MBM’izing Zoolander
November 30th, 2010 by Andy Gillette
In honor of Ben Stiller’s birthday, I offer up this stream-of-consciousness analysis of the fantastic movie Zoolander through the MBM lens (here’s the trailer if you haven’t seen it (you should really see it)). Feel free to contribute HR-appropriate additions, offer critiques, and be ridiculously good looking:
- Fulfillment: “I’m pretty sure there’s a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. And I plan on finding out what that is.”
- Incorrect Mental Models: “What is this? A center for ants?!” after Derek sees a 1/10th scale model of a future building.
- Incentives: [Derek to other male models] “You know what would help you sort through these important issues?” [Models respond] “ORANGE MOCHA FRAPPUCCINO!!!“
- Theory of Constraints: “How can we be expected to teach children how to read if they can’t even fit inside the building?”
- Innovation: “I INVENTED THE PIANO KEY NECKTIE!“
- Prices, Profits & Loss: Estimated $28M budget, return of over $45M
- Integrity: “[Darnit] Derek, I’m a coal miner, not a professional film or television actor.” (Said by the film and television actor Jon Voight.)
- Challenge: [Derek] “What say we settle this on the runway… Han-Solo?” [Hansel responds] “Are you challenging me to a walk-off… Boo-Lander?”
- Virtue & Talents: “I’m not an ambi-turner.”
- Humility: “I’m sorry I was wack.”
- Respect–Teamwork: “If nobody has any objections, I believe I might be of service.” [David Bowie offers to help judge the "walk-off" competition.]
- Decision Rights: [Insider J.P. Prewitt] “Male models don’t think for themselves.” [Derek] ”That’s not true!” [Prewitt] “Yes it is, Derek.” [Derek, meekly] “Okay.”
- Competitive Analysis: [VH1 Reporter] “Derek, are you worried about Hansel?” [Derek] “Uhh, not as much as I’m worried about Gretel.”
- Compliance–Safety: [Derek lightly coughs] “I think I’m getting the black lung” [after his first few hours spent in a coal mine.]
- 10 Comments »
- Posted in Culture, Film, Mental Models
Nice.
@Allison:
Thanks AK!
This is excellent and insightful analysis.
Core Capabilities: [Derek] Well I guess it all started the first time I went through the second grade. I caught my reflection in a spoon while I was eating my cereal, and I remember thinking “wow, you’re ridiculously good looking, maybe you could do that for a career.”
Core Competencies: So join now, ’cause at the Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can’t Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too, we teach you that there’s more to life than just being really, really, really good looking. Right kids?
I made a mistake… the second one is supposed to be Continuous Improvement.
@Peter L:
Haha… Thanks for the comment, Peter
@Jeff:
Great examples, Jeff!
“Center For Kids Who Can’t Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too”: As simple as possible but no simpler. err…maybe not quite.
Adding this to our netflix queue…
@Molly: Nice. There’s also this one for A.S.A.P.B.N.S.: “Do you understand that the world does not revolve around you and your do whatever it takes, ruin as many people’s lives, 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 so 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?”