Zoolander 2

For F*** Magazine

ZOOLANDER 2

Director : Ben Stiller
Cast : Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Penélope Cruz, Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen, Cyrus Arnold, Sting, Christine Taylor, Olivia Munn, Benedict Cumberbatch, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Billy Zane
Genre : Comedy
Run Time : 102 mins
Opens : 3 March 2016
Rating : NC16 (Sexual References)

It’s been 15 years since we last saw Derek Zoolander (Stiller) strut his male supermodel stuff. Does that Blue Steel still offer the same structural support? Personal tragedy has driven Zoolander into hiding. A terrible accident that claimed the life of Zoolander’s wife Matilda (Taylor) also damaged the face of Zoolander’s friend and fellow model Hansel McDonald (Wilson), additionally damaging the pair’s friendship. Interpol Fashion agent Valencia Valentina (Cruz) is investigating a string of assassinations in which the pop star victims snap pre-death selfies that match Zoolander’s trademark “Blue Steel” expression. In Rome, she ropes in Derek and Hansel to assist her. The duo is in Italy as the guests of avant garde designer Alexanya Atoz (Wiig) and are hoping to make a comeback on the runway. Zoolander discovers that his estranged son Derek Jr. (Arnold), residing at an orphanage in Rome, is the target of an ancient conspiracy and that Zoolander’s long-time nemesis Jacobim Mugatu (Ferrell), now locked away in maximum security fashion prison, has a hand in this evil plot.

            2001’s Zoolander has attained semi-cult status in that it’s too widely known among mainstream filmgoers to be an actual cult movie, but is still sufficiently oddball in its sensibilities. People still quote the catchphrases and attempt the Blue Steel pout. There has been demand for a sequel, but not “tear down the studio gates” levels of demand. As unlikely a comparison it may be, Zoolander 2 reminds this reviewer of 300: Rise of an Empire and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. To put things in perspective, the DVD of Zoolander has Stiller in character narrating how an interactive DVD menu works. With Zoolander 2, it’s more of the same, but ends up being too little too late. Most involved seem to be committed to the silliness, but the vibe that Stiller has switched on “autopilot” mode is hard to shake. It turns out that the flashy production values and a veritable conga line of celebrities making guest appearances serve to distract from the lack of any real invention or comic energy, which is a little sad to realise.

            We have nothing against stupidity in general and if a comedy wants to go all-out, full-tilt dumb in the name of entertainment, we’re all for it. However, it’s been repeatedly proven that one gets more mileage with wit, rather than witlessness, as fuel in the comedy gas tank. Zoolander 2 is not completely unfunny and there are attempts, however half-hearted, at satire – a “completely biodegradable” boutique hotel boasting “farm to table wi-fi” pokes fun at hipster sensibilities. Benedict Cumberbatch’s cameo as the androgynous, unclassifiable modelling sensation known as “All” dares to step on a few toes and laugh in the face of political correctness, but it lacks the same impact that Robert Downey Jr. in blackface had in Stiller’s Tropic Thunder. Tropic Thunder had something to say about Hollywood’s excesses while being outrageous and funny. With Zoolander 2, it seems like “when unable to write joke, default to cameo” was the mandate carved on the production office wall.

            Director/star/co-writer/co-producer Stiller has repeatedly made us wonder “is it still a vanity project if the person whose vanity it serves repeatedly makes a fool of himself?” Short answer: yes. Those who were charmed by Zoolander’s profound lack of intelligence the first go-round will likely be fine with Stiller’s reprisal of the role, seeing how he snaps back into it with such ease. Wilson’s performance lacks energy, but perhaps that can be explained away as Hansel’s more laid-back demeanour. The Oscar-winning Cruz is not exactly known for her slapstick comedy chops, but she gamely tackles the part of the eye candy cop on a mission, displaying sexy confidence in spades as she embraces the silliness. Ferrell has to share scenery-chewing duties with Wiig, who devises an unintelligible, non-specifically European accent for her character.

            If you’re up for a game of “name the cameo” with a group of pals, Zoolander 2 will be a rewarding experience. Otherwise, it’s close enough to the original but too engineered and lacking in spontaneity to reach any heights of humour. When the jokes (zoo)land, they land, but when they don’t, they flop out of the screen with a deafening, awkward thud. This time, the Magnum’s chamber is half empty, and a couple of the remaining rounds are blanks. Still, when it comes to comedies running on unadulterated stupidity, we’ll take this over those painful Friedberg and Seltzer ‘parody’ movies (Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, Disaster Movie et al) any day of the week.

