They self-consciously acknowledge the original movies with numerous visual and script references to the earlier films. What I really respect about the Martin movies is that they don’t try to fundamentally rework the Sellers creation.
The Pink Panther has been done a few times over the years on big and small screen, but the Steve Martin reboot was easily the biggest and most prominent. Peter Sellers’ name is now permanently associated with the title of Clouseau, and he was never able to shake off this typecasting in the latter part of his career. If you’re inspired by this piece to revisit the Steve Martin movies, then look out for the more risqué visual jokes and you’ll find yourself surprised. The Pink Panther and its follow-up fall, roughly, into the same category (although neither film, clearly, approaches a Pixar standard) screenwriter Len Blum managed to shoehorn many saucy jokes that only a few would get. Pixar has the astonishing ability of appealing to the little ‘uns and the oftentimes reluctant adults (what willing parent would take their child to The Smurfs 2?), because they include slapstick jokes that younger audience members could lap up, and witty gags that only the grown-ups could understand. With "Pink Panther 2," Martin plays Inspector Clouseau with an almost uncomfortable reverence that leaves the film without a comic edge.īumbling Inspector Clouseau? Unfortunately, Martin and director Harald Zwart have bumbled "Pink Panther 2.The animation giant Pixar’s summer feature has always lured in feverish children and enthusiastic adults, which, if you really think about it, is where the company’s charm lies. Yet, you always admired that he was risking it all to entertain us. In Martin's early film days, he wasn't afraid to take a chance and, on occasion, he failed miserably. While I'd never expect a Martin-led "Pink Panther" film to rival the best of Sellers, this IS a role that Martin can pull off and he seems to take a kid glove approach to it feels far too safe and devoid of risk. It is Martin himself that hurts "Pink Panther 2" the most, an observation that both surprises and troubles me. To his credit, Martin does seem determined to make audiences laugh during "Pink Panther 2" and I will confess that I actually found this film a bit funnier than I did the first film, perhaps owing as much to the film's talented cast. Harald Zwart ("Agent Cody Banks") directs, but seems content to allow Steve Martin to do as Steve Martin pleases. Jeremy Irons, yes the Oscar winner, fares worst of all in a role so slight that it almost hurts to watch. Berenger seems not much than than an opportunity for Martin to offer an old friend a new gig. Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachcan is largely wasted here, while Lily Tomlin's appearance as Mrs.
Virtually everyone in "Pink Panther" seems to play the straight man to Martin's bumbling ole' Clouseau, including fellow detectives Vicenzo (Andy Garcia) and Pepperidge (Alfred Molina) along with the likes of Clouseau's trusted assistant (Emily Mortimer), his sidekick (Jean Reno) and Chief Inspector Dreyfus (John Cleese), who does get to be a bit funny! Oh, and he has this warbled French accent. If you're expecting more, I've saved you the trouble and you can leave your expectations at the door. The semblance of a plot involves Clouseau being picked to head up a team of crackpot investigators to solve the case of The Tornado, who's going around stealing a bunch of historical items and, it is feared, may be targeting the legendary Pink Panther Diamond. Sadly, most of the "sketches" aren't even that funny.
#Pink pather 2 series#
Martin, who co-writes "Pink Panther 2," seems to do the same thing here in creating what is essentially a series of comedy sketches starring a delightfully diverse cast without form or function. "Pink Panther 2" reminds me, in a way, of Dave Chappelle's "Block Party," a high-spirited indie concert film directed by Michel Gondry in which Chappelle basically threw together a party and invited whomever he pleased. The role of Inspector Clouseau seems rather tailor made for his brand of sly, physical comedy even if it's destined to fall short of Peter Sellers. What did I give it? A 1.0 or 1.5-star rating? I don't remember, and I don't care enough to look it up. If you've been one of my readers since 2006, then you already know what to expect from my review of "Pink Panther 2," a wholly unnecessary film created solely because enough of you made the misguided decision to see Steve Martin's first turn as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau.
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