70 Fun Facts About 2000s Movies

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

Oliver Reed, who played the trainer Proximo, died of a heart attack before all his scenes were shot, so the rest were completed with 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)?

The story was based on 'Memento Mori', a short story by Nolan's brother Jonathan.

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

Production paused for a year so Hanks could lose the 50 pounds he had gained 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?

Screenwriter William Broyles Jr. invented the character after deliberately stranding himself 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?

Farquaad's tiny stature was a running gag; Fiona's dragon eventually swallows him whole.

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

Richard Harris only agreed to play Dumbledore after his granddaughter threatened never to speak to him again if he turned it down.

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

It was the highest-grossing film of 2001 and has passed $1 billion with re-releases.

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?

Her accent won critics over and she was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar.

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

Both were based on Koji Suzuki's 1991 novel; the cursed videotape gives you seven days.

Which 1959 chariot-racing epic shares the record of 11 Oscar wins with Titanic and The Return of the King?

It was also the first fantasy film ever to win Best Picture.

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

Return of the King grossed $1.1 billion, making it the highest-grossing film of 2003.

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?

It became the highest-grossing animated film to that point and was the first Pixar film to win Best Animated Feature.

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

Director Andrew Stanton wrote the part after hearing her change subjects five times in one sentence on her sitcom.

The Bride's yellow tracksuit in Kill Bill: Volume 1 pays homage to which 1972 Bruce Lee film?

Kill Bill was shot as one film and only split in two when the cut ran over four hours.

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

Screenwriter Mike White wrote the part for Black, his real-life neighbour at the time.

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

Buddy got his name from the brand label on his diaper when he crawled into Santa's sack as a baby.

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

October 3 became 'Mean Girls Day' online because of a throwaway line Cady says about the date.

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

Cady, played by Lindsay Lohan, had spent the previous twelve years being home-schooled in Africa.

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

Jon Heder was paid $1,000 for the lead role in a film with a $400,000 budget; he renegotiated after it became a hit.

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

Director Jared Hess filled the cast with friends from school to stay within his tiny budget.

Anchorman (2004) is set in 1975 at KVWN Channel 4, a 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 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?

It stayed 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?

Order 66 and Anakin's immolation on Mustafar earned the harsher rating; 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?

A 2015 Hollywood Reporter poll found Academy members would now hand the award to Brokeback Mountain instead.

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

Ang Lee won Best Director; the Wyoming story was actually filmed in Alberta, Canada.

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

Five of the yellow vans were used; 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?

Infernal Affairs was transplanted to South Boston, with Jack Nicholson as the Whitey Bulger-inspired mob boss.

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

It remains Scorsese's only personal Oscar win, 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?

Walmart pulled the special edition from shelves in the state; Christopher Mintz-Plasse was 17 during filming.

The two leads in Superbad were named after the film's screenwriters. Who wrote it?

Rogen and Goldberg started writing the script as teenagers in Vancouver.

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

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 muckraking author?

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)?

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 used Chicago as Gotham because its architecture was interesting but not instantly recognisable.

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

Heath Ledger's Joker won a posthumous Oscar, and the film became the first 2008 release to pass $1 billion.

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

Samuel L. Jackson's uncredited post-credits cameo as Nick Fury set up the whole Avengers Initiative.

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

Jeff Bridges played the bald-headed villain Obadiah Stane, later the Iron Monger.

In Pixar's WALL-E (2008), the name of the title robot is an acronym. What does the E stand for?

Sound designer Ben Burtt recorded 2,500 sounds for the film, twice the average for a Star Wars film.

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

Filming actually happened mostly around Portland, Oregon, over 44 days.

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

Danny Boyle's film won eight Oscars, including Best Original Song for A. R. Rahman's 'Jai Ho'.

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

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?

Made for $35 million, it took about $467 million and became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy in US history at the time.

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

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?

Cameron thus held the top two spots at once; Avatar was released worldwide from 16 to 18 December 2009.

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

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?

It 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?

Eastwood also won Best Director, and Hilary Swank her second Best Actress Oscar.

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

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?

Zack Snyder shot it almost entirely against chroma-key screens to mimic the look of the comic panels.

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

The remake grossed $450 million and spawned Ocean's Twelve, Ocean's Thirteen and the all-female Ocean's 8.

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

The film itself earned Oscar and WGA nominations 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?

Attempts to film it began in 1981, and Warner Bros. even made a TV-movie version in 1988 before Doug Liman's hit.

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

Jean-Pierre Jeunet's whimsical hit 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?

Sofia Coppola wrote the film around the Park Hyatt Tokyo and pursued Murray for months to play the role.

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

It was Daniel Craig's first outing as 007 and the third screen version of Ian 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?

Romeo + Juliet (1996) was the middle instalment; the film paired Nicole Kidman with Ewan McGregor.

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

The studio had shelved the franchise after Batman & Robin flopped in 1997; Nolan's reboot arrived in 2005.

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

Tarantino wrote the script in 1998 but shelved it to make Kill Bill; the misspelling was his "Basquiat-esque touch".

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

Set in an alternate Johannesburg, it earned $211 million on a $30 million budget and a Best Picture nomination.