, Derek is briefly shown dressed up as a CymbalBangingMonkey. "Dance, monkey, dance!"
* DanceBattler: "They're breakdance fighting!"
* DarkActionGirl: Katinka, who is also TheDragon.
* {{Defictionalization}}: Orange Mocha Frappuccinos were sold at Starbucks for a limited time.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment:
--> Hansel: "And I felt like this guy is really hurting me. And it hurt!"
* DirtyOldMan: Maury Ballstein.
* DisneyAcidSequence: The drug-fueled orgy.
* FallingInLoveMontage: Parodied in the orgy scene, where Matilda begins by making out with Derek and Hansel, and then the partners get a little... weird.
* FashionShow
* FireForgedFriends: Zoolander and Hansel started as the worst of enemies but when things get ugly they become the best of friends.
* GeniusDitz: Zoolander (and most everyone associated with the fashion industry) is a complete moron, but when it comes to fashion, make-up and just improving one's physical appearance he is a genius.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Mugatu's toy poodle; during the brainwashing sequence, its eyes flash bright green.
* InformedAttractiveness: Ben Stiller as a model? Owen Wilson?! Consciously done, because, [[DontExplainTheJoke well]]...
* IntrepidReporter: Matilda, who has a [[FreudianExcuse special hatred]] for models.
* ItsPronouncedTroPAY: Mugatu's new campaign, "deraleect" (derelict).
* JanitorImpersonationInfiltration: Hansel and Derek.
* {{Joisey}}: At one point Derek goes to work with his family in the coal mines of South Jersey. [[FridgeLogic The real South Jersey is a coastal plain.]]
* KarmaHoudini: Maury Ballstein. At the end, he admits to having been in on the child labor conspiracy for almost all of his career. However, he does not seem to have been punished in any way.
** Presumably he would get immunity in exchange for his testimony.
* LampshadeHanging: see OnlySaneMan below.
* LaserGuidedTykebomb: Derek gets brainwashed into this.
* LoveEpiphany: Parodied.
-->'''Derek:''' There was a moment last night, when she was sandwiched between the two Finnish dwarfs and the Maori tribesmen, where I thought, "Wow, I could really spend the rest of my life with this woman."
* {{Malaproper}}: Derek, of course.
-->'''Derek:''' Or are you here to tell me what a bad eugoogolizer I am?\\
'''Matilda:''' A what?\\
'''Derek:''' A eugoogolizer... one who speaks at funerals. ''[after a confused look from Matilda]'' Or did you think I was too stupid to know what a eugoogoly was?
* {{UsefulNotes/Malaysia}}: Most famously, for the film being banned in the country. See ''Banned In Malaysia'' above.
* TheManInTheMirrorTalksBack
* MissingMom: Derek's mom is dead.
* MusicalTrigger: "Relax" is what turns Derek into a killing machine.
* MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels: Derek's grasp of Malay leaves much to be desired.
** Given that he's "dumb as a stump," the fact that he [[GeniusDitz speaks Malay at all]] is pretty impressive.
* NiceGuy: Derek, in a subversion of the typical bitchy-superstar stereotype, is actually sweet-natured and generous.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Averted; all of the cameo actors play themselves.
* OneSceneWonder: DavidBowie is the judge during the walk-off, and the movie even takes a moment to [[BossSubtitles put his name on the screen]]. Befitting the trope, Bowie's one scene is awesome.
** [[TooDumbToLive Don't forget Brint, Meekus, and Rufus. Particularly Brint.]]
* TheOneThingIDontHateAboutYou: ''"It's that damned Hansel! He's so hot right now!"''
* OnlySaneMan: Part of Mugatu's MotiveRant. It is unusual that the ''villain'' is the OnlySaneMan.
--> "He only has ''one'' look! [...] Does ''nobody'' else notice? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!"
** Matilda fits this role much better however.
* OnlySixFaces: All of Derek's so-called "looks" are [[strike:almost]] identical. (However, his "Magnum" look stops a shuriken in mid-air. Even Mugatu is wowed: "Dear god, it's beautiful!")
