Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson) are back as former supermodels self-exiled into the wintery tundra of New Jersey and the desert wasteland of Malibu. Now aging supermodels, Derek and Hansel must find out who they are and discover why famous celebrities are being murdered.
Release Date: February 12, 2016
Writer: Ben Stiller, Justin Theroux
Director: Ben Stiller
Cast: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penelope Cruz
For Derek Zoolander, his dreams died 12 years ago when his school for Children-Who-Don’t-Read-Good, collapsed and killed his wife, Matilda. Soon, his soon Derek Jr. Is taken away from him because he was caught on video not knowing how to make spaghetti soft. After being scared from the collapse of the school, Hansel also goes into seclusion with his orgy, lead by Kiefer Sutherland (Kiefer Sutherland). The orgy wants to make a family, but Hansel doesn’t know if he’s ready to be a father to his orgy’s babies.
A distant figure Billy Zane (Billy Zane) visits Derek and Hansel with a message. They have been invited to model once again for up-and-coming designer Don Atari (Kyle Mooney) and his mentor Alexanya Atoz (Kristen Wiig). What follows is a series of wacky and unlikely events ultimately unveiling a more sinister plot. Agent Valentina (Penelope Cruz) who is part of the fashion division of Interpol, enlist Derek and Hansel to uncover the sinister plot involves Derek Jr. (Cyrus Arnold).
What makes Zoolander 2 work as a comedy is the world in which the movie exists, created by writers Ben Stiller and Justin Theroux. They’ve created a wacky world within the real world. The key is the rules to this world must be religiously followed. The story’s solid, but strange, plotline makes enough sense to be passable to the film’s audience. Zoolander 2 amazingly stands on a pretty solid foundation.
Whether you like the film or not, now depends on whether or not you like the Zoolander world and the silliness of Zoolander and company. The movie is peppered with fashion world inside jokes. Like any good movie, Zoolander 2 asks and simple question. What if the fashion industry secretly ruled the world? Liking the movie hinges on whether you want to know the answer.
Surprisingly, Zoolander 2 is filled with dozens of cameos and these cameos work. In most cases, celebrities don’t just appear, just to appear. Celebrities have a role in this world. For example, Keifer Sutherland plays the spokesperson for Hansel’s orgy and uses his dramatic skills for laughs. Benedict Cumberbatch is mystifying as the asexual model All, who models for no gender.
When it’s all said and done, you will like or not like Zoolander because you found it funny or not funny. Ben Stiller did everything right to make a well thought out sequel for a silly movie. I laughed through the majority of the movie and laughed out loud and some really stupid jokes. If you liked the original Zoolander, you will like Zoolander 2.
8 out of 10