69 Fun Facts About 2000s Movies

Which 2000 film won Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe as the general-turned-slave Maximus?

Gladiator won five Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe; Oliver Reed, who played the trainer Proximo, died during filming and his remaining scenes used a body double and digital effects.

In Ridley Scott's 2000 Roman epic, which actor played the emperor Commodus opposite Russell Crowe?

Phoenix would win his own Best Actor Oscar two decades later for Joker.

What condition does Guy Pearce's Leonard suffer from in Christopher Nolan's Memento (2000)?

Leonard has anterograde amnesia: he cannot form new memories after his injury, so he relies on Polaroids, notes and tattoos; Nolan adapted the story from his brother Jonathan's short story 'Memento Mori'.

In Cast Away (2000), Tom Hanks's character Chuck Noland works as a systems analyst for which company?

Noland works for FedEx, which appears throughout the film without paying for the placement; production paused for a year so Hanks could lose about 50 pounds and grow out his hair and beard.

Which company made the volleyball that is Chuck Noland's companion in Cast Away, giving it its name?

The ball is a Wilson volleyball, so Chuck calls it Wilson; screenwriter William Broyles Jr. conceived the character after a volleyball washed ashore while he deliberately stranded himself on a beach for research.

Which 2001 film was the first ever winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature?

Chris Farley had recorded nearly all of Shrek's dialogue before his death, after which Mike Myers took over.

Shrek is loosely based on a 1990 children's picture book by which author and illustrator?

Steig was 83 when the book came out; he was also a long-time New Yorker cartoonist.

Which actor voiced the villain Lord Farquaad in Shrek?

John Lithgow voiced Lord Farquaad, the diminutive ruler of Duloc; Farquaad's tiny stature is a running gag, and Fiona's dragon swallows him whole at the wedding.

Which Home Alone filmmaker directed Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)?

Chris Columbus, who directed Home Alone, also directed the first two Harry Potter films; Richard Harris took the Dumbledore role only after his granddaughter threatened never to speak to him again if he refused.

Which word replaced 'Philosopher's' in the American title of the first Harry Potter film?

The US release was retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone because Scholastic felt 'Philosopher's' sounded dull to American readers; it was the highest-grossing film of 2001 worldwide.

In Zoolander, Mugatu brainwashes Derek into assassinating the prime minister of which country?

Malaysia's government banned the film; Will Ferrell played Mugatu and Owen Wilson the rival model Hansel.

Which American actress drew controversy for being cast as the "quintessentially British" Bridget Jones?

Texas-born Renée Zellweger took the role after British fans questioned an American playing Bridget; she adopted an English accent and earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for the 2001 film.

Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002) was the first film to gross how much in a single weekend?

Spider-Man opened to about $115 million in May 2002, the first film ever to take $100 million in a single weekend; its rain-soaked upside-down kiss won Best Kiss at the MTV Movie Awards.

Which actor played Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, in Spider-Man (2002)?

Dafoe insisted on wearing the uncomfortable Goblin suit himself rather than leaving it to a stunt double.

The Ring (2002), starring Naomi Watts, was an American remake of a horror film from which country?

The Ring remade Ringu, a 1998 horror film from Japan directed by Hideo Nakata; both adapt Koji Suzuki's 1991 novel, and the cursed videotape gives its viewers seven days to live.

In which country is Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth (2006) set?

Pan's Labyrinth is set in Spain in 1944, five years after the Civil War, with Ofelia's stepfather a Francoist captain hunting guerrillas; the film won three Academy Awards.

Peter Jackson filmed and edited the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy in which country?

Jackson shot all three films back to back in New Zealand, his home country, with post-production at his Wellington facilities; The Return of the King grossed $1.1 billion, the most of any 2003 film.

Johnny Depp said he based his Captain Jack Sparrow performance on which rock star?

Richards later appeared in the sequels as Jack's father, Captain Teague.

In Finding Nemo (2003), what species of fish are Marlin and his son Nemo?

Marlin and Nemo are clownfish, orange-and-white reef fish that live among sea anemones; Finding Nemo became the highest-grossing animated film to that point and Pixar's first Best Animated Feature winner.

Which comedian and talk-show host voiced the forgetful fish Dory in Finding Nemo?