** There is a difference between Magnum and all the rest: [[ChekhovsSkill he turns left]] before delivering it.
*** Less [[BuffySpeak mindblowing-ly]], his head is also vertical, as opposed to the angle his other looks were at.
* TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: The round table [[ManBehindTheMan running the fashion industry]].
* OverlyLongGag: The participants during the orgy scene.
** In a deleted scene, Derek enters the club where Hansel is having an after-party, passing something like six or seven groups of people just to throw a lame one-liner back at Hansel for an earlier insult. (Part of this scene ends up in the ImagineSpot when the hand model discusses why male models make the perfect assassins.)
* {{Outdated Outfit}}: Mugatu's "Little Cletus" disguise is of what a child in the early 1900's would probably wear. Ironic, considering Mugatu should be keeping up with the latest fashions.
** Maury says that he can take any piece of [[PolishTheTurd crap polish it a little]] and sell it to a queen, so maybe Mugatu ''decides'' what is hot and what is not?
* APartyAlsoKnownAsAnOrgy
* PerfectlyCromulentWord: Derek is not an ambiturner. He can't turn left.
* PhraseCatcher: Hansel. "He's so hot right now." In particular from Mugatu.
* RealLifeRelative: Christine Taylor, who played Matilda, is Ben Stiller's wife.
* RefugeInAudacity: The whole movie, pretty much, but the ones that definitely stand out are the assassination plot and Mugatu's new line that does a high fashion spin on what homeless people wear.
** The latter is pretty HilariousInHindsight: it's been done for real... thanks, Vivienne Westwood!
* RunningGag: Every time someone mentions Hansel, Mugatu immediately adds "He's so hot right now."
* ScaleModelDestruction: Mugatu shows off a model of a school he's planning to build in Derek Zoolander's honor. Derek gets ticked and destroys it, because he doesn't understand the concept of a model.
-->'''Derek Zoolander:''' What is this, a school for ''ants''? How can the children learn anything if they can't fit in the building?!.
* SeriousBusiness: The fashion industry.
* SheCleansUpNicely: Matilda, again.
* ShoutOut: [[MichaelJackson "Beat It"]] plays over the walk-off between Derek and Hansel; Derek's brainwashing sequence channels ''Film/AClockworkOrange''; Derek and Hansel imitate the "Dawn of Man" sequence in ''[[TwoThousandOne 2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', complete with the soundtrack playing ''AlsoSprachZarathustra''; The confrontation between Derek and his manager before he walks for Mugatu refers to ''TheGodfather Part II''.
* SpitTake: Hilariously overdone by Mugatu.
--> "Todd! Were you not aware that I get farty and bloated with a foamy latte?!"
* {{Technology Marches On}} Derek's tiny cell phone was a hilarious reveal meant to display how privileged he was (this being 2001 before having a cell phone was highly commonplace), but by today's standards, it looks extremely out of date and low grade despite being still ridiculously tiny.
* ThisIsSparta: When introducing Derek as a nominee for Model of the Year, the announcer guy enunciates each syllable separately (see page quote). Derek silently counts along to make sure that his name is indeed five syllables.
* ThisIsWhatTheBuildingWillLookLike: Even if they can't fit inside the building.
* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: Only a male model has the skills to make a perfect assassin, and only Derek's "Magnum" look (or is it "Blue Steel"?) can stop them!
* ThrowItIn: At the end of [[TheCameo David Duchovny's]] [[MisterExposition long-explanation for why models make the perfect assassins]], Ben Stiller forgot what the next line was, and tried to wordlessly re-do the take by repeating his earlier line, "But why male models?" Duchovny, not wanting to ruin the take, ad-libbed "...are you serious? I just told you that, a moment ago."
* TooDumbToLive: Derek and his friends.
* TrainingMontage: Derek's training to be an assassin.
* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway? "Magnum."
* WeaksauceWeakness: Derek can't turn left (until the climax).
* WellDoneSonGuy: Derek temporarily retires from modeling and tries to join his dad and brother in the mining field. It doesn't go over well.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: What happened to the shadowy evil council who have been killing world leaders for decades?
** Nothing. Mugatu takes the fall while they get to be KarmaHoudini.
* WhoShotJFK: According to the hand model, it's two male models on the grassy knoll.
