Zoolander 2

It’s perhaps not surprising to discover that Zoolander 2, for the most part, comes off as a fairly substantial disappointment that pales in comparison to its affable predecessor, as the movie falls prey to the bigger-is-better syndrome that seems to affect most comedy sequels. (See: Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Dumb and Dumber To, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, etc, etc). The movie, which follows Ben Stiller’s Derek Zoolander as he and former rival Hansel (Owen Wilson) attempt to foil a massive conspiracy, suffers from an opening half hour that’s overflowing with a raft of misguided, unfunny sequences and characters, and it’s impossible not to wonder just what scripters Stiller, Justin Theroux, Nicholas Stoller, and John Hamburg were thinking in terms of some of the film’s more overtly abominable elements. (This is particularly true of several of the movie’s nails-on-a-chalkboard supporting characters, including Kristin Wiig’s Donatella Versace-inspired Alexanya Atoz and Kyle Mooney’s supremely irritating Don Atari.) Zoolander 2 does, at the very least, segue into an admittedly watchable midsection that’s perpetuated by Stiller’s agreeable turn as the moronic title character, although it’s worth noting that even at its best the film is decidedly (and disappointingly) lacking in any laugh-out-loud bits of comedy. It’s ultimately clear that Zoolander 2‘s failure is a consequence of its overly ambitious sensibilities, and there is, in the end, little doubt that the movie would’ve benefited from a much simpler, far more pared-down approach.

** out of ****