TheRetroCritic

When the sequel to Ben Stiller's 2001 comedy Zoolander was announced, everyone was pretty much unanimously game: not too much time has gone by so the original cast looks basically the same and there is plenty about current day pop culture to send up. Speaking of which, Zoolander No. 2 opens with a chase through the streets of Rome straight out of a spy movie as some bikers hunt down and kill Justin Bieber who sends out his last Instagram selfie as he dies. This scene sets the tone for the rest of the film which is not only more action oriented but also packed to the brim with cameo appearances. Penelope Cruz is a new addition to the cast, she plays a member the Fashion Police who is investigating the recent run of celebrity assassinations. Zoolander's (Ben Stiller) "Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good And Who Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too", it turns out, barely made it a day before crumbling to the ground, killing his wife and disfiguring (that'

I forgot how goofy this movie was lol Ben Stiller doesn't direct a film often but when he does, love it or hate it, at least it's something very much unique. The Cable Guy was dark and twisted, Tropic Thunder was big, loud and action-packed and Zoolander was... really really, ridiculously good looking. And pretty damn funny. Ben Stiller plays Derek Zoolander, a dimwitted male model known for his trademark "looks" ( Blue Steel and  Le Tigre , among others) who, after losing out to new male modelling sensation Hansel (a perfect Owen Wilson) at a fashion awards show, decides to retire from modelling and try to find himself. Little does he know that the combined efforts of Will Ferrell's eccentric fashion designer Mugatu, Jerry Stiller's sleazy manager and a bunch of shady fashionistas are plotting to program him to murder the Malaysian prime minister who is planning to up the pays of textile factory workers. It's dumb, ludicrous and about as plausi