Synopsis:

Inspector Clouseau (Martin) teams up with a squad of detectives who are just as bumbling as he is. Their mission: Stop a globe-trotting thief who specializes in stealing historical artifacts.

Our Thoughts:

Of all the films I never thought would get a sequel, 2006’s The Pink Panther was very high on that list.

Imagine my surprise when I heard that The Pink Panther 2 would be making it’s way to theaters February 2009!

While I never saw the 2006 version, I had seen the original 1964 version, and couldn’t imagine anyone playing Inspector Clouseau better than Peter Sellers - especially not Steve Martin, whose recent on-screen exploits have been more painful than funny (Cheaper By The Dozen, Bringing Down The House, etc.). Apparently, many moviegoers agreed, and bad reviews started popping up all over the place.

Because I didn’t want to subject myself to more of Martin’s attempts at being funny, I stayed far away from The Pink Panther - and now there’s a sequel.

Just like in the first film, the sequel has what looks to be a tremendous cast (even discounting Steve Martin). Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, Andy Garcia, John Cleese! Unfortunately, aside from original silly walker John Cleese, the cast doesn’t sound like a comedy dream team. Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina or Jean Reno in a comedy? What? What kind of miscasting is that?

Undoubtedly, little kids who have never even heard of Peter Sellers or the original Pink Panther film series will once again drag their parents (mentally kicking and screaming) to this film.

Those of us with slightly more discerning tastes than the average 7-year-old will once again stay far far away - unless John Cleese has a much larger role than anticipated.

Then again, maybe The Pink Panther was a return to a funny Steve Martin that just didn’t go over well with critics. With a sequel coming out, I guess I’ll have to rent the original just to find out how bad it is for myself.

 

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