The Pink Panther 2 Review

Posted by Bryan Kristopowitz on 02.09.2009

Goofy, silly fun. You have been warned.

"The Pink Panther 2" Review

Steve Martin- Inspector Jacques Clouseau
Jean Reno- Ponton
Emily Mortimer- Nicole
Andy Garcia- Vicenzo
Alfred Molina- Pepperidge
Yuki Matsuzaki- Kenji
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan- Sonia
John Cleese- Chief Inspector Dreyfus
Lily Tomlin- Mrs. Berenger
Jeremy Irons- Avellaneda
Directed by Harald Zwart
Screenplay by Scott Neusadter, Michael H. Weber, and Steve Martin, based on a story by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber and characters created by Maurice Richlin and Blake Edwards
Distributed by MGM/ Columbia Pictures/ Sony Picturtes Releasing
Rated PG for some suggestive humor, brief mild language and action
Runtime- 92 minutes
Website: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thepinkpanther2/

Your enjoyment of "The Pink Panther 2" is likely to be dependent on what you thought of the first "The Pink Panther" movie. If you thought the first flick starring Steve Martin as the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau of the French Police was an enjoyable, silly gooffest, you'll probably enjoy the Harald Zwart directed sequel. However, if you thought the first movie was an abomination, a cinematic abortion, and a vile piece of garbage that sullies the legacy of Peter Sellers, then you're probably not going to enjoy the Harald Zwart directed sequel. I actually liked the first flick (you can check out my review of it here) and I can say that, while it doesn't break any new ground in the realm of broad, silly slapstick family comedy, "The Pink Panther 2" is still plenty fun and a good time at the movies.

The flick's story, credited to Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, and Steve Martin, features Clouseau as the head of an international "Dream Team" of ace detectives looking into the theft of some of the world's most precious artifacts by a master thief known only as "the Tornado." The Magna Carta, the Imperial Sword of Japan, and the Shroud of Turin are just some of the national treasures stolen. Since this is a "Pink Panther" movie, the Pink Panther diamond, France's "greatest national treasure," is also stolen by the Tornado, but only after Clouseau is on the case and "steps out of France" (one of the movie's better jokes). Joining Inspector Clouseau and his trusty sidekick Ponton (Jean Reno) is Italian ace detective Vicenzo (Andy Garcia), the self professed English master of deduction Pepperidge (Alfred Molina), Japanese tech detective sensation Kenji (Yuki Matsuzaki), and the uber hot Sonia (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), who is an expert in the field of criminology and at wearing very tight white dresses. As you'd expect, the "Dream Team" doesn't get along all that well. Most of the friction is due to Clouseau's seeming stupidity (both Pepperidge and Vicenzo openly question why Clouseau is in charge when it appears that he doesn't know what he's doing and that he's, well, an idiot). The man just doesn't instill much confidence in anyone besides Ponton and Nicole (Emily Mortimer), Clouseau's personal secretary, who is in love with Clouseau but can't come right out and say it. Despite their differences, the team travels to the various crime scenes and looks for clues. They eventually decide to question a man by the name of Avellaneda (Jeremy Irons), a shady rich guy who could hold the key to the whole Tornado mystery. Is he the infamous thief, who also steals the Pope's ring, or is the Tornado really someone else?

I don't think I'm engaging in spoilers if I come right out and say that Avellaneda isn't the Tornado. It's actually pretty obvious who the real Tornado is before we even meet Avellaneda, so you know right away it can't possibly be him. A big part of the movie's fun is waiting for the real Tornado to reveal himself/herself and then having that character's motivations explained. It's all just so ridiculous that you kind of have to smile at the silliness of it all. You're never meant to take any of it seriously, even when the movie tries to be touching, like in the possibly romantic relationship between Clouseau and Nicole and the eventual love triangle that includes Garcia's Vicenzo. As soon as the movie looks like it's about to get sappy the flick just gets sillier. And it works more than half the time, which is a monumental achievement considering how hard it is to maintain general, worthwhile silliness in a movie (it's incredibly hard. Everything has to be firing on all cylinders, from the actors to the writing to the directing to the music, and it all has to be moving in the same general direction. If the movie starts running off the rails even for a second the whole thing can fall apart. "The Pink Panther 2" never once loses itself, so in that sense it's a stunning achievement in movie silliness).

Martin is making the Inspector Clouseau character his own, improving on the last movie by making him more confident and, as a result, goofier. You're never going to mistake Martin's Clouseau for Sellers, but then Martin really isn't going for a direct impersonation of Sellers anyway. Martin's Clouseau is aloof but childlike, always thinking he's got life by the balls but in reality it's the other way around. Even when he does, somehow, figure out how to get ahead of life (like the chip in his Medal of Honor that can dispense passwords to prevent the Blackberry commando team from killing him, or the tape recorder that's actually a pen), he still screws it up. But he never looks back, regardless of how bad he screws up. That may not be the best way to go through life, but in a movie like this it works out splendidly. Martin also has outstanding chemistry with the entire cast, from John Cleese's Chief Inspector Dreyfus (taking over for Kevin Kline) to Reno, Garcia, Mortimer, and, well, everyone.