Ellen DeGeneres voiced Dory; director Andrew Stanton wrote the part for her after hearing her change subject five times in one sentence on her sitcom.

The Bride's yellow tracksuit in Kill Bill: Volume 1 pays homage to which Bruce Lee film?

The tracksuit copies the yellow-and-black jumpsuit Bruce Lee wore in Game of Death, released in 1978 after his death; Kill Bill was shot as one film and split in two when the cut ran past four hours.

In School of Rock (2003), Dewey Finn poses as a substitute teacher at which prep school?

Dewey takes a job at Horace Green, an elite prep school, by impersonating his roommate Ned Schneebly; screenwriter Mike White wrote the part for Jack Black, his neighbour at the time.

In Elf (2003), Buddy's love interest Jovie works at which New York department store?

Jovie works in the Christmas section of Gimbels, a real Manhattan department store chain that had closed in 1987; Buddy got his name from the label on his diaper after crawling into Santa's sack.

Which Rosalind Wiseman parenting book was Tina Fey's Mean Girls (2004) based on?

Fey adapted Wiseman's 2002 non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes, a guide for parents of teenage girls; October 3 became 'Mean Girls Day' online from a throwaway line Cady says about the date.

In Mean Girls, what is the Plastics' scrapbook of insults about classmates and teachers called?

The Burn Book is the Plastics' pink scrapbook of rumours and insults, which Regina later leaks to the whole school; Cady, played by Lindsay Lohan, had spent twelve years being home-schooled in Africa.

Napoleon Dynamite (2004) is set in Preston, in which US state?

Preston is a small town in southeastern Idaho where director Jared Hess grew up; he shot the film there on a budget of about $400,000 with many locals in the cast.

How much was Jon Heder originally paid for starring in Napoleon Dynamite?

Heder was paid $1,000 for the lead; after the film grossed more than $40 million he renegotiated for a share of the profits. Director Jared Hess cast school friends to keep costs down.

Anchorman (2004) is set at KVWN Channel 4, a 1970s TV station in which city?

It was Adam McKay's directorial debut; Ron's dog Baxter gets punted off the San Diego–Coronado Bridge.

In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, what is the memory-erasing firm called?

The firm is Lacuna Inc., run by Dr. Howard Mierzwiak, whose procedure erases Clementine from Joel's memory; the title is a line from Alexander Pope's 1717 poem 'Eloisa to Abelard'.

The Passion of the Christ (2004) is entirely in Latin, Hebrew and which other language?

Gibson had the dialogue spoken in Aramaic, the everyday language of first-century Judea, plus Latin and Hebrew, with subtitles; it remained the highest-grossing R-rated film in the US and Canada for 20 years.

Which Pixar director voiced the diminutive costume designer Edna Mode in The Incredibles (2004)?

Bird also wrote and directed the film, which won Best Animated Feature and Best Sound Editing.

Which was the first Star Wars film to receive a PG-13 rating?

Revenge of the Sith (2005) was rated PG-13 for Order 66 and Anakin's immolation on Mustafar; every earlier Star Wars film had been PG, and it was the top-grossing US film of 2005.

Which film won Best Picture at the 78th Academy Awards in a famous upset over Brokeback Mountain?

Crash, Paul Haggis's Los Angeles ensemble drama, beat the favourite at the March 2006 ceremony; a 2015 Hollywood Reporter poll found Academy members would now give the award to Brokeback Mountain instead.

Brokeback Mountain (2005) was adapted from a 1997 short story by which author?

Annie Proulx's story 'Brokeback Mountain' appeared in The New Yorker in 1997 and later in her collection Close Range; Ang Lee won Best Director, and the Wyoming story was filmed in Alberta, Canada.

In Little Miss Sunshine (2006), the Hoover family drives to a children's beauty pageant in which vehicle?

The family crosses the Southwest in a yellow VW Microbus with a broken clutch that must be push-started; Alan Arkin won Best Supporting Actor as the heroin-snorting grandfather.

Scorsese's The Departed (2006) was a remake of a 2002 film from where?

The Departed remakes Infernal Affairs, the 2002 Hong Kong thriller directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak; Scorsese moved it to South Boston with Jack Nicholson's mob boss modelled on Whitey Bulger.

