9 Reasons Zoolander 2 Is A Disappointment (And 2 It's Not)

7. Zoolander's Son Gets Too Much Screen Time

One of the movie's major subplots sees Derek attempting to repair his relationship with his estranged son, Derek Jr. (Cyrus Arnold), who also happens to be of substantial value to Mugatu. Though Arnold isn't to be faulted here for his work, the son shtick wears out its welcome pretty quickly and doesn't really add much in terms of humour to the story. Plus, when the film very occasionally tries to wring some genuine emotion out of the father-son pairing, it just falls absurdly flat. Zoolander Jr. gets a ton of screen time and kinda drags the movie down, because the son plot is so pat and down-the-line, and if there's anything a Zoolander movie truly needed, a kid in a major role probably isn't it.