Pink Panther 2 (PG)
Mike:
Mike: Tonight we are reviewing The Pink Panther 2
, the sequel to the 2006 Pink Panther remake starring Steve Martin.
Scott was unable to attend.
I think I may have laughed once during this film. I like Steve Martin, so I wanted to like this, but I just didn’t. I was a little worried after seeing the trailers, as I didn’t find them funny either. I think if you liked the first Pink Panther and you think the commercials are funny, you may like this film. It seems as though this movie is geared almost completely at kids. They seemed to be the only ones in the audience laughing throughout.
This movie is filled with slapstick and funny accents. Two things that usually make me double over with laughter, but none of it seems to hit the mark here- At least not for any of the adults sitting near me. In fact Martin’s French accent seems more like Elmer Fudd talk than a funny French accent.
Steve Martin returns as the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau. I have been a Martin fan since I was teenager. He has starred in some great comedies likeAll of Me or The Jerk. I am one of those who believe that a remake of the Pink Panther films is completely unnecessary. The original Peter Sellers films are hilarious and still hold up over time. After seeing Martin in comedies and dramas like The Spanish Prisoner and Leap of Faith, I think he may be as talented as Peter Sellers was. Unfortunately, he doesn’t show it here.
Jean Reno and Emily Mortimer return as Nicole and Ponton. Kevin Kline does not. Maybe he actually had good instincts for a change. He is replaced as Chief Inspector Dreyfus by the legendary John Cleese. I think Cleese may have the one or two lines that I actually laughed at in the movie. The thing that is amazing is the rest of the cast assembled for this detective story. I was surprised to seeAndy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Lily Tomlin and even Jeremy Irons . I am guessing that they all either wanted to work with Steve Martin regardless of the script, or they all got really nice paychecks. Not one of them can save this movie.
The film centers around the return of an art thief called The Tornado. Of course one of the pieces stolen is the famous Pink Panther diamond. Clouseau joins an international “dream team” of detectives to solve the crimes. Unfortunately, the mystery is as thin as the comedy. Once again, this is probably quite entertaining for children.
How do I rate this?
I give this movie a 2 out of 5 overall and a 2 for comedy. This is a disappointing remake of a series of films that just don’t need to be remade.
