![]() Has The Pink Panther 2 bumbled into making a relevant point? Idiotic but clever, and very Clouseau-esque. In this the film itself seems an emblem of the conceit and reckless excess associated with the current state of affairs. ![]() And the Tornado’s motive for stealing national treasures - for mere sport rather than profit (all but the Pink Panther are considered “unfenceable”) - doesn’t sit quite right in the context of corporate collapse, multi-billion dollar Ponzi schemes, and government bailouts. The post-9/11 anti-French thing is hardly relevant anymore, especially against a backdrop of global economic doom. While these are decent physical comedy bits in their own right, they are enhanced by the silencing of Martin’s ridiculous approximation of a French accent.ĭespite these brief respites, The Pink Panther 2 is glaringly out of date. ![]() Later, while the rest of the Dream Team interrogates the suspect Avelleneda (Jeremy Irons), all Clouseau’s investigative mishaps are captured soundlessly on the panel of security monitors in the background. When Clouseau goes to select a bottle of wine at a restaurant, we expect that this simple task will end with every bottle in the towering wine case smashed but instead, an elaborate and frantic juggling act develops. The Pink Panther 2 (2009): 6 out of 10: Steve Martin reprises his take on that classic Peter Sellers role as Inspector Clouseau. In fairness, The Pink Panther 2 does feature a couple of effective sight gags (a vague holdover from the Peter Sellers days). To pile on, Clouseau and Ponton offer up another awkward dance number while saying the word “jojoba” over and over. Just so, Dreyfus suffers frequent injuries inflicted by Clouseau, and we suffer through his mispronunciations of the word “hamburger,” repeated ad nauseam. Much of the “comedy” in The Pink Panther 2 is a rehashing of the jokes from the first film (itself a feeble remake of the original). Ah yes, the inspector announces, “No man is an eez-land.” When Vincenzo (Andy Garcia) makes his own move on her, Clouseau is roused to jealousy, achieving his own meager insight with help from his partner Ponton (Jean Reno). Clouseau insists that he and Nicole remain professional, unaware that he is hurting her feelings. The Pink Panther 2, the sequel to the 2006 worldwide hit, stars Steve Martin as he reprises the role of intrepid-if-bumbling French police detective, Inspector. A second storyline centers on the maybe-romantic relationship between Clouseau and his assistant Nicole (Emily Mortimer), offering occasional relief from the mundane crime investigation and Mrs. Since we already know Clouseau will never learn this lesson, their interaction comes across as forced and pointless. Berenger (Lily Tomlin), a sort of sensitivity coach assigned to teach Clouseau that he can’t make racist or sexually charged remarks. He will, of course, make a fool of himself, on a global scale this time, before proving himself worthy of his Inspector’s rank - and even his Medal of Honor.Īmong his distractions is Mrs. Once more plucked out of obscurity and set on his usual path of destruction and humiliation, Clouseau applies his usual ineptitude with gusto. Selected for an international “Dream Team” of investigators, Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin) here thwarts the efforts of Chief Inspector Dreyfus (John Cleese) to keep him out of sight (he’s been writing parking tickets, his French Medal of Honor dangling from his neck at all times). The culprit, named The Tornado, absconds with precious national artifacts, including the Magna Carta, the Shroud of Turin, the Imperial Sword, and eventually the treasure of France, the Pink Panther diamond. From there Martin would star in The Pink Panther (2006) and The Pink Panther 2 (2009), and other than a short lived attempt to reboot the animated series in 2010 and a television special the following year, the franchise as a whole has kind of been on pause over the past decade-and-a-half.The Pink Panther 2 opens with a series of thefts. Sellers would appear in five Pink Panther movies from 1964 to 1978 (not counting the two tribute films full of montages from all his performances that aired in 19), and after one more film released in August 1993, the franchise (from a movie perspective) went dormant until the casting of Steve Martin as Clouseau in 2006. The actor most associated with the role of Inspector Jacques Clouseau was and still is Peter Sellers, an incredible versatile actor in the 1950s and 60s who's also known for his roles in other popular movies from the time period such as Casino Royale, Dr. As we mentioned earlier, The Pink Panther series began all the way back in 1963, with the release of its first film entitled The Pink Panther.
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