Ben Stiller has executive produced many impressive TV shows, including the hit 2022 series Severance and the 2018 miniseries Escape at Dannemora. The actor is best known for his comedic roles, and while he's famous for playing Greg Focker in 2000's Meet The Parents, it's Stiller's turn as ditzy model Derek Zoolander that he is most closely associated with. Besides playing the memorable model, Stiller also co-wrote and directed both movies.
Zoolander was released in 2001, and several years later, Zoolander 2 came out in 2016. While the first movie is beloved and does a great job making fun of the field of fashion and how over-the-top it can become, is Zoolander 2 considered a good movie?
What Is Zoolander 2 About?
Zoolander introduced Derek Zoolander, a model who doesn't seem to understand most things that are happening around him. Derek, another model named hansel (Owen Wilson), and Derek's love interest Matilda Jeffries (Christine Taylor) who is a reporter attempt to halt the plan to kill the Prime Minister of Malysia (Woodrow Asai). The movie ups the stakes because Maury Ballstein (Jerry Stiller), Derek's agent, and Jacobim Mugatu (Will Ferrell) want Derek to be the one to kill the politician. Zoolander has a satisfying movie ending as Derek is successful and even finds love in the process.
Zoolander 2 continues Derek's story, this time showing him in a lot of pain at the beginning. Matilda dies in an accident at the Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can't Read and Derek is at a crossroads, no longer able to take care of their son Derek Zoolander Jr. Derek and Hansel get back into the modeling world and try to locate Derek Zoolander Jr. The movie is fairly chaotic and the models experience a lot of problems along the way.
Owen Wilson is great in several action comedies and he brings his trademark cheerful demeanor to both movies. Ben Stiller also shines as the main character who is goofy but somehow endearing. It isn't easy to make a silly character seem so charming, but Stiller is able to do this here.
Is Zoolander 2 A Good Movie?
Is Zoolander 2 a good movie? While the first movie was popular with critics and audiences, earning 64% on the Tomatometer and an 80% Audience Score, the sequel didn't fare so well on Rotten Tomatoes. The film doesn't measure up to the original and it feels like the plot and characters are all over the place, which explains the 22% rating on the Tomatometer and 20% Audience Score.
While the characters are likable in the first movie, the same thing isn't true of the sequel. Derek and Hansel both seem lost and confused, which makes it hard to invest in the journey that they go on. Sequels and prequels tend to be judged by the same things. Pearl is a perfect prequel because it adds a layer to Mia Goth's character and explores how she turns into the dangerous person that she becomes. The movie works because she's a fascinating, layered character who deserves this treatment.
While Derek Zoolander is hilarious in the first film, he falls flat in the sequel and doesn't seem as funny. The novelty of his character has worn off and the characters find themselves in silly situations that don't make much sense, which makes it hard to enjoy the story. Many elements go into a strong legacy sequel and the same thing is true of a regular sequel. While the first movie makes fun of fashion, the sequel doesn't seem as clever or witty, and this makes it less interesting to watch.
Ben Stiller's Career After Zoolander 2
Ben Stiller has done a lot after Zoolander 2, including being an executive producer on Severance, which has many fan theories now that there has been time to digest season 1. Stiller's executive producer credits also include In the Dark, Another Period, and Burning Love. It has been cool to see what he has done as he has worked on many different kinds of TV shows.
Even though Zoolander is known as a cheesy and fun film, it didn't do very well at the box office, and neither did the sequel. Zoolander grossed $60,780,981 worldwide and Zoolander 2 grossed slightly less at $56,722,693 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. Since Zoolander 2 grossed $29 million in the United States and the budget was $50 million, this wasn't great news. Ben Stiller told Variety that because the sequel didn't make money, this allowed him to explore other creative projects. The actor said, “If ‘Zoolander 2’ had been a huge hit, and then people were saying ‘Zoolander 3!’ ‘Do this movie! That movie!’ — that might have taken me off the road of having the space to work on developing ‘Dannemora,.'"