‘Zoolander No. 2’ is a hot mess

Stiller had directed and starred in the big-screen “Zoolander”, which was actually inspired by a pair of shorts Stiller had co-written for the 1996 and ’97 VH-1 Fashion Awards.

Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson reprise “Zoolander” roles … as window models? If there was, Zoolander 2 just broke it. The film opens with the murder of Justin Bieber and closes with… well, without spoiling it, let’s say it closes with a whole slew of more cameos, and there’s at least 20 more in between.

Yesterday, on the eve on the first day of New York Fashion Week, Zoolander No.2 made its stateside debut.

“Listen, Colin, we’re not here to talk about fashion”. Following their character personalities that are unforgettable, Ben and his co-stars Penelope Cruz, Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell showed up to the carpeting in clothing ideal for their onscreen characters.

Instead of a sexy sidekick (Christine Taylor), we get an even sexier sidekick (Penelope Cruz), who complains so vehemently about her overly large breasts that naturally she has to provide an intentionally gratuitous appearance of said breasts. Their dynamic can be summed up nicely with the quip “I miss not knowing things with you”, and a brilliantly convoluted sequence where Hansel tries to get Derek to reproduce his gravity-bending “blue steel” look by throwing objects at his face.

Derek and Hansel attempt to make a comeback, only to find that they’ve been replaced by a younger and hotter model named All, an androgynous, specter-like glamazon.

2″ is exactly what its trailers make it look like: “A once wonderfully amusing idea beaten to death with the same jokes that seemed much better 15 years ago. “He said, ‘You know, if there’s anything in the second one…’ He is such an interesting, unique presence, and a guy who does have a sense of humor, so he wanted to have a little fun, too”. I’m just anxious about getting “2” out.

There’s about five-minutes” worth of good gags to be saved from the fire here, a lot of them in the momentarily amusing “Eyes Wide Shut’ closing battle. “I feel like I’m in a split marriage, I would go menage a trois”, said Alexander Wang, when asked to pick a side. One particularly amusing scene involves Hansel’s old orgy stumbling upon him in a precarious situation with a group that includes Willie Nelson and a baby hippo.

Zoolander 2 is released 12th February.