Summary: If it’s wanton shenanigans and famous faces you’re after, Zoolander 2 has got you covered. But when it comes to actually inspired humour, this sequel comes up disappointingly short.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5 Stars

Jedd Jong

           

Daddy's Home

For F*** Magazine

DADDY'S HOME

Director : Sean Anders, John Morris
Cast : Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Scarlett Estevez, Owen Vaccaro, Hannibal Buress, Paul Scheer, Thomas Haden Church
Genre : Comedy
Run Time : 1 hr 36 mins
Opens : 31 December 2015
Rating : PG13 (Some Sexual References)

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg throw down in a showdown of paternal proportions in this comedy. Ferrell plays radio station exec Brad Whitaker, new husband to Sara (Cardellini) and stepfather to her children, Megan (Estevez) and Dylan (Vaccaro). Brad is having trouble connecting with his stepchildren and just when he feels he’s making progress, a spanner is throw into the works when Dusty Mayron (Wahlberg) sidles up out of nowhere. Dusty is Sara’s ex-husband and the biological father of Megan and Dylan. Rugged, capable and charismatic, Dusty’s presence is immediately an immense threat to Brad. As Dusty upstages Brad in every aspect and attempts to win Sara back, the two dads engage in a fierce battle for fatherly supremacy, regardless of the collateral damage left in their wake.

            There’s something about Will Ferrell’s comic personality that makes him an ideal candidate for films focused on one-upmanship, as evidenced by Step Brothers, Blades of Glory and The Campaign. Here, Ferrell’s opponent is his co-star from The Other Guys, Mark Wahlberg. The buddy cop send-up showed that the duo have chemistry, but the results here are lacklustre. More often than not, Daddy’s Home opts for heavily gag-based humour rather than jokes that flow naturally out of character development. Most of the comedy is derived from Ferrell humiliating himself, whether it’s losing control of a souped-up motorcycle, being electrocuted by power lines or getting drunk at a basketball game, all designed primarily to be put in the trailer – which they are.

            The film does have its moments, seeing as Ferrell is often innately funny independent of extenuating circumstances. The role of the pompous, passive-aggressive tough guy who’s both overtly manly and is a master manipulator does play more to Wahlberg’s strengths than any number of straight-ahead action hero roles he’s done. Unfortunately, most of the situations that arise are contrived and the conflicts are overblown. There are set-pieces that are so outlandish they are wont to pull the audience out of the film entirely. It also gets repetitive – Brad does something, Dusty proves he’s far better, then Brad makes a fool of himself trying to beat Dusty. Cardellini’s Sara is the stock level-headed woman who stands in the corner and shakes her head as the guys are busy falling on their faces. It’s also unfortunate that Daddy’s Home trucks out the “all women ever think about is having babies” trope.

            In order to get us more invested in this spectacularly childish “battle of the dads”, the kids could have done with a lot more characterisation. Both Estevez and Vaccaro give somewhat stilted performances, but the writing’s to blame as well – Dylan is picked on and is in need of a strong male role model while Megan is something of a sociopath. They never come across as actual kids. The opening credits unfold over a series of drawings Megan has made of their family, all of which depict unseemly calamities befalling her stepdad. That’s disturbing more than it is funny, and her behaviour doesn’t get explored.

            Daddy’s Home also serves up silly side characters with Thomas Haden Church as Brad’s boss at a smooth jazz radio station and Hannibal Buress as a handyman who believes Brad harbours racist attitudes towards him. After a while, it’s pretty clear that this doesn’t take place in the real world, despite references to The Princess Bride and Frozen. There is some joy to be derived from seeing funny actors commit to over-the-top material and the climactic comic set piece at a school dance cleverly pays off an earlier joke. However, it’s often just too broad and there’s a scene where a fertility doctor played by Bobby Cannavale gives Brad a check-up, which is wholly cringe-worthy and juvenile. While not as egregious an offender as, say, most of Adam Sandler’s recent output, the film also lazily falls back on celebrity cameos for laughs. And yes, there are half-hearted stabs at pathos and everyone will have learnt a valuable lesson or two, so the various near-death experiences Brad endures aren’t in vain.

Summary: While Ferrell and Wahlberg are often funny, Daddy’s Home indulges in too much broad silliness and exaggerated sight gags for us to get invested in this duel of the dads.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5 Stars

Jedd Jong 

The Campaign movie review

For F*** Magazine, Singapore

THE CAMPAIGN

2012

Starring: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott

Directed by: Jay Roach

It has been said that politics is show-business for ugly people; and an election year is as good as any for politics and show-business to properly collide. Jay Roach, who has helmed his fair share of comedies (the Austin Powers movies, Meet the Parents) and political films (Recount, Game Change) takes the reins and lets Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis loose; the shenanigans guaranteed to abound. As the tagline on the poster goes, “may the best loser win”.

