Unlike the MPAA we do not assign
one
inscrutable rating based on age, but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY, VIOLENCE/GORE
and PROFANITY on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest,
depending on quantity and context.
Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller), a male supermodel and an
air-head, is brainwashed by an evil fashion designer into becoming an assassin. His target
is the Prime Minister of Malaysia, and the plot is hatched in order to prevent the
elimination of the sweatshops that churn out cheaply-produced fashion apparel. Also with
Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Milla Jovovich and Christine Taylor. [1:35]
SEX/NUDITY 4 - A woman is shown being kissed by numerous men, on her
shoulders, neck and back as she spins around; she has a satisfied look on her face; some
of the men are bare-chested and we see the tiny straps of what could be a teddy on her
shoulders. A man and woman kiss romantically. A man squeezes a woman's buttock as she
walks by, and a man pricks a woman's buttock with a pin (during a fitting). A man thinks
that a woman has come to his apartment because she wants to have sex with him. We see a
photo of a man on his hands and knees with a bridle in his mouth and a very large person
in a tiny outfit sitting on his back. A man gets a massage (he's covered by a sheet); the
masseuse smacks his buttocks repeatedly and when he rolls over he has a huge erection
which sticks up under the sheet and seems to be moving around. A man sticks his hand in
his pants, wiggles around a bit and pulls his underwear out. Another man puts his hands in
his pants, wiggles around a bit and gives himself a huge wedgie. We see raised carvings of
body parts on tombstones (buttocks and a penis). Women are shown in tight-fitting outfits
which reveal cleavage, and very short skirts which reveal a lot of thigh. A man wiggles
his hips and buttocks preparing for a runway competition.
VIOLENCE/GORE 4 - Three young men spray each other with gasoline, one lights
a cigarette, they burst into flames and their car explodes (we do not see them on fire). A
man using a pick axe loses his grip and the axe hits a man off-screen (we hear him yell).
A man swings from a rope, punches a man
in the face and knocks him out. Two men are involved
in a "break-dance fight," with lots of kicks and punches. A man flings a
throwing star at another man, but it stops in mid-air and never reaches its target. We see
photographs and newspaper stories of models dying in freak accidents. A woman threatens
another woman with a gun a few times. A man practicing karate moves flips over a dummy and
rips its head off. A woman is thrown out a door and lands hard on the ground, a woman
punches another woman in the stomach, and a woman punches a woman in the face and her lip
bleeds. A man does flips and karate kicks down a runway, coming closer to a man whom he is
supposed to assassinate. A man bangs his head on the underside of a bunk bed. A woman
throws an egg (which does not break) at a man and yells at him. One character has a nasty
scar on his face and a clouded eye which makes him look sinister. A man stands in front of
a urinal, talks about not being able to urinate and cheers when he finally manages to. A
man spits in a bucket.
the review continues below...
PROFANITY 5 - 1 obscene hand gesture, 11 scatological terms, 11 sexual
references, 30 anatomical terms (many are spelled out on T-shirts, office doors and
logos), 13 mild obscenities, 5 religious profanities, 5 religious exclamations. [profanity glossary]
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Slave labor, sweatshops, exploitation, child labor laws,
being overweight, brainwashing, Pavlovian conditioning, assassination, coal mining and
black lung, bulimia, the fashion industry, vanity, death of a mother.
MESSAGE - There's more to life than being really, really, really,
good-looking. Do something important with your life, and don't judge yourself based on
what you see in magazines.
(Note: The film is apparently taking place in New York City; the twin towers are
not evident in the skyline. Two men and a woman are shown drinking tea which has some sort
of mind-altering effect on them. One character talks about tripping on acid and smoking
peyote.)
A CAVEAT: We've gone through several editorial changes since we
started covering films in 1992 and some of our early standards were
not as stringent as they are now. We therefore need to revisit many
older reviews, especially those written prior to 1998 or so; please
keep this in mind if you're consulting a review from that period.
While we plan to revisit and correct older reviews our resources are
limited and it is a slow, time-consuming process.
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