Kids will love it, but this 'Panther' has drifted far from the smart farce it once was.
The Pink Panther 2 (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:127
Fresh:16
Rotten:111
Average Rating:3.5/10
Consensus: Underutilizing its talented cast, The Pink Panther 2 is little more than a series of lame slapstick gags.
Runtime: 4 hrs 23 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:13-02-2009
Synopsis: With 2009’s THE PINK PANTHER 2, Steve Martin once again dons the mantle of the giddily absurd Inspector Clouseau. This time, the bumbling French lawman, relieved of meter-maid duty, attempts to... With 2009’s THE PINK PANTHER 2, Steve Martin once again dons the mantle of the giddily absurd Inspector Clouseau. This time, the bumbling French lawman, relieved of meter-maid duty, attempts to track down a bold thief known as the Tornado, who makes off with many of the world’s cultural treasures, including the Magna Carta, the Shroud of Turin, and, of course, the Pink Panther Diamond. Aiding Clouseau is a team of international investigators, most notably a Brit (Alfred Molina) and an Italian (Andy Garcia), all of whom get to marvel at his unfiltered silliness. While this second installment of the PINK PANTHER series reboot features some changes to the creative team, with director Harald Zwart (AGENT CODY BANKS) replacing Shawn Levy and John Cleese stepping in for Kevin Kline as the sourpuss Chief Inspector Dreyfus, the movie reunites Martin with the always-likeable actors Jean Reno and Emily Mortimer. Also joining the ensemble cast are Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jeremy Irons, and Martin’s old comrade Lily Tomlin, making this sequel quite crowded with top-notch talent. Though the film itself doesn’t live up to its potential--the Clouseau role is still securely owned by the late, great Peter Sellers--it offers up plenty of chuckle-inducing moments as Martin hams it up with grand mispronunciations and gleeful slapstick. [More]
Starring: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, Andy Garcia
Starring: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, Andy Garcia, Emily Mortimer, Aishwarya Rai, Jeremy Irons, John Cleese, Lily Tomlin
Director: Harald Zwart
Director: Harald Zwart
Screenwriter: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, Steve Martin
Story: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
Producer: Robert Simonds
Composer: Christophe Beck
Studio: MGM
Reviews for The Pink Panther 2
One can only hope that something good is coming from all the bad movies that Steve Martin has been appearing in.
Only little kids will find it somewhat amusing, but everyone else will find it to be tedious, low on laughs and ultimately forgettable.
Perhaps it's finally time to let Clouseau retire. If the movies can't generate laughs, there's really no point to them at all.
None of it is memorable, though the audience it's aimed at will giggle at the adults gone goofy.
Recycling bins have fresher content than this listless exercise in check-the-boxes moviemaking.
The film’s director, Harald Zwart, has little grasp of timing, which is crucial in slapstick. The result is frantic activity with few payoffs.
Here's hoping Martin now moves on, perhaps to revive some other defunct franchise.
For all the obvious cribbing, the filmmakers still seem ill-at-ease with Clouseau’s simplistic world view and frank buffoonery.
Serves up enough goofy pranks and fractured wordplay to keep the series purring along.
Not content with having trashed the memory of Peter Sellers and Blake Edwards once...Steve Martin takes up the task again, with results that are equally bad.
It's an everything-including-the kitchen-sink comedy -- and the sink has rusty pipes.
Hoary slapstick routines, invariably rushed, are all there is in The Pink Panther 2.
Latest News for The Pink Panther 2
February 08, 2009:
While Martin's all purpose good cop/bad cop excels at flaunting his dark side when beating up children, burning down ritzy restaurants more than once, and ogling every woman in the vicinity, it's a tad too polite for audiences weaned on grossout. ![]()
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February 05, 2009:
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This week at the movies, we've got dark whimsy (Coraline, with voice work by Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher); love mishaps (He's Just Not That Into You, starring Jennifer... More...
February 05, 2009:
Box Office Guru Preview: Celeb Clan Takes on Pink Panther
Four new releases hit North American multiplexes on Friday setting up a pair of cinematic fights. The main event sees rival franchise comedies go at it for the number one spot... More...
February 05, 2009:
Total Recall: Steve Martin's Best Movies
It isn't the most highly anticipated sequel of the year, but The Pink Panther 2 opens this weekend, and in honor of Steve Martin's second turn as the... More...
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