Zoolander 2

Finally, toward the end of “Zoolander 2” (2016), I laughed out loud. I don’t know whether it was that particular gag or just the absurdity of the whole thing that finally got to me. This movie is stupid. It knows it’s stupid. It knows that you know it’s stupid. It wasn’t trying not to be stupid. In fact, because it knows that you know it’s stupid, it doubled down on stupid until stupid became absurd and I laughed out loud. Just like the original, there’s dopey male models and world-saving hijinks. Thank god Penelope Cruz has a sense of humor.

 

Zoolander

Is it possible to give an over-the-top performance when your character is a male model? What about a fashion designer? Or a talent agent? There’s so much scenery chewing going on in “Zoolander” (2001) you almost become numb to it and actually pay attention to the plot. Almost. To say it’s stupid is to say grass is green. But, you ask, what about crabgrass? It’s brownish. And what about that weird albino grass that grows under the kiddie pool when you leave it in the front yard for too long? To that, I say “Zoolander” is right up your alley.

 

Night at the Museum

“Night at the Museum” (2006) is a perfectly harmless, somewhat entertaining movie that promotes father-son bonding, history appreciation, museums and reading. Ben Stiller stars as the museum night watchman who learns that history really can come alive. For some reason, Stiller carries an aura of unlikeability in many of his movies, and this is one of them. It’s too bad, because supporting characters Robin Williams (Teddy Roosevelt) and Owen Wilson (cowboy) are a lot of fun. It’s a kids/families movie, so there’s lots of physical humor and some ham-fisted jokes that make you groan. But like I said, it’s harmless.