* WholePlotReference: The whole movie is clearly inspired by ''{{The Manchurian Candidate}}''.
----
[[caption-width-right:200:Derek Zoolander: Really Really Really Ridiculously Good Looking[[TradeSnark ™]] ]]
--> ''For the last decade, male modelling has been dominated by one name, and five syllables: Der! Ek! Zoo! Lan! DER!''
Derek Zoolander is a [[MemeticMutation really, really, ridiculously good-looking]] (but incredibly shallow) male model who suffers both a professional and personal setback when he loses the Male Model of the Year crown to Hansel ("he's so hot right now") and his friends to a [[TooDumbToLive tragic gasoline-fight accident]]. His manager sends him to a day spa, but it turns out to be a brainwashing center, where Derek becomes a sleeper agent programmed to assassinate the prime minister of Malaysia (an obstacle to the fashion industry's continued use of cheap Malaysian labor). It's up to Derek, his love interest Matilda, and his rival-turned-friend Hansel ([[RunningGag "he's so hot right now"]]) to foil this plot and help Derek live past thirty.
As of an announcement on March 2, 2010, a sequel is being written.
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!This film has examples of:
* ActorAllusion: Jon Voight as Derek's father.
-->"Damn it Derek, I'm a coal miner, not a professional film or television actor."
** David Duchovny as [[TheXFiles a conspiracy theorist]].
** Ben Stiller's character's manager is played by his father, and his love interest is played by his wife.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: After giving Derek a long list of what he's supposed to do as an assassin, Mugatu adds: "Obey my dog!"
* AlsoSprachZarathustra: Part of a ShoutOut to ''[=~2001: A Space Odyssey~=]''.
* BabiesEverAfter: The ending. Derek's son even adopts his first look: a pout reminiscent of his daddy's.
* BackhandedApology: The {{Jerkass}} version gets used twice.
* [[BannedInChina Banned in Malaysia]]: Probably due to the perceived implication that all of its citizens are sweatshop workers and that its prime minister was Zoolander's assassination target. Also banned in Singapore as a move of goodwill, but the Singaporean ban was later repealed.
* TheBaroness: Katinka.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: The fashion industry has been behind every major assassination for the past 200 years, using male models as assassins.
* BerserkButton: "One look? ''ONE LOOK?!''"
* BigNo: Derek's reaction (actually a "Brint!") when he realizes his friends are about to [[ManOnFire get burned to death]] by a carelessly lit cigarette.
* BrainlessBeauty: Male models. (Although according to David Duchovny's character, hand models "work differently"). Also, Fabio is apparently too smart for the job that Mugatu brainwashed Zoolander to do.
* BuffySpeak: The Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too.
* TheCameo: Lots, from the celebrities at the fashion show in the opening part of the film to Billy Zane's memetic role to David Bowie as the walkoff judge, and lots more where that came from. Also includes James Marsden in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot as John Wilkes Booth during the assassination exposition.
* CaptainOblivious: The runway competition.
* CastingGag: [[TheXFiles David Duchovny]] as a former hand model and ConspiracyTheorist.
* CatchPhrase: Mugatu's variations on Hansel being "so hot right now."
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: [[RhymesOnADime Rhymes with "Derek Zoolander".]]
* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler: Magnum]]
* CookingDuel: The runway walk-off.
* CompetenceZone: None of the male models lives past thirty (except the precious few who wise up and retire beforehand), something that TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness ruthlessly enforces.
* ConspiracyKitchenSink: According to J.P. Prewett (David Duchovny's character), pretty much every assassination in history can be traced back to the international fashion industry.
--> '''Matilda:''' Wait a minute, Lee Harvey Oswald wasn't a male model.
--> '''Prewett:''' You're goddamn right he wasn't, but those two lookers on the Grassy Knoll sure as shit were!
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: The fashion industry executives.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: This exchange from the film's climax.
--> '''Matilda:''' Derek, you did it!
--> '''Derek:''' I know! I turned left!
--> '''Matilda:''' (beat) That too, but you also saved the Prime Minister of Malaysia!
--> '''Derek:''' Oh. Cool.
* CymbalBangingMonkey: In a flashback, Derek is briefly shown dressed up as a CymbalBangingMonkey. "Dance, monkey, dance!"
