Movie Review: Zoolander 2 (2016)

Synopsis: Years after a terrible accident killed his wife, "disfigured" his best friend, Hansel, and ultimately resulted in child services taking away his son, Derek Zoolander is retired and has isolated himself from the rest of the world. When he is offered a modeling job in Rome, he reluctantly accepts in the hopes it will help him get his son back. However, the offer turns out to be part of a sinister plot that puts Derek, Hansel and Derek Jr's lives in danger.

Who's in it? The movie stars Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penelope Cruz, Will Ferrell and Christine Taylor.


Review: Even though my wife and I both love the movie Zoolander, I wasn't overly interested in seeing the sequel, mostly because I figured, like many sequels, I wouldn't enjoy it all that much. However, after her and I couldn't make up our minds about what to watch last night, I remembered this was in our library and decided to put it on. As it turns out, it was better than expected.

I think the thing I found I liked about this movie was the way it managed to have a hint of mystery. You had an unknown assailant killing pop stars, a modeling offer that didn't seem to fit the older Zoolander (Stiller) and Hansel (Wilson), the coincidence of Zoolander's son (Cyrus Arnold) being in Rome, and the revelation the deceased pop stars were using one of Zoolander's old runway looks. It was obvious the things were connected but it was unclear how.

While definitely not as funny as the first movie, this film does manage to have its moments. My wife, in particular, got a kick out of Hansel's "deformity," and Zoolander's reaction to it while I thought the final battle scene made up for many of the film's less comedic parts.

One thing I wasn't a big fan of was the subplot involving Hansel's reaction to becoming a father. Other than the fact he impregnated multiple people at once (including the men), I felt this part of the movie was a bit cliché and not overly unique. Frankly, the movie could have cut that part out and it either would have had no impact or would have actually improved the story.

Final Opinion: Like most sequels, this one didn't quite live up to the original. However, it still ended up being a funny movie and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

My Grade: A-

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