Zoolander 2 (2016)

When the world's leading pop stars are being murdered, they die with the "Blue Steel" look on their faces. Since this was the trademark of a former top male model (Ben Stiller, who also directed) now living in seclusion, an Interpol agent (Penelope Cruz) seeks his assistance in solving the killings. Is 15 years for a sequel a good idea? I think not. The film feels stale and it's simply not funny. It's ludicrous plot defies believability but that's not the problem, who goes to a silly raunchy comedy for believability anyway? It seems like a comic retread and there's an air of desperation about it. What laughs are to be had are provided by Kristen Wiig (who doesn't have enough to do) and Will Ferrell. I've never seen a film with so much name dropping. There are a ton of cameos and the actors say things like, "Oh, hello Katy Perry" as if we don't know who Katy Perry is and poor Sting actually has his name printed on the screen to remind us of who he is. Granted, he's wearing a beard but there's no mistaking that voice. Stiller roped fashion icons like Valentino, Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger and Anna Wintour into playing themselves and the massive cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch (as a transgender model), Owen Wilson, Kiefer Sutherland, Susan Sarandon, Justin Bieber, Milla Jovovich, Billy Zane, Justin Theroux, Susan Boyle and Katie Couric among a slew of others.