The Pink Panther 2
Steve Martin takes over the service in “Pink Panther 2″ by embodying again Inspector Clouseau, the most ridiculous agent of the French police. A rare second volume that is better than the original, which unfortunately is not the shadow of the great films by Blake Edwards that featured the incredible Peter Sellers.
From Spain to Japan via Italy, the greatest treasures of the nations are stolen by a clever thief. This plague is spreading to France, while the famous pink panther missing. Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin) joins illustrious investigators to find these gems of inestimable value. Another impossible mission for the most blundering man of the country, a bachelor who might even find love on its way!
Regardless of the cartoons and many products, this prestigious series is limited to only two films: the “Pink Panther” version of 1964 and continued his hilarious “A Shoot in the Dark.” Other productions are merely copies with diluted humor and doubtful originality.
In 2006, several people (including a certain Ivan Reitman) decided to revive this popular franchise by giving the main role in Steve Martin, an actor who has often been able to laugh a plant. The failure, if it was not total, however, was cooking. The famous actor grimaces multiplied in a scenario that was non-existent. Just smile.
This is as much of this second test. Wanting to replicate Edward’s gags is one thing. But we must not forget to be creative and propose a story that deserves attention. This is not the case here. Despite its three screenwriters, the premise is just a pretext for a wave treasure hunt where Clouseau will continually feet in the flat. His hand will remain trapped in a windshield wiper, it will not break his arm and a window in case of accident, it will be expelled from miles of the place of impact … This fantasy may provide some comic sequences (this delightful animated introduction, those who juggle with bottles of wine, these cameras that trigger at the arrival of security guards) that would have much impact in a short film.
At nearly 90 minutes, the jokes can only repeat and stretch almost endlessly. How many times the hero massacred his words? And why everyone speaks in English in France? The verbal humor, it can be funny by moments, however, tends to want to reach families with children. The racist and vulgar lines fade before the politically correct tone, turning the story into ersatz without some flavor of “OSS 117″. A feeling reinforced by the implementation of lazy Harald Zwart whose main weapon is “Agent Cody Banks”, which has just been hired to shoot the remake of “The Karate Kid.”
It is known by its title and acknowledged that “Pink Panther 2″ will attract attention. Not as absurd as the first component, this result is far from pointless comedy success, and it just gives a taste of reviewing the two works in 1964 who were laughing to tears. The sooner the better.
Rating: 2/5
Directed By: Harald Zwart
Cast: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Yuki Matsuzaki, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, John Cleese, Lily Tomlin, Jeremy Irons, Johnny Hallyday, Geoffrey Palmer, Phillip Goodwin, Armel Bellec, Jack Metzger
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Posted on Saturday, February 14th, 2009 at 4:57 pm