Review - The Pink Panther 2

Studio/Production Company: Columbia Pictures
Director: Harald Zwart
Written by: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, Steve Martin
Rating: PG for some suggestive humor, brief mild language and action.
Release Date: February 6, 2009
Genre: Comedy
Strong Points: Some pretty good slapstick; Steve Martin
Weak Points: Plot is weak and unoriginal; slapstick gets a bit out of hand.
Technical Score: C
Artistic Score: C
Final Score (not an average): C-
Moral Warnings: One or two curse words; more sexual references than would be expected in a PG film; a man grabs a woman's behind.

I'll go right off the bat here and admit it. I liked the Pink Panther remake. I enjoyed the over-the-top slapstick, Steve Martin's laughable accent, the zany dialogue. Critics, on the other hand, showed little love for it, whining that Peter Sellers would be rolling in his grave if he could see what his character had been turned into. I never saw the original Pink Panther films, so I can't compare. Either way, Pink Panther 2 continues where The Pink Panther left off - over-the-top slapstick, Steve Martin's laughable accent, and zany dialogue. Nothing has changed. If you didn't care for the first one, stay away. If you enjoyed it, Pink Panther 2 has more of the same fun from before.

Thus, Steve Martin reprises his role as the dumb, idiotic, and often tactless Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Clouseau has somehow managed to retain the status of "France's greatest inspector" from the 1st film, though Chief Inspector Dreyfus (John Cleese) still considers him a blubbering idiot, and justly so. But when a number of famous historical artifacts are stolen by a criminal known only as El Tornado, Clouseau is immediately requested to join an elite group of detectives from around the world to search for the thief.

Clouseau does so, and the "Dream Team" of detectives begin their adventure. It doesn't take the Inspector long to start making a fool of himself, and, really, this is the essence of the film. The plot plods along at a dully familiar pace from this point on, relying almost solely on Steve Martin to provide for entertainment. This isn't a terrible thing, however.

It does mean that those without much care for slapstick will likely be bored to death by the time the credits roll, because there really aren't any other elements of filmmaking or story telling there to keep them around otherwise. The characters are thinly drawn, moreso than than in the first film. The continuation of the romance twist between Clouseau and the far younger Nicole is orchestrated poorly, and seems to be there just for the sake of... well... being there. The biggest disappointment for me was the dumbing down of Ponton, Clouseau's "sidekick." Whereas in the first film, he was a normal, serious, intelligent detective (which made his interactions with Clouseau all the more humorous), he has now been turned into a character not much smarter than the Inspector himself.

Of course, as it is technically a mystery, there's a surprise ending. But without a decent plot or characters to be involved in, it's hard to genuinely care about it.

The Pink Panther 2 is rated PG, mostly due to mild sexual dialogue and humor. There is one scene where an HR rep describes a a somewhat sexual scene to Clouseau and tells him to keep a straight face, which he can't, evidently enjoying it. Later in the film, a man pats a woman's behind. The movie is mostly devoid of language, with only one or two curse words, along with a few uses of "Oh my god."

It's evident that Pink Panther 2 is aimed at a young audience, and the constant slapstick means that it will please that demographic. Unfortunately, there's not much more to it. Older viewers may find a few chuckles, but other that, will likely remain silent the 90 minutes taken to watch it.

-Zak Mellgren (zak@revolve21.com)