★★
A sequel intended to shore up the faltering box-office appeal of co-writer, director and star Ben Stiller, Zoolander 2 is as stupid as a film about an incredibly stupid but nonetheless ridiculously good-looking male model should be. Stiller's Derek Zoolander, along with his rival turned compadre Hansel, played by Owen Wilson with daft certainty, blunders through high fashion and low gags with mainly predictable results.
Both the former catwalk kings have elaborate back-stories and familiar self-realisation quests, and it's surprising how loaded with plot this expensive sequel is. Released in 2001, the original Zoolander was a comic oddity, a great concept whipped into a handful of memorable sketches and pithy character turns. It was the catchphrases that caught on – "so hot right now", "cool story, Hansel" – not the storyline.
Shipped out to Rome, the pair are unprepared for the age-ironic detachment, confused by hip young designer Don Atari (Kyle Mooney) and his show, which is staged at a "totally toxic, super chill" dumping ground. Their embarrassment is only alleviated by an Interpol agent, Melanie Valentina (Penelope Cruz, game but out of place), who needs Derek's assistance solving a conspiracy, which soon includes the teenage son he lost custody of because he's, yes, incredibly stupid.
As a director Stiller is drawn to satire, but there's little here as sharp as 2008's Tropic Thunder. The vast sets built at Rome's storied Cinecitta studios are blasé and the likes of Kristen Wiig, doing her best Donatella Versace, and Will Ferrell, returning as the monstrous couturier Mugatu, give over-the-top performances.
Sometimes they're entertainingly excessive, but at other points they're overworked, trying to fill very large spaces with offhand ludicrousness. It's noticeable that there's little new comic talent on display, leaving you with the startled face, misunderstood definitions and brain-bending queries of Stiller's Zoolander.
The cameos are legion, starting with Justin Bieber in the opening sequence, and the entire fashion industry is in on the joke now, with the likes of Vogue editor Anna Wintour and designer Marc Jacobs playing tart versions of themselves. That said, the comedy's most fascinating special effect is Roberto Cavalli's tan, which is testimony to the sun's unholy powers.
Kiefer Sutherland is terrific playing himself, while Sting delivers reams of exposition in a nod to The Da Vinci Code. Stiller, who got his start sending up Tom Cruise and his '90s blockbusters, has tried to duplicate an international thriller's sleek lines. What he's ended up with is a film of innumerable bits – Benedict Cumberbatch! Silence of the Lambs homage! – which barely piece together.