* DanceBattler: "They're breakdance fighting!"
* DarkActionGirl: Katinka, who is also TheDragon.
* {{Defictionalization}}: Orange Mocha Frappuccinos were sold at Starbucks for a limited time.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment:
--> Hansel: "And I felt like this guy is really hurting me. And it hurt!"
* DirtyOldMan: Maury Ballstein.
* DisneyAcidSequence: The drug-fueled orgy.
* FallingInLoveMontage: Parodied in the orgy scene, where Matilda begins by making out with Derek and Hansel, and then the partners get a little... weird.
* FashionShow
* FireForgedFriends: Zoolander and Hansel started as the worst of enemies but when things get ugly they become the best of friends.
* GeniusDitz: Zoolander (and most everyone associated with the fashion industry) is a complete moron, but when it comes to fashion, make-up and just improving one's physical appearance he is a genius.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Mugatu's toy poodle; during the brainwashing sequence, its eyes flash bright green.
* InformedAttractiveness: Ben Stiller as a model? Owen Wilson?! Consciously done, because, [[DontExplainTheJoke well]]...
* IntrepidReporter: Matilda, who has a [[FreudianExcuse special hatred]] for models.
* ItsPronouncedTroPAY: Mugatu's new campaign, "deraleect" (derelict).
* JanitorImpersonationInfiltration: Hansel and Derek.
* {{Joisey}}: At one point Derek goes to work with his family in the coal mines of South Jersey. [[FridgeLogic The real South Jersey is a coastal plain.]]
* KarmaHoudini: Maury Ballstein. At the end, he admits to having been in on the child labor conspiracy for almost all of his career. However, he does not seem to have been punished in any way.
** Presumably he would get immunity in exchange for his testimony.
* LampshadeHanging: see OnlySaneMan below.
* LaserGuidedTykebomb: Derek gets brainwashed into this.
* LoveEpiphany: Parodied.
-->'''Derek:''' There was a moment last night, when she was sandwiched between the two Finnish dwarfs and the Maori tribesmen, where I thought, "Wow, I could really spend the rest of my life with this woman."
* {{Malaproper}}: Derek, of course.
-->'''Derek:''' Or are you here to tell me what a bad eugoogolizer I am?\\
'''Matilda:''' A what?\\
'''Derek:''' A eugoogolizer... one who speaks at funerals. ''[after a confused look from Matilda]'' Or did you think I was too stupid to know what a eugoogoly was?
* {{UsefulNotes/Malaysia}}: Most famously, for the film being banned in the country. See ''Banned In Malaysia'' above.
* TheManInTheMirrorTalksBack
* MissingMom: Derek's mom is dead.
* MusicalTrigger: "Relax" is what turns Derek into a killing machine.
* MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels: Derek's grasp of Malay leaves much to be desired.
** Given that he's "dumb as a stump," the fact that he [[GeniusDitz speaks Malay at all]] is pretty impressive.
* NiceGuy: Derek, in a subversion of the typical bitchy-superstar stereotype, is actually sweet-natured and generous.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Averted; all of the cameo actors play themselves.
* OneSceneWonder: DavidBowie is the judge during the walk-off, and the movie even takes a moment to [[BossSubtitles put his name on the screen]]. Befitting the trope, Bowie's one scene is awesome.
** [[TooDumbToLive Don't forget Brint, Meekus, and Rufus. Particularly Brint.]]
* TheOneThingIDontHateAboutYou: ''"It's that damned Hansel! He's so hot right now!"''
* OnlySaneMan: Part of Mugatu's MotiveRant. It is unusual that the ''villain'' is the OnlySaneMan.
--> "He only has ''one'' look! [...] Does ''nobody'' else notice? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!"
** Matilda fits this role much better however.
* OnlySixFaces: All of Derek's so-called "looks" are [[strike:almost]] identical. (However, his "Magnum" look stops a shuriken in mid-air. Even Mugatu is wowed: "Dear god, it's beautiful!")
** There is a difference between Magnum and all the rest: [[ChekhovsSkill he turns left]] before delivering it.
*** Less [[BuffySpeak mindblowing-ly]], his head is also vertical, as opposed to the angle his other looks were at.
* TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: The round table [[ManBehindTheMan running the fashion industry]].
