add to our listingsMovie Review: The Pink Panther 2
The Charlotte Observer
Someday, we'll stroll through the Steve Martin Wing of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, admiring his collection, and we'll appreciate what he had to do to pay for his Picassos, Seurats and Edward Hoppers.
Until then, we endure the “Cheaper by the Dozens” and “Pink Panthers” with a grimace, remembering the comic he once was.
Still, “The Pink Panther 2,” is less of a desecration of the memory of Peter Sellers than Martin's first outing as the bumbling French detective.
In this installment, the Magna Carta, the Shroud of Turin and a famous Japanese sword have been stolen by the Tornado. An international “dream team” – English (Alfred Molina), Italian (Andy Garcia, actually funny), Japanese (Yuki Matsuzaki) and Indian (Aishwarya Rai) – has been assembled to crack the case. They want the world's “greatest detective” on board. Can his boss (John Cleese, giving his all) spare Clouseau from parking duty? Of course he can.
No sooner than Clouseau and Ponton (Jean Reno) are on the case than the Pink Panther diamond is stolen – again.
Our team travels to Rome to interview a suspect and the pope's ring is swiped right off his finger. Not to worry. Clouseau's powers of deduction – if not his tact or common sense – will triumph.
A few bits of physical comedy pay off. Martin's juggling skills come in handy for a (special effects-assisted) accident with a wine rack. He dances a flamenco (badly) and has a karate brawl with Ponton's young sons.
But the film treats Clouseau, at times, as a cartoon character, hurling him across the French skyline. Neither actor nor director pick up on what made the character work – he was an egomaniac who suspected his incompetence but was determined to keep up appearances. Martin lacks Sellers' dash, his mastery of the accent. He isn't putting the work in.
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The Pink Panther 2 lacks anything that can be considered entertaining. Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin) teams up with a squad of international detectives (Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Yuki Matsuzaki) to stop a thief known as The Tornado, whose been stealing famous artifacts around the world. This translates to 90 minutes of Clouseau fumbling around like a moron, falling down and saying stupid things while everyone around him just shakes their head.
Names like Lily Tomlin and John Cleese are also in this movie and the entire time I wondered “Why?” It’s probably for the same reason the rest of the cast is: it’s an easy paycheck. That, and remakes are awesome, right? Not so much. Martin carries the screentime workload while the rest of the cast floats through the movie as if they’re painfully waiting for it all to be over.
Slapstick comedy can be funny if done right, and The Pink Panther 2 is a perfect example of how it’s done WRONG. The plot is boring and predictable every step of the way; even I was able to figure out who the thief was immediately upon their entrance. When people do fake foreign accents in order to be comedic, it’s not funny. It will never be funny. Steve Martin’s acting is contrived and over the top in this movie, and that’s a shame. What’s even more shameful is that The Pink Panther 2 does a disappointing job of paying tribute to the series it was created after.
His few funny scenes are ruined whenever he opens his mouth.
(Full review)