It's right time now
Well, now…
It's hard to believe it's been 15 years since Ben Stiller gave us fashion Icon Derek Zoolander bursting onto the big screen in the 2001 classic Zoolander. Love it, or hate it, there seemed to be no in-between for those that saw it. For those that loved it, it became a classic with lines that keep getting repeated till this day, in joking fashion. Of course, you would only know that if you were "really, really, ridiculously good looking." Even I, after coughing will pass it off saying "I think I'm getting the black lung Pop."
Zoolander gave us the evil Mugatu (one of Will Ferrell's funniest characters), J.P Prewitt (David Duchovny) a conspiracy theorist hand model, John Voight as Zoolander's tough coal mining father, a school for ants, and Mer-Man! And if that wasn't enough, we got the late David Bowie as the Judge the most epic "Walk-off" with Owen Wilson's Hansel…"He's so hot right now".
Zoolander made fun of everything the Fashion industry took seriously, and then went one step further. They not only poked fun, but asked icons of the industry themselves to jump in and do the same. When you think about it, it's kinda brilliant! I'm willing to bet Zoolander set the tone for Will Ferrell's "Talladega Nights."
The real question is, after 15 years, could they capture the silly, stupid, and yet, fun, magic in a bottle they caught with the original and would the next generation even be interested?
Well, as to the magic….Yes! Zoolander 2 comes off just as fun and entertaining as the original and, in a few ways, surpasses the first.
Zoolander 2 starts off, with, no spoiler here since it was in the trailer, Justin Bieber being hunted down and killed (but not before Instagraming a famous modeling pose). It turns out that many of the really, really, good-looking entertainers are dying in the same fashion. All for a bigger cause - to protect the chosen one!
Jump to one of my favorite parts, a newsreel montage documenting what has happened to Derek Zoolander and gang since we last saw him 15 years ago. It turn out that the Zoolander School For Kids Who Cant Read Good, well, lets just say didn't fare good. What I loved about this montage is each piece of the montage is covered by true newspeople, everyone from Matt Lauer to Christiane Amanpour! Also, after Zoolander went through some bad fortune, he retired from modeling and became a hermit…crab. Knowing Derek, you know what he means.
Hansel retired from modeling, as well, and settled in with his "Orgy" group, which now includes Kiefer Sutherland, and they all make the announcement that they are all pregnant! Yup…Even Kiefer! Both Zoolander and Hansel, after getting an Obi Wan Kenobi like message from Billy Zane, decide to head to Italy to give it all a second shot at modeling. Once there, they meet up with Valentina (played by Penelope Cruz), who is a former swimsuit model and now an agent for the "Fashion Police", who is investigating all the celebrity murders and realizes there's a possible link to Zoolander and his past.
From there, you will have to go out and see it for yourself, but, I will tell you this - Zoolander 2 is well overloaded with stars and cameos! Of course, Will Ferrell comes back as Mugatu, along with Milla Jovovich playing Katinka. Kristen Wig plays the big fashion icon Alexanya Atoz. But, from there, the list of who's who is in this film. Cameos from Benedict Cumberbatch, Susan Sarandon, Joe Jonas, Ariana Grande, John Malkovich, Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz, Kate Moss, M.C. Hammer, Susan Boyle and the list goes on! There is a scene, where to take it all one step further, they congregate the best of the true fashion world - Valentino, Hilfiger, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs…even Anna Wintour! But, the best of the cameos, hands down, is from Neil deGrasse Tyson and Sting!
All I can tell you is that if you liked the first Zoolander….you're gonna love Zoolander 2! It's all the fun, amazing cameos, ridiculous stupidity and one liners you will be reciting for years to come, after watching it over and over again!
I give Zoolander 2 a 4 and a half stars out of 5.
Some may think it's a really, really, ridiculously high rating and if you don't like it…
well, as Hansel would say, "I guess you can dere-lick my balls cap-E-tan."
