Flicks, Steve Newall
Fifteen years ago, Zoolander set the world alight with its comedic blend of satire and silliness. That’s a long, long time in comedy - witness how far the three Austin Powers films fell thanks to oversaturating pop culture (and running out of good gags) in just one third of that. While Ben Stiller’s sequel may explicitly address the time that’s passed, Derek and Hansel are all but forgotten by the world as the film commences, Blue Steel and countless catchphrases have never been anything less than ubiquitous since 2001. Like Mike Myers before him, Stiller’s challenge is to deliver what people want (more of the same) without sliding into the tedium of the imitators Zoolander spawned. The results are mixed, and that’s being charitable.
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