Alas, the second time proves no charm for The Pink Panther 2, Steve Martin's latest flimsy attempt to resurrect Sellers' bumbling Inspector Clouseau for the 21st century.
The Pink Panther 2 (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:127
Fresh:16
Rotten:111
Average Rating:3.5/10
Consensus: Underutilizing its talented cast, The Pink Panther 2 is little more than a series of lame slapstick gags.
Australian Theatrical Release:
Apr 2, 2009 Wide
US Box Office: $35,922,978
Synopsis: With 2009’s THE PINK PANTHER 2, Steve Martin once again dons the mantle of the giddily absurd Inspector Clouseau. This time, the bumbling French lawman, relieved of meter-maid duty, attempts to... With 2009’s THE PINK PANTHER 2, Steve Martin once again dons the mantle of the giddily absurd Inspector Clouseau. This time, the bumbling French lawman, relieved of meter-maid duty, attempts to track down a bold thief known as the Tornado, who makes off with many of the world’s cultural treasures, including the Magna Carta, the Shroud of Turin, and, of course, the Pink Panther Diamond. Aiding Clouseau is a team of international investigators, most notably a Brit (Alfred Molina) and an Italian (Andy Garcia), all of whom get to marvel at his unfiltered silliness. While this second installment of the PINK PANTHER series reboot features some changes to the creative team, with director Harald Zwart (AGENT CODY BANKS) replacing Shawn Levy and John Cleese stepping in for Kevin Kline as the sourpuss Chief Inspector Dreyfus, the movie reunites Martin with the always-likeable actors Jean Reno and Emily Mortimer. Also joining the ensemble cast are Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jeremy Irons, and Martin’s old comrade Lily Tomlin, making this sequel quite crowded with top-notch talent. Though the film itself doesn’t live up to its potential--the Clouseau role is still securely owned by the late, great Peter Sellers--it offers up plenty of chuckle-inducing moments as Martin hams it up with grand mispronunciations and gleeful slapstick. [More]
Starring: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, Andy Garcia
Starring: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, Andy Garcia, Emily Mortimer, Aishwarya Rai, Jeremy Irons, John Cleese, Lily Tomlin
Director: Harald Zwart
Director: Harald Zwart
Screenwriter: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, Steve Martin
Story: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
Producer: Robert Simonds
Composer: Christophe Beck
Studio: MGM
Reviews for The Pink Panther 2
Despite all the supporting star power, it's Martin's physical comedy that makes the movie.
Plays like a series of disconnected, hit-or-miss skits in a cut-rate Saturday Night Live.
The Pink Panther 2 plays like an undeserved victory lap for a series that only limped to the finish line the last time.
At no point in Pink Panther 2 does credible screenwriting or apparent direction allow for the sensation of spontaneity.
In The Pink Panther 2 the cast sprints way, way out ahead of the material, and miles ahead of the director, Harald Zwart.
Martin's first Pink Panther actually tickled me. Sadly, this time, flat gags & off-color innuendoes double in quantity, while sincerely funny bits wane to a mere handful.
A work of slapsticky, accent-y gar-bage, The Pink Panther 2 is so brainlessly uninventive that it actually seems determined to sully the legacy of Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers's original series.
Desperate and dreary, The Pink Panther 2 is an empty-souled star vehicle that hasn't a clue what actual wit and comic timing entail.
Even when Martin plays the fool, he commands respect; damned if he isn't committed to his dense detectivery, sneering French accent, and prim four-button suit jacket
Successor to the 2006 revival of the farcical franchise has inspired individual scenes, but a once-sublime subversion of French policiers has devolved into kiddie movies with all the cosmopolitan cachét of Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties.
[It's] admittedly funnier than the 2006 original. But that movie was so dispiritingly, soul-suckingly bad, there was nowhere left to go but up.
Costars John Cleese, Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, Andy Garcia, and Jeremy Irons look either bored or desperate, gasping for laughs in an airless screenplay.
The actors are let down by the screenplay and direction, which don't really pop the supporting characters out into strong comic focus.
Flat, trashy and unfunny, this one-weekend-movie wastes the talents of many good actors, and the onscreen reunion of Martin and Lily Tomlin is just a sad reminder of better, happier comedies.
Until that storied team comes together, the film is a dreary checklist of pratfalls, wan double entendres, and frantic, unfunny set pieces.
It's just depressing to find the picture unwilling to deviate from the broad comedy spectrum, preferring the warm comfort of mediocrity and halfhearted response over a steamrolling comedic contraption that would genuinely surprise.
There are chuckles, maybe even a belly laugh or two if you're in a charitable mood. But the movie's mostly a waste of time and talent.
...somewhat less of a desecration of the memory of Peter Sellers than Martin's first outing as the bumbling French detective.
Latest News for The Pink Panther 2
February 08, 2009:
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