Despite the fact that fifteen years (an age in fashion terms) have passed since the first installment, there is a great deal of excitement about the return of Derek Zoolander. Stiller’s creation may not have depth but the first film zips along in the exuberantly silly manner of a hyperactive toddler, never letting the audience’s interest stray too far before delivering another one-liner or piece of visual tomfoolery. Sadly, fifteen years later, Ben Stiller’s formula is looking as past its sell-by-date as his titular model’s shiny suits.
Years have passed since Derek Zoolander’s life literally fell apart when his ‘Center for Kids Who Can’t Read Good’ collapsed, killing his wife Matilda and maiming fellow model and best friend Hansel (Owen Wilson). Now retired, Zoolander lives an isolated existence, estranged from his son. When a mysterious invitation to appear at a fashion show hosted by Alexanya Atoz (Kristen Wiig) arrives on his doorstep, Derek launches himself back into his career, in the hopes of finding Derek Jr. and defeating his old enemy Mugatu (Will Ferrell) with the help of Interpol agent Valentina (Penelope Cruz).
This time around the pace is slacker and the laughs, in comparison to the original, are few and far between. The well publicised cameos only exacerbate this situation. They are not only endless, they are also lazy and toothless. Rather than skewering the (admittedly impressive) line-up of fashion mavens who appear on screen, the script is only gently cheeky; a playful slap on the arm rather than a gut punch. Models, actresses and musicians have all lined up to appear in cameos that veer wildly between entertainingly batty (Susan Boyle) and just plain embarrassing (Susan Sarandon).
This lackadaisical approach to quality control is the hallmark of the whole production, including the new line-up. Kristen Wiig’s character has little to add past a silly accent, while poor Penelope Cruz is merely called upon to flash her cleavage. Kyle Mooney’s hipster designer Don Atari on the other hand, is bloody good fun and is the only character that seems to be based firmly in 2016.
There is little doubt that Zoolander 2 will be a hit at the box office and fans will get some amount of pleasure from revisiting him. But like a moth-eaten woolly jumper that you can’t bear to throw away, it has sentimental value but isn’t really fit for purpose.