Ferrell plays Cam Brady, Congressman of North Carolina’s 14^th District who has gone uncontested for four terms and is about to take his fifth, with his loyal campaign manager Mitch (Sudeikis) helping him along. However, he suffers an embarrassing scandal and corrupt businessmen the Motch Brothers (John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd) aim to capitalize on this by sponsoring their own candidate to run against him. Enter Marty Huggins (Galifianakis), the son of their associate Raymond (Brian Cox). Huggins is slovenly, slow-witted, genteel and good-hearted – everything Brady is not. Naturally, the slick career politician underestimates his inept opponent and writes him off.

The Motch brothers dispatch expert campaign manager and image consultant Tim Wattley (Dylan McDermott) to overhaul the Huggins family, wife Mitzi (Sarah Baker) included and coaches Marty in creating an appealing facade to his voters. His poll numbers are also boosted when Cam punches a baby by mistake, and both parties get on with the mudslinging. It appears that in the midst of such fiascos as Cam getting bitten by a snake in a church, Marty shooting Cam in the leg with a rifle and various audacious campaign ads, Cam may be growing a conscience and Marty may be reluctantly letting go of his. In the background, the scheming Motch brothers are edging closer to their shady master plan and the two candidates may have to put down their swords and realise what really matters in their lives.

If you’re in need of a laugh or two, take part in this campaign. It is, first and foremost, a comedy, and is successful in that regard. Outrageous moments unfold in what’s presented as our world, established via cameos by news personalities such as Wolf Blitzer, Piers Morgan and Chris Matthews as themselves. It provides some grounding for several gut-busting sequences of outlandish humour which clearly couldn’t take place in the real world – though seeing how crazy American politics can get, we can’t be sure of that. Comedies of this nature can sometimes fall into a pattern of predictability when one can telegraph the gags a mile away, and while many of the best bits are in the trailers, there are still some moments that caught this reviewer delightfully off guard. “Never work with children or animals,” goes the quote attributed to W.C. Fields – thing is, children and animals are ripe sources of humour and the film knows this very well. The awkward scene where Marty has his wife and two sons own up to any skeletons in their closets while at the dinner table is the height of cringe comedy, and Marty’s two pugs (whom Cam labels as “Chinese dogs”) are funny even when they just sit there. There’s also a priceless cameo from a popular animal star who has gained fame in the past year for his role in an Oscar-winning film.

Being centred on a political campaign (hence the title) the film’s two most important assets are its leads. Ferrell and Galifianakis have made their names as cinematic schmucks – two different kinds of schmucks, but schmucks nonetheless. Ferrell’s Cam Brady is all haughty pandering, his overly-coiffed hair the best display of his hubris. Galifianakis augments the timbre and cadence of his voice to come off as the pudgy, odd, lovable idiot who pays little attention to his self image. Galifianakis’ uncle Nick actually ran for Congress in North Carolina, so he has some personal history there. When the two clash, it’s a real hoot to watch and it is oddly satisfying to see Marty one-up Cam after the latter has dealt out so much shame to him.

The show is almost entirely taken from out under both their noses by Dylan McDermott as Tim Wattley. The handsome actor, best known from TV’s The Practice, is suave, tough, decisive and almost omnipresent as the ‘magical’ campaign manager and Mr Fix-it. He’s never seen outside of a sharp suit or stylish leather jacket and invades the private space of Huggins with no qualms whatsoever. It’s not an inherently ultra-funny part, but McDermott plays it just right – not too flat and not wildly over-the-top – such that he manages to steal Ferrell and Galifianakis’ thunder. On the other camp, Sudeikis is pretty good too as Cam’s campaign manager Mitch. He’s playing the straight man to Ferrell, in essence, who has his head screwed on tighter than Cam does and whose advice Cam often blithely ignores. Sudeikis’ moment to shine is when Mitch has to mime the words to the Lord’s Prayer when Marty puts Cam on the spot, the latter having forgotten how the prayer goes. It’s a bit of a pity that veterans Brian Cox, John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd are somewhat wasted in their limited roles, though.

The main point of contention with The Campaign is how very broad the comedy can be at times. It seems that Roach takes a baseball bat to the hide of the American political system, when in some instances a sharp needle would have worked better instead. The movie often opts for cruder situations more likely to draw a reaction and ends up sacrificing some degree of insight in the process. A political comedy would probably be more suited to a darker tone and jabs of a subtler and more elegant nature, as opposed to the post-Apatow comic stylings on display here. Don’t get us wrong, it is still very funny, just not as biting or observant as it could have been, given the material and timing of its release.

SUMMARY: The Campaign promises laughs and doles them out in spades, but doesn’t use its platform to examine and scrutinize the system via its comedic lens as well as it could have.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 STARS

Jedd Jong