La pantera rosa 2

Having watched almost all the previous and Pink Panther movies which starred the late Peter Sellers as the bungling, world famous and the legendary French detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau and Herbert Lom as Chief Inspector Dreyfus, I was looking forward to this one, as I had previously watched the 2006 one as well.

A bungling traffic cop is called upon to join a team who are investigating treasures that are being stolen. But he fears that someone will steal the famous diamond as soon as he leaves France.

Starring Steve Martin, John Gleese (former "Monty Python" actor and famously remembered for his character as "Basil Fawlty" in "Fawlty Towers" TV series), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Emily Mortimer, Geoffrey Palmer, Andy Garcia, Jean Reno, Jeremy Irons and Jack Metzger, this is directed by Herald Zwart and is written by Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Webber and Steve Martin.

This Pink Panther cannot be compared to the ones that starred the late Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom. The jokes – the gags are there and are good but something or the other makes it predictable, which the previous "Pink Panthers" didn't and this is perhaps the biggest let down to a "watchable" level in terms of rating. Steve Martin is quite convincing and does make one laugh and this is perhaps the saving point of this movie. But unfortunately, the same cannot be said for John Gleese - bit of a let down there and the character of "Cato," the karate servant, which was played by Burt Kwouk in the previous ones, is missed even though reference to the martial art are there.

Nevertheless, this is a movie that is worth watching once but if, like me you have enjoyed the previous Pink Panthers, then one should not expect much from this and should not compare it with them.. And finally, what can be said about the former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) except that she looks good and has performed well.

I'm not ready to get out the torches and pitchforks and lead a lynch mob after Mr Martin -- not yet anyway! Having read the early reviews here, I went to the cheapo theater with low expectations, and emerged pleasantly surprised. There were some genuine laughs from time-to-time, plus a great cast (shoulda got more out them). My daughter and grandchildren were delighted.

The overall plot is reasonably clever -- so, that leaves the gags. Some work - some don't work that well, as evidenced by the fact that many IMDb'ers want to talk about why some of the gags don't 'feel right', or seem to 'take too long'. (No really successful comedians ever had people talk about how their gags don't seem to be working -- people just talk about how much they laughed. When people start analyzing why your comedy isn't funny, it ain't workin'). But we had a few chuckles in this one, if not a bunch of sustained belly laughs.

Everyone says we should stop comparing Steve Martin to Peter Sellers, but, if you watched the original films, how can you stop comparing? Sellers created this character, just as Atkinson created Mr. Bean and Cleese created Basil Fawlty. And Steve Martin tries to do Sellers anyway (his 'little yellow friend' line?). He can't quite pull it off, and he hasn't really found a shtick that works. For one thing, his eyes are always popping, like he's trying to pass gas. Sellers' eyes were quiet. His Clouseau was genuinely 'clueless'. And, I've mentioned elsewhere at IMDb that Sellers was a major Radio comedy star before doing films - that puts him in a league with Abbott & Costello, Burns & Allen, Bob Hope and Jack Benny. These guys built amazing gags that kept both live and radio audiences in stitches, using well-constructed devices such as bizarre characterizations, rapid exchanges, and nifty voices. Mr. Martin's roots in comedy are from a different - and later - era.

Overall, though, if you need an amusing and harmless diversion, go see this at the reduced-price theater. For $4, I'm in - $20 for a date and me, plus popcorn? where are those torches and pitchforks?

6/10 canuckteach

As I said in my review of the first installment of this line: Steve Martin has walked in the Valley of the Kings. He has faced some pretty amazing obstacles, and he has stood in some pretty big shadows. Let's face it. Although his rendition of, "The Out-of-Towners," was amusing, he's no Jack Lemmon. While I LOVE his Sgt. Bilko portrayal, he's not Phil Silvers. Cheaper by the Dozen wasn't horrible, but he's not Clifton Webb, either. He's Steve Martin.

You may not appreciate his style of comedy, but the Peter Sellers-venerated character of Inspector Jacques Clouseau made for the best use of Martin's prolific use of pratfalls, ironic wit, and in your face sarcasm than any other character he has tackled previously.

But the character portrayed by Martin herein has something I never saw in Sellers' portrayal after the second installment...genuine heart. This is sweetly honest in its attempt. I feel that this will actually turn into a legitimate franchise reboot, if the average movie-goer will stop attempting to compare Martin's Clouseau to Sellers' Clouseau. They are two different actors, and Martin has stated to the point of nausea that he is NOT attempting to "do" Sellers' interpretation of the character!

As far as the MOVIE goes, it is sweet, funny, and enduring with a strong story, a stronger relationship element, and a great cast. I did not miss Kevin Kline nearly as much as I supposed I would. John Cleese was a perfect Dreyfus, showing us the beginnings of Herbert Lom's trademark twitch, when dealing with Clouseau. Very nice!

I think, when looking back, Steve Martin's Jacques Clouseau will be remembered fondly by the new generations, just as prior generations stubbornly cling to Sellers' character in spite of Martin's superior portrayal.

All in all? I love it. It is a(n almost) violence-free, blood-free, honest attempt at a family film. This is great! and I cannot wait to get it into my collection.

It rates an 8.4/10 from...

the Fiend :.

Even though I knew the movie had been panned by the critics, I still agreed to go along with my friends to watch it. As the credits rolled in the end, I sat wondering what were the critics expecting from the movie...

Of course the plot is stupid, the end is predictable. But the movie delivers what every comedy intends to deliver...lots of good laughs ! If the reviewers were expecting a thought provoking plot, Oscar winning performances, or a great achievement in "moving image"...perhaps they bought the wrong movie ticket. Also, I have not seen the original Peter Sellers movie. Looks like every Peter Sellers fan hates the new series. But I really don't see why shouldn't I enjoy the jokes in Pink Panther 2 just because Peter Sellers was funnier.

This may not be the funniest movie of the year. But its 1.5 hours well enjoyed ! Don't get swayed by the critics...go and have fun in this movie !

OK after reading through a few pages of these so-called "reviews" I gotta say this, Peter Sellers is dead, get over it.

He has been dead for longer than a billion people has been alive, and most wont remember him or even know about his Pink Panther movies, so stop comparing them.

If you can't watch the movie without bias to a guy who has been dead for nearly 30 years, then PLEASE don't bother posting a review, 10 pages of "Steve Martin is not Peter Sellers" don't review a movie.

OK rant over, for the review.

The movie is actually both quite good and quite fun for someone who has never seen more to The Pink Panther than the cartoon, now I'm not gonna lie, it's not a super-box-office-hit or anything, it wont make the Top10 or even Top50 list, but it's definitely not a 1 or a 2 or any of these things the Peter Sellers fan boys are giving it.

If you go in expecting some fun comedy and without previous expectations concerning past movies you will not be disappointed, and if you are a Steve martin fan then it will get a bit better than that.