Jean Reno puts in another fine performance as sidekick Ponton. Ponton gets a funny sidestory where he gets kicked out of his house by his wife after taking relationship advice from Clouseau, which turns out to be a total disaster. Ponton and his two sons (they decided to side with their father) move in with Clouseau and engage in impromptu kung fu training fight sessions. Ponton eventually sees the error of his ways and moves back in with his wife, swearing off Clouseau's advice, but his steadfast loyalty to his boss is what makes the character work. No matter what, even when he knows better, he still respects Clouseau and follows his lead. Emily Mortimer does a great job as Nicole, Clouseau's love interest. She has a kind of mousy charisma that works well with Martin's confident silliness. You easily believe that they belong together. Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, and Yuki Matsuzaki are outstanding as members of the international detective dream team. They each bring something different to the group (Garcia is the charismatic heartthrob, Molina is the stiff British detective, and Matsuzaki is Mr. Technology), but they also bring a nice collective astonishment/pseudo group naivete in that their boss, Clouseau, can't possibly be the best detective in the world because he's such an idiot. You just know that they're going to have their group bubble burst at some point. When, though, is anyone's guess (and you just know that Molina's Pepperidge is going to regret the promise he makes to everyone in the group about Clouseau solving the case). And Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is supremely hot as Sonia, which is really her job throughout the movie. To be hot. And, again, she does a damn fine job.

And then there's John Cleese. He takes the character Kevin Kline brilliantly portrayed in the first movie and makes him more dignified and exasperated at the thought of having to employ Clouseau at all. Cleese gets to play more of a straight man here than he usually does, but he's still quite funny, especially when he gets pissed off (the first time we see him he finds out about Clouseau's appointment to the international dream team and then slams his head several times into a wall out of frustration). Jeremy Irons basically gets an extended cameo, but he does a good job at being annoyed by the presence of the detectives, especially Clouseau. Lily Tomlin, though, gets the best supporting part in the movie, as Mrs. Berenger, the sensitivity trainer brought in by the French police to teach Clouseau a thing or two about workplace manners. Tomlin and Martin have a great back and forth that will make for a fine DVD special feature (I bet there are plenty of deleted scenes between the two).

"The Pink Panther 2" is a fine addition to the Steve Martin led goofy detective franchise, although, again, despite its silly slapstick and reather broad comedy underpinnings, it isn't for everyone. If you liked the first Martin led "The Pink Panther" and have a high tolerance for silliness, then you'll like the sequel just fine. If you didn't like the first movie and can't stand silly people, then I'd tell you to avoid it like the plague. You won't like it.

I enjoyed "The Pink Panther 2." But that doesn't mean you will. Use your own best judgement.

So what do we have here? Gratuitous thefts of priceless international artifacts, gratuitous John Cleese, gratuitous John Cleese slamming his head into a wall several times, gratuitous Steve Martin, gratuitous Steve Martin in a mustahce, a dangerous windshield wiper, newspaper to the face, a neat little animated opening titles sequence featuring the cartoon Pink Panther and Inspector Clouseau, surveillance system destruction, a comedic commando attack, gratuitous mangling of the word "hamburger," a mini tape recorder that's actually a pen, gratuitous hilarious flashback to a date in an Italian restaurant where Clouseau knocks over a bunch of wine bottles and burns down the restaurant, a very small car, gratuitous Jean Reno, gratuitous Christiane Amanpour, gratuitous Andy Garcia, gratuitous Alfred Molina, gratuitous Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a very tight white dress, champagne bottle to the TV, gratuitous Lily Tomlin, a very small trophy, kick to the knee, coffe table breaking, a chalkboard, gratuitous Jeremy Irons, gratuitous people watching Steve Martin on a surveillance monitor destroying a house, horse attack, gratuitous Steve Martin falling down a chimney, gratuitous goofy restaurant dance, gratuitous bad guy stealing the Pope's ring, talking about the Pope's pointy hat, gratuitous Steve Martin giving the Pope fashion advice, gratuitous Steve Martin dressed up as the Pope, a young child tag team karate attack with nunchuks, double savate kick through a door, gratuitous jovial racism, a newspaper headlines that reads "French idiot. Entire nation loses panache," hair shampooing, gratuitous people saying "Jojoba" over and over again, accidental waiter killing, electrocution, mutliple cake to the face, a dumbwaiter, fire hose attack, diamond shooting, pan to the face, and a zany wedding involving commandoes.

Best lines: "Stop this car immediately! Okay," "Chief Inspector, I don't even know what you're talking about," "The password was 'hamburger?'," Remind me where the breaks are," "You need to calm down," "Ponton, I am sorry you can't satisfy your wife," "Tornado! I'm coming to get you!," "That is not Italian," "Now, let me bring you up to speed. We know nothing. You are now up to speed," "It's always nice to have a sexy woman clomping around the building in high heels," "I like you, Mrs. Berenger. I like you a lot," "No, no, please disturb me," "If there is one absolute in the world it is crime does not pay," "I am telling you, I sense the presence of the Tornado in that house!," "If I made a comment after I said 'no comment' I'd look like a complete ass, wouldn't I?," "Perhaps you wanted to steal the ring so you could live in a big, fancy house. I already do," "Now I will teach you who is the karate master!," "You cannot beat up children and call them piglets," "The Shroud of Turin. We should have this dry cleaned. The Pope's ring. His wife will be happy to have it back," "What sort of shampoo is this?," "Nicole. You are very pretty," "Eh. Perhaps I did not think that through," "I wish I had shot him," "That gun is pointless! There are four of us and you only have four bullets left!," and "Never use an elevator during a fire."

The 411: I enjoyed "The Pink Panther 2" quite a bit. I thought it was a fine time at the movies. But then I liked the first Steve Martin led "The Pink Panther." If you liked that movie then you'll probably enjoy the sequel. If you didn't, then you probably won't enjoy the sequel. I know I've said this several times here in this review, but it's very important. You have to decide ahead of time whether or not you'll be willing to put up with the kind of sustained goofy silliness that the first movie involved. So see that movie first before you see its sequel. You have been warned.

Final Score:  9.0   [  Amazing ]