Martin’s inspector, plus poor storyline make bad
A giant pink cat, created by cartoonists DePatie and Freleng, meanders in and out of the frame to the strains of the memorable theme music from famed composer Henry Mancinni.
The audience is drawn into the mood for a fine comedy titled “Pink Panther 2,” but they were let down as soon as the dialog began.
The familiar music and the “Pink Panther” leads the viewer to believe this will be a movie as enjoyable as the original.
This was not the case with “Pink Panther 2.”
In fact, the introduction was the funniest part of the movie.
The predictable story line is the disappearance of world famous artifacts, including the Pink Panther diamond.
So named because of the tiny flaw, a discoloration in the shape of a panther, the diamond is priceless.
Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) is added to a dream team of sleuths assigned to find the thief and the missing items.
Actor Peter Sellers played the bumbling Clouseau in the original 1964 “Pink Panther” movie.
The character created by writer Blake Edwards was portrayed as inept, but suave and serious about his profession.
Martin’s interpretation of the detective made him look like a complete idiot.
It was a letdown to see Martin showcasing himself, and having it fall flat.
Even with a supposed new story line, a parody of a satirical comedy does not add up to a great piece of entertainment in this case.
The love interest is stereotypical. Nicole (Emily Mortimer) wears her hair up, has glasses and carries a clipboard with her at all times.
I kept thinking she would whip off her glasses and shake out her hair to look sexy, but it never happened.
Perhaps she was stifled by the Lily Tomlin character, a sexual harassment monitor for the office, another ridiculous addition to a cast of too many people.
More characters show up when Ponton (Jean Reno), the assistant, brings his two children to live with Clouseau.
The small boys attack the detective with their karate moves and destroy the house. This adds nothing to the movie, and is not funny. In the first “Pink Panther,” the attacker was a houseboy who is hired specifically to keep Clouseau on his toes.
Jeremy Irons, John Cleese and Geoffry Palmer are seen briefly in roles that could have been phoned in.
Alfred Molina and Andy Garcia as detectives working with Clouseau rolled their eyes at his stupidity so often, viewers began wondering if they were acting or reacting to the script.
A few of the location shots of Paris are worth seeing, but the poor acting detracts even from that.
This movie has a PG rating. Parents, guide your children and yourselves away from this film. Save your money, and watch it on television at 3 a.m. some Saturday, if you can stay awake.
Rating: D
—Cynthia Praefke
Staff Writer
