Red Hour Films, Scott Rudin Productions,
Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Penélope Cruz, Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen, Benedict Cumberbatch
Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) was one of the worlds to Supermodels known for his infamous “looks” one of which could stop a ninja throwing star with just a stare. Fifteen years have passed and much has changed. Zoolander got married and had a son, and built a building on the edge of a cliff, but dramatically it collapses killing his wife. He struggled as a single Dad, but his son was taken from him he hit rock bottom and moved to live a solitary life. His rival Hansel McDonald (Owen Wilson) and Derek run into each other and are invited to Rome for a chance to redeem himself and try to win his son back. This is the sequel to the original Zoolander from 2001, fifteen years ago.
Zoolander is a mix-up of good ideas that often just don’t pay off. The story is really silly, and the jokes sometimes fall flat, but in the next moment it is really funny and there are tons of infamous cameos by major stars that pop up and surprise us. All in all, the movie is like a car that won’t start half of the time, undependable, but good solid transportation when it works. Same thing here. Sometimes it’s just awfully silly and like a number of Stiller flicks (Dodgeball?) it is overly adolescent humor. On the other hand it’s embarrassingly funny, one of these shameful pleasures that we sometimes enjoy, so I don’t want to right out trash this movie. It is what it is, and it is what you would expect it to be. Like’s Sahsa Baron Cohen’s Borat, it knows it’s being stupid and just doesn’t care. If you like slapstick, tongue in cheek humor that is a big far out there, then what they heck, enjoy it. I really did, even when I didn’t realize it. Of course I like Three Stooges / Peter Sellers kind of humor, so it’s kind of in my wheelhouse in that respect. I certainly didn’t hate it, and it does pile a lot of crap on the pretentious fashion industry which is funny in itself. I did enjoy myself, and though the serious minded folks out there really trashed this thing, I would not be so quick to dismiss it. If you’re really in the mood for something that won’t ask you to think about the plot, and will allow you to just relax and enjoy an hour and half, then why not. There is a PG-13 theatrical version around and a DVD Non-Rated version. I’m not sure about the PG version, but the Non-Rated one I saw was really funny. Owen Wilson did a good job, and Will Ferrell was his usual over the top character in a minor role, although he added a lot to the comedy. If you’re not easily offended, see it. You’ll probably enjoy it too.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
