The Pink Panther 2
The Pink Panther 2 has Steve Martin reprising his homage to Peter Sellers and his 60’s buffoon character Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Although most of the action takes place in France, French accents are optional. Emily Mortimer as Clouseau’s clumsy love interest almost gets a pass but John Cleese as Chief Inspector Dreyfus doesn’t even try (something his predecessor Kevin Klein might have taken to heart) and a couple of karate kids who take on Kato-esque roles need not have tried. Martin puts his own professional spin on Seller’s patented French accent that sounds authentic but really isn’t. Here the poly carat pink diamond with the panther shaped flaw, touted as the object of Gallic pride is among artefacts like the Shroud of Turin and the Magna Carta heisted by a master criminal known as the Tornado. Clouseau is tapped to head an international group of sleuths to retrieve the stolen treasures. Of course this plot is a flimsy excuse to showcase a lot of silliness and physical comedy – some of which is lame but a lot of which gets hearty laughs from young and old. The Pink Panther 2 may get a critical rough ride for too much silliness but isn’t that what historically the franchise has succeeded on? Not to mention the career of Steve Martin.