Which actor from The Departed lost the Best Supporting Actor Oscar to Alan Arkin?

Mark Wahlberg was nominated as the foul-mouthed Sergeant Dignam but lost to Alan Arkin; The Departed gave Scorsese his first Best Director Oscar at the 79th ceremony.

In which US state did Superbad's 'McLovin' fake ID cause a real controversy over a DVD replica that looked genuine?

McLovin's fake licence is a Hawaii driver's ID; a replica packed with the DVD drew objections from Hawaii state officials because it resembled a genuine licence. Christopher Mintz-Plasse was 17 during filming.

Which weapon does Javier Bardem's Anton Chigurh carry in No Country for Old Men (2007)?

Chigurh carries a captive bolt pistol, a cattle-slaughter tool he uses to punch out door locks and kill; Bardem won Best Supporting Actor and the Coens took Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay.

There Will Be Blood (2007) is loosely based on the 1927 novel Oil! by which author?

Paul Thomas Anderson took the opening chapters of Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel Oil! as the basis for Daniel Plainview's story; Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood wrote the score, and Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor.

Which screenwriter won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Juno (2007)?

Diablo Cody, a former stripper and blogger, won Best Original Screenplay for her first produced script; Fox Searchlight mailed hamburger phones like Juno's to critics to drum up reviews.

The Dark Knight (2008) was the first major film shot partly with which high-resolution camera?

Nolan shot about 30 minutes of The Dark Knight, including the opening bank heist, on IMAX cameras, the first major feature film to use the format for live-action sequences.

In The Dark Knight, which actor played district attorney Harvey Dent, who becomes Two-Face?

Aaron Eckhart played Harvey Dent, Gotham's 'white knight' who is scarred into Two-Face; Heath Ledger's Joker won a posthumous Oscar, and the film was the only 2008 release to pass $1 billion.

Which 2008 film, directed by Jon Favreau, was the first entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Iron Man, released in May 2008, launched the MCU with Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark; Samuel L. Jackson's uncredited post-credits cameo as Nick Fury set up the Avengers Initiative.

In Iron Man (2008), which actor played James 'Rhodey' Rhodes before Don Cheadle took over the role?

Terrence Howard played Rhodey in the first film but was replaced by Don Cheadle for the 2010 sequel after a pay dispute; Jeff Bridges played the villain Obadiah Stane, later the Iron Monger.

In Pixar's WALL-E (2008), what does the E in the robot's acronym stand for?

WALL-E stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter: Earth-class, the last trash-compacting robot left working on the abandoned planet; Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt created its voice and effects.

Twilight (2008) is set in Forks, a small town in which US state?

Forks is a logging town on Washington's Olympic Peninsula that Stephenie Meyer chose for its heavy rainfall; the film itself was shot mostly in Oregon.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) was loosely based on the novel Q & A by which Indian author and diplomat?

Vikas Swarup, a career Indian diplomat, published Q & A in 2005; Simon Beaufoy's adaptation became Danny Boyle's film, whose Oscars included Best Original Song for A. R. Rahman's 'Jai Ho'.

How many Oscars did Slumdog Millionaire win at the 2009 ceremony?

Slumdog Millionaire won 8 of its 10 nominations, including Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay and Original Score; Dev Patel, making his film debut as Jamal, was not among the nominees.

In The Hangover (2009), which former heavyweight boxing champion turns up looking for his tiger?

Mike Tyson plays himself, punching Alan and demanding the return of his tiger; made for $35 million, the film took about $467 million worldwide and was then the highest-grossing R-rated comedy in the US.

In Avatar (2009), what is the name of the habitable moon where the Na'vi live?

The Na'vi live on Pandora, a lush moon orbiting the gas giant Polyphemus in the Alpha Centauri system; humans are there to mine 'unobtanium', a name borrowed from an old engineering joke.

Avatar became the highest-grossing film of all time by surpassing which earlier James Cameron film?

Avatar passed Titanic's $1.84 billion in January 2010, giving Cameron the top two grossers at once; Avatar opened worldwide between 16 and 18 December 2009.

Which film won Best Picture for 2009 at the 82nd Academy Awards, beating Avatar?

