What can be said about a film which has such a wide variety of personalities turning in cameos such as Joe Jonas, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Naomi Campbell, Christina Hendricks, Skrillex, Lewis Hamilton, Olivia Munn, Andy Dick, Susan Boyle, Kiefer Sutherland, Billy Zane, Christiane Amanpour, and Katie Couric? I offer – either plenty or nothing at all. Unfortunately for fans of the first film it is more of the second.
What Ben Stiller and those behind the film like script writers Stiller and Justin Theroux were going for was a farce film. A double barrelled farce of both the fashion industry and spy type films. They bring the campy factor from the first film but it is no way near as funny. Just feels silly and that jokes were jammed in willy nilly. After a while it begins to feel forced. And the problems, while this is the major one in a film of this sort, do not stop there.
While you are not watching a Zoolander film expecting a Shakespearean script there are so many big holes in the story that I felt I might disappear into them. Pretty disjointed with it feeling a lot more like a bunch of skits just loosely attached together. Though it was silly (in a good way) the first one at least had some direction this one just meanders getting no where.
The only positive is Ben Stiller’s directing. Visually the film looks great.
The world of male modeling has changed quite a bit. Top models Derek Zoolander (played by Ben Stiller) and Hansel (played by Owen Wilson) are both M.I.A. for different reasons. Zoolander because his wife died tragically and he believed himself to be responsible. As such, he fell into a funk and was declared an unfit parent so his son was taken from him to be put in the system. This all leads to him announcing his retirement from the modeling world and disappearing. Hansel feels after the same accident which killed Zoolander’s wife, that his face has been horribly disfigured, so he cannot model anymore. Just as suddenly as the two disappeared they are pulled back into the game.
After finding him way up a mountain in a remote cabin, actor Billy Zane delivers a message to Zoolander. It is an invite to Don Atari’s (played by Kyle Mooney) latest collection showing in Rome. After finding out that is where his son (played by Cyrus Arnold) is, Zoolander decides to try and kill two birds with one stone – get his son back and reenter the modeling world. At the same time Hansel finds out he is to be a father and gets a message delivered by Billy Zane. The two, who had a falling out, reunite and decide to take back their titles as the two biggest male models in the world.
It is a dangerous time because someone has been killing pop stars. Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato and others have already been murdered. Interpol is not sure who is behind it all. While investigating they find out that Zoolander is in Rome. Valentina Vallencia (played by Penelope Cruz) from Interpol’s Fashion Division seeks Zoolander’s help. She offers that if he helps her she will help him find his son. He agrees and they discover that Derek Jr. is in an orphanage in Rome. Father and son spend some time together but it does not go well.
Clues lead Hansel, Zoolander and Valentina to uncover that Mugatu (played by Will Ferrell) is behind it all. They must race to stop him before he sets in motion the culmination of his dastardly plan.
Special Features:
-The Zoolander Legacy
-Go Big or Go Rome
-Drake Sather: The Man Who Created Zoolander
-Youth Milk
