So, we'll do the honors. Pink Panther 2: Attack of the Clumsy Clone. Pink Panther 2: A Globe-Trotting Goof. Or perhaps one that provides an advisory: Pink Panther 2: Stay Home and Bathe the Cat.
Steve Martin reprises his reprise of Peter Sellers' bumbling but resourceful Inspector Clouseau. Though Martin has a couple of funny physical gags, he doesn't measure up to Sellers' singular comic genius.
Martin as Clouseau hams it up half-heartedly, pushing the French accent in such an exaggerated direction that it brings Borat to mind. If someone were to attempt Clouseau again — and we're not saying anyone should — Sacha Baron Cohen would be a better choice for this goofy role.
Remember when Martin was funny? It's hard to figure how the same witty guy who writes thoughtful articles, engaging books and even a droll play (Picasso at the Lapin Agile) could have co-written this leaden redux.
The plot is wafer-thin and the acting is pallid. John Cleese has a funny moment or two as Clouseau's officious and annoyed boss, Inspector Dreyfus. But the rest of the cast seems to be cringing their way through. And when they're not, we are.
Alfred Molina, a newcomer to the series, threatens to wear a pink tutu if the bumbling Clouseau can solve the case of who has stolen the Magna Carta, the pope's ring and, of course, the Pink Panther diamond. And since it's Clouseau's movie, it's certainly no spoiler to reveal that he does. And so Molina dutifully dons the tutu at the film's predictable ending. Why not just dust off The Benny Hill Show?
Andy Garcia plays a variation of the character he plays in the Ocean's Eleven movies, and Jean Reno doesn't seem to be having a good time at all. Both are members of the international team assembled to catch the master thief and retrieve the stolen artifacts.
The most wooden acting in the film belongs to Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. She looks gorgeous, but her expression rarely changes. In contrast, Martin mugs exaggeratedly but to little avail. He's best with the silly one-liners, as when he meets with his fellow dream team of investigators: "Let's bring you up to speed. We know nothing. You are now up to speed."
Rather than reinvigorating the Panther comedy franchise from the '60s and '70s, Martin's version dumbs it down and wrings the zany fun out of it. It's as if the former stand-up comedian is going through the motions of humor, with these and also those Cheaper by the Dozen movies, assuming that youthful target audiences won't know the difference.
Perhaps Martin should go back to taking chances and writing original work.
The Pink Panther 2
* 1/2 (out of four)
Stars: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, John Cleese, Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Lily Tomlin
Director: Harold Zwart
Distributor: MGM and Columbia Pictures
Rating: PG for some suggestive humor, brief mild language and action
Running time: 1 hour, 32 minutes
Opens today nationwide
http://chitika.com/publishers.php?refid=almosthuman99
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
To post to this group, send email to allmovies@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to allmovies-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/allmovies
For More Mailing Lists Visit
http://www.geocities.com/tvandmovies_2000/mailinglists.html
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