The Hurt Locker, a low-budget Iraq bomb-disposal drama, took six Oscars; its director Kathryn Bigelow, Cameron's ex-wife, became the first woman to win Best Director.

Which 2002 musical about two jazz-age murderesses won Best Picture at the 75th Academy Awards?

Chicago, Rob Marshall's adaptation of the Kander and Ebb stage musical about Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, was the first musical to win Best Picture since Oliver! in 1968.

Which Clint Eastwood boxing drama won Best Picture at the 77th Academy Awards, for 2004?

Million Dollar Baby, with Eastwood as trainer Frankie Dunn, won four Oscars; Eastwood also took Best Director, and Hilary Swank her second Best Actress award as boxer Maggie Fitzgerald.

A Beautiful Mind (2001) dramatizes the life of which Nobel-winning mathematician?

John Nash, who shared the 1994 Nobel in economics for his work on game theory, is played by Russell Crowe; Ron Howard's film, adapted from Sylvia Nasar's biography, won four Oscars including Best Picture.

300 (2006), adapted from a Frank Miller comic, is a fantasy retelling of which ancient battle?

300 retells the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, where King Leonidas and his Spartans held the pass against Xerxes's Persians; Snyder shot it almost entirely against chroma-key screens to mimic the comic panels.

Ocean's Eleven (2001) remade a 1960 heist film starring which famous group of entertainers?

The 1960 original starred the Rat Pack: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop; Soderbergh's remake grossed $450 million and spawned Ocean's Twelve, Ocean's Thirteen and Ocean's 8.

Which award did Sacha Baron Cohen win for playing Borat in the 2006 mockumentary?

Baron Cohen won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy; the film itself earned an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay despite its unscripted vignettes.

Catch Me If You Can (2002) is based on the memoir of which teenage con artist?

Fincher, Verbinski and Miloš Forman were all considered before Spielberg decided to direct it himself.

The Bourne Identity (2002) was adapted from a 1980 novel by which thriller writer?

Robert Ludlum published The Bourne Identity in 1980 and wrote two sequels before his death in 2001; a 1988 TV version starred Richard Chamberlain before Doug Liman's Matt Damon hit.

Amélie (2001) is set in which district of Paris?

Amélie works at the Café des Deux Moulins on Montmartre's rue Lepic and climbs the steps of Sacré-Cœur; Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film won four Césars and Best Film at the European Film Awards.

In Lost in Translation (2003), Bill Murray's fading movie star is in Tokyo to promote what?

Bob Harris is paid $2 million to shoot ads for Suntory whiskey, delivering the line 'For relaxing times, make it Suntory time'; Coppola wrote the film around the Park Hyatt Tokyo.

In Casino Royale (2006), Bond takes on Le Chiffre in a high-stakes poker game in which country?

The game is at the Casino Royale in Montenegro, though the scenes were shot in the Czech Republic; it was Daniel Craig's first outing as 007 and the third screen version of Fleming's 1953 novel.

Which actress's production company, Flower Films, finally got Donnie Darko (2001) made?

Richard Kelly's debut was shot in 28 days on a $4.5 million budget, with Barrymore also acting in it.

Moulin Rouge! (2001) completed which Baz Luhrmann film cycle begun with Strictly Ballroom?

Luhrmann's Red Curtain series ran Strictly Ballroom (1992), Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Moulin Rouge!, all built on theatrical artifice; the last paired Nicole Kidman with Ewan McGregor.

Whose Batman origin-story pitch did Warner Bros. reject in late 2002, just before hiring Christopher Nolan?

Joss Whedon pitched a Batman origin story that Warner Bros. turned down; the studio had shelved the franchise after Batman & Robin flopped in 1997, and Nolan's reboot Batman Begins arrived in 2005.

The title of Inglourious Basterds (2009) nods to a 1978 war film by which Italian director?

Enzo G. Castellari directed The Inglorious Bastards (1978) and cameos as a German general in Tarantino's film; Tarantino wrote the script in 1998 but shelved it to make Kill Bill.

District 9 (2009) grew out of which 2005 short film by Neill Blomkamp?

Blomkamp's six-minute short Alive in Joburg (2005) already showed stranded aliens in Johannesburg; District 9 expanded it for $30 million, earned $211 million and a Best Picture nomination.