* OverlyLongGag: The participants during the orgy scene.
** In a deleted scene, Derek enters the club where Hansel is having an after-party, passing something like six or seven groups of people just to throw a lame one-liner back at Hansel for an earlier insult. (Part of this scene ends up in the ImagineSpot when the hand model discusses why male models make the perfect assassins.)
* {{Outdated Outfit}}: Mugatu's "Little Cletus" disguise is of what a child in the early 1900's would probably wear. Ironic, considering Mugatu should be keeping up with the latest fashions.
** Maury says that he can take any piece of [[PolishTheTurd crap polish it a little]] and sell it to a queen, so maybe Mugatu ''decides'' what is hot and what is not?
* APartyAlsoKnownAsAnOrgy
* PerfectlyCromulentWord: Derek is not an ambiturner. He can't turn left.
* PhraseCatcher: Hansel. "He's so hot right now." In particular from Mugatu.
* RealLifeRelative: Christine Taylor, who played Matilda, is Ben Stiller's wife.
* RefugeInAudacity: The whole movie, pretty much, but the ones that definitely stand out are the assassination plot and Mugatu's new line that does a high fashion spin on what homeless people wear.
** The latter is pretty HilariousInHindsight: it's been done for real... thanks, Vivienne Westwood!
* RunningGag: Every time someone mentions Hansel, Mugatu immediately adds "He's so hot right now."
* ScaleModelDestruction: Mugatu shows off a model of a school he's planning to build in Derek Zoolander's honor. Derek gets ticked and destroys it, because he doesn't understand the concept of a model.
-->'''Derek Zoolander:''' What is this, a school for ''ants''? How can the children learn anything if they can't fit in the building?!.
* SeriousBusiness: The fashion industry.
* SheCleansUpNicely: Matilda, again.
* ShoutOut: [[MichaelJackson "Beat It"]] plays over the walk-off between Derek and Hansel; Derek's brainwashing sequence channels ''Film/AClockworkOrange''; Derek and Hansel imitate the "Dawn of Man" sequence in ''[[TwoThousandOne 2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', complete with the soundtrack playing ''AlsoSprachZarathustra''; The confrontation between Derek and his manager before he walks for Mugatu refers to ''TheGodfather Part II''.
* SpitTake: Hilariously overdone by Mugatu.
--> "Todd! Were you not aware that I get farty and bloated with a foamy latte?!"
* {{Technology Marches On}} Derek's tiny cell phone was a hilarious reveal meant to display how privileged he was (this being 2001 before having a cell phone was highly commonplace), but by today's standards, it looks extremely out of date and low grade despite being still ridiculously tiny.
* ThisIsSparta: When introducing Derek as a nominee for Model of the Year, the announcer guy enunciates each syllable separately (see page quote). Derek silently counts along to make sure that his name is indeed five syllables.
* ThisIsWhatTheBuildingWillLookLike: Even if they can't fit inside the building.
* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: Only a male model has the skills to make a perfect assassin, and only Derek's "Magnum" look (or is it "Blue Steel"?) can stop them!
* ThrowItIn: At the end of [[TheCameo David Duchovny's]] [[MisterExposition long-explanation for why models make the perfect assassins]], Ben Stiller forgot what the next line was, and tried to wordlessly re-do the take by repeating his earlier line, "But why male models?" Duchovny, not wanting to ruin the take, ad-libbed "...are you serious? I just told you that, a moment ago."
* TooDumbToLive: Derek and his friends.
* TrainingMontage: Derek's training to be an assassin.
* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway? "Magnum."
* WeaksauceWeakness: Derek can't turn left (until the climax).
* WellDoneSonGuy: Derek temporarily retires from modeling and tries to join his dad and brother in the mining field. It doesn't go over well.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: What happened to the shadowy evil council who have been killing world leaders for decades?
** Nothing. Mugatu takes the fall while they get to be KarmaHoudini.
* WhoShotJFK: According to the hand model, it's two male models on the grassy knoll.
* WholePlotReference: The whole movie is clearly inspired by ''{{The Manchurian Candidate}}''.
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