"The Pink Panther 2" Review

Movie: The Pink Panther 2 * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: Feb. 6, 2009
Runtime: 92 minutes	Directed by: Harald Zwart
MPAA Rating: PG for some suggestive humor, brief mild language and action	Gecko Rating:

If you’re in the mood for a funny movie with lots of goofy slapstick comedy, "The Pink Panther 2" might be it. The plot – and really, the other actors – are secondary to the antics of Steve Martin, who offers several laugh-out-loud moments. And I wasn’t laughing just to be polite, since my kids both sat in different parts of the theater with their friends. I was actually sitting by myself laughing out loud. So that says something.

Steve Martin is back as Inspector Jacques Clouseau, the character made famous by Peter Sellers in the 1960s and 70s "Pink Panther" movies. Steve Martin has been making me laugh since his "Saturday Night Live" days, and he’s still doing a pretty good job of it.

The plot involves a globe-hopping thief known as "The Tornado," who’s been lifting the world’s great treasures, including the Shroud of Turin, the Pope’s ring, and of course, the Pink Panther diamond. So a "dream team" of international detectives is assembled to find the thief and retrieve the stolen items. The team includes Clouseau, Vicenzo (Andy Garcia), Pepperidge (Alfred Molina), Kenji (Yuki Matsuzaki) and Sonia (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan).

None of these actors particularly shine. In fact, I kept thinking that this is kind of a throw-away movie for Molina and Garcia, who’ve done some pretty impressive work over the years. This is a really goofy movie for them to be involved with, they’re mostly there to provide a backdrop for Martin’s humor.

Also onboard is Clouseau’s partner, Ponton (Jean Reno), Chief Inspector Dreyfus (John Cleese), Avellaneda the bad guy (Jeremy Irons – again, really?), and the protocol expert Mrs. Berenger (Lily Tomlin), who tries to set Clouseau straight on a few things, including matters of sexism and racism. Emily Mortimer does a good job in the role of Nicole, Clouseau’s love interest.

As mentioned, most of the movie centers around Martin’s physical comedy, with bits of plot and other characters interspersed here and there. Funny scenes include Clouseau setting a restaurant on fire, on a security camera trying to break into a palace, accidentally impersonating the Pope, that sort of thing. You know how the movie will end up, so there are no surprises there.

Walking out of the theater, the kids immediately proclaimed it worth all five Geckos! So I think all of the funny stuff really appeals to kids, but it’s only getting 3 Geckos from me, though, because of the lackluster plot and other characters.

Note to Parents: Nothing too horrible here. The iffiest scene is where Mrs. Berenger plays out a provocative scene (describing a woman’s tight clothing, bending over, etc.) to see how Clouseau would react.

Images: The Pink Panther 2, Columbia Pictures, 2009