'Zoolander 2' A Review

Zoolander 2 is a comedy about international male model Derek Zoolander, the sequel to 2001's Zoolander. The film opens on a protracted expositional montage revealing that in the intervening fifteen years Zoolander(Ben Stiller) has lost his wife to a construction accident, his son to child services, and gone into hiding. Zoolander's BFF Hansel(Owen Wilson) has also gone into hiding after being scared by the same construction accident. Both models come out of hiding and retirement at the bequest of Billy Zane who bares an invitation from Alexanya Atoz(Kristin Wiig) to appear in a fashion show designed by newest sensation Don Atari(Kyle Mooney). They are quickly folded into an investigation by the international fashion police headed by Valentina Valencia(Penélope Cruz).

Stiller and Wilson certainly are successful in recreating their characters from the original but those characters, and their corresponding comedy, are out-of-place, unfunny, borderline bizarre within the current context. Wiig is moderately enjoyable in a variant of her unintelligible eastern European and Mooney plays a version of his increasingly tired nerdy hipster that is at least contemporary. The parade of high profile cameos is somewhat entertaining until it becomes apparent they function only as points of recognition rather than actual jokes. Cruz does the best with a bleak script bringing confidence, charm, and playfulness as she always does.

The actors struggle, presumably, because the script is so recycled and bland. In 2001 the subject matter being parodied seemed almost dated now in 2016 the premise the jokes are contextualized in is virtually lifeless. The numerous swipes and riffs on fashion, technology, and sexuality are meaningless. The humor is actually as dated as Zoolander and Hansel are accused of being. The jilted off base humor on top of an incredibly convoluted(albeit well funded and well shot) international spy type story make for a perplexing and disappointing film. Stiller as a 50 year old man is dipping back into the same comedic well he did as a 30 year old and it doesn't work. There is no evolution or progression of the character or humor.

Dull, derivative, boringly absurd.

Don't See It.