Zoolander 2 – Film Review

Any movie that starts off with the hunting down of an infamous pop star like Justin Bieber is a pretty good movie in my book. In the new film Zoolander 2, we are once again reintroduced into the world of one of the biggest male models to ever live, Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller). This time around though he is not the man he once was and the modeling world has evolved into one where hipsters, bearded men, and the androgynous take center stage on the catwalk.

International male models Derek Zoolander and Hansel McDonald (Owen Wilson) come out of “hiding”, both were in various parts of the world, Malibu and New Jersey, and are lured back into the fashion world via an invitation to appear in Alexanya Atoz’s (Kristen Wiig) upcoming show in Rome, Italy. Derek has been very distraught; he lost custody of his son with Matilda (Christine Taylor) because he failed to be a good parent. He couldn’t even cook spaghetti thus, failing to be able to feed his child.

This time the story revolves around the fashion world and a string of assassinations on the most “beautiful” people in the world including the likes of Usher, Demi Lovato, and Lenny Kravitz. When killed, they post the infamous “Blue Steel” pose to their social media as a last ditch effort to send a message. Interpol’s fashion division led by Valentina Valencia (Penélope Cruz) intervenes, she believes that finding the killer involves unlocking the secret message to the “Blue Steel” pose. She convinces Derek, the man who made the pose famous and Hansel to help her out. They abide when she promises to find Derek’s son.

Valentina finds Derek’s son in about one minute by doing a search on Facebook. It turns out he is in Italy too and to his father’s dismay, Derek Jr. (Cyrus Arnold) is a bit fat, which could be considered the “F” word in the modeling world. They soon realize that Jacobim Mugatu (Will Ferrell) is somehow behind the attacks and together they all must figure out a way to stop the mad man.

I literally laughed from beginning to end with this film. I don’t care what the critics say, I loved it. I grew up watching the originals in college and it was always a go-to for me when I wanted to relax. The sequel is just as funny and is complete with idiotic and dumb nonsensical jokes. They really pushed the envelope here and did some outlandish stuff, but it worked, when you take a film that is so out there like this, it is okay to fill it with silliness.

The celebrity cameos were abundant, everyone from Kyle Mooney of SNL who played Don Atari the hipster fashion designer, to Sting who played himself and Fred Armisen as a miniature (literally he had a mini-size head and body) VIP host. There were also cameo’s from fashion designers like Vogue’s fashion editor Anna Wintour, to Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs and the surprisingly funny Tommy Hilfiger. My absolute favorite celebrity surprise, Benedict Cumberbatch who played the androgynous model named All, who had no eyebrows and long black hair. The film makes great use of and utilized the cameos for all they were worth.

Stiller and Wilson are always great together and do a good job of playing off one another. I love when Stiller goes back to his comedy roots because he is seriously a comedic gem that sometimes goes unmentioned. I also thought Cruz did really well and does just as well in a comedic role as she does in her more serious ones.

The original Zoolander premiered shortly after the tragedy of 9/11 and was not an instantaneous hit. With time, it has become a cult classic via DVD and streaming services with its million catchphrases. What everyone loved about the first film has been rehashed and put in the sequel. Critics have been bashing the film, but I don’t think we should sit here and review this movie on such a critical and high level of aestheticism like we would an Oscar worthy film (come on guys this is not Gone with the Wind). Simply put, this is a fun movie to watch where you get two hours of escapist nonsense to sit back, laugh with, and enjoy. Also, remember that you will never be as ridiculously good looking, like really, really good looking as Derek Zoolander.

Starring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penélope Cruz 

Directed by: Ben Stiller

Written by: Justin Theroux, Ben Stiller, Nicholas Stoller, John Hamburg, Drake Sather

MPAA rating: PG-13

Running time: 102 min

Rating: 3/5