The Pink Panther 2 (2009) User Reviews

Stupid, predictable...but still funny !

[TheDawg64 · 7/10 · 7 February 2009]

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 !

Harmless Fun

[canuckteach · 6/10 · 16 February 2009]

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

Funny and entertaining follow-up with the clumsy Inspector Clouseau-Steve Martin

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 19 July 2010]

Again the Pink Panther with Steve Martin as the inept , botcher inspector . Three important burglaries shock Governments of Britain, Italy and Japan where are robbed the Japanese Imperial sword, the Great Bill , and Shroud of Turin prompting governments to set up a detective 'dream team' to resolve these crimes supposedly committed by a criminal named 'Tornado'. France there are a great mayhem for the robbery of his ¨Pink Panther¨ an enormously expensive diamond and assigns bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau, his assistant Gilbert Ponton (Jean Reno), and Secretary, Nicole (Emily Mortimer), to this issue . Although Chief Inspector Dreyfus (John Cleese replacing Kevin Kline)from the Surete would much prefer seeing Clouseau issuing traffic tickets. The team, consisting of detectives from Britain (Alfred Molina), Japan (Matsuzaki), and Italy (Andy Garcia), and Sonia Solandres (Aishwarya Ray) who attempts to woo Clouseau with shady aims . They travel to Italy where 'Tornado' reportedly inhabits , being the main suspect an aristocrat (Jeremy Irons). This is where they will face their worst mission . Bungling Inspector Clouseau hasn't clues but it doesn't mind . He along with his helper Gilbert Ponton are going into disgraces, mishap , botches and wreak havoc from Paris to Rome. Then the international dream team is humiliated and newspapers publicize: ¨ Bungler Clouseau a disgrace, entire nation loses panache, French detective idiot ¨ .

The film gets entertaining and fun with hilarious moments here and there and never slowdown although contains others ridiculous and disappointing . The picture takes parts from previous entries Sellers' movies (Pink Panther, Shot in dark,The return,revenge,Panther strikes again). As Steve Martin struggles with two kids imitating Sellers and his Kung Fu fighting with Cato -Burt Kwouk- . Steve Martin combines splendidly his comic talent at his peak doing a witty spoof of the absurdities of Peter Sellers character. Evolves famous costars as Alfred Molina, Andy Garcia , John Cleese , a gorgeous Idian star as Rai and many others ; furthermore a magnificent opening cartoon titles. As always lively and jolly music ( arranged by Christophe Beck ) by the great Henry Mancini. Several chuckles and gags ,the result of which is a funny film . Film gets memorable occasion for amusing and entertainment. This sequel is better than Steve Martin's former entry .

Why Bother!!!

[gautham_ecepsg · 1/10 · 15 August 2009]

I've never written a comment before and this is the first movie I'm writing one. Well, many of you have heard from the critics that the movie was not good, also you might have seen some of the comments or heard it from other persons advising you to ignore the critics and that the movie was good. But the comedy in the movie was so PREDICTABLE and its like Steve Martin is forcing you to laugh!!! Clearly, if you have seen the first movie DON'T BOTHER watching this one as many comic scenes were similar to the prequel. I wasted one and half hour in my life and don't do that mistake again..

But if you have not seen any of the previous Pink Panther's movie then its worth a shot. For starters there were very few moments in the movie which was worth laughing but most of the time its like 'I see what you trying to get' Its such a pity to see Steve Martin acting in the movie which suppressed his individuality. I was hoping much from this film, but was clearly disappointed.

French, Fun

[turk_rooster · 6/10 · 28 February 2009]

True to the first installment, The Pink Panther 2 begins with much promise by way of Inspector Clouseau's own brand of semi slapstick humor, loses its way somewhere around the middle, and then finds it again to round off a fairly watchable movie. As far as humor is concerned, one gets the feeling that there is an overlap of far too many elements – the stereotypes, the action sequences, the warped logic, the karate kid family create sequences that are delightful but in certain instances a trifle too much. Good to see Aishwariya in a substantial role, not the least towards the end. The ending is definitely not guessable, though I am not sure whether it is entirely logical. Well, all is fair in Clouseau's end-justifies-the-means-and-hilarity world

Shockingy Unfunny.

[PathetiCinema · 1/10 · 15 February 2009]

Atrocious. Abysmal. Deplorable. Unacceptable. Lamentable. Unforgivable.

These nasty cash-ins really must stop. How Blake Edwards hasn't stalked everybody involved in these fiascos with a shotgun, I'll never know.

The first one was sickeningly unfunny and now we are faced with another trauma to deal with.

Peter Sellers was born to play Clouseau. No one else dare step into his shoes. That way lies disaster and ridicule.

How these abominations make it to the big screen is a mystery. When they are filming them, surely they must know that it isn't working out. Then again, it's hard to show restraint when even your underwear is made of $100 bills. Rich people making themselves richer, even at the cost of their own reputations. Very sad.

This thing makes even 'Curse Of The Pink Panther' look like a defining moment in cinema history. At least 'Curse' had Herbert Lom.

I liked it

[espen-4 · 7/10 · 17 February 2009]

Many critics dislike this movie. Reading their comments I still do not understand why. The movie has many funny moments. The audience I watched this movie with seemed to like it.

I wonder what people expect from a silly movie about a bumbling policeman getting into embarrassing situations. The most usual comment from critics is that Peter Sellers was a much better Clouseau. I am a big fan of the original movies. What Peter Sellers had that Steve Martin is lacking is the arrogance. I am talking about the arrogance Peter Sellers' Clouseau displayed when had just made a fool of himself. Nevertheless, I think Steve Martin made a good Clouseau. I would definitely recommend this movie. Relax and enjoy.

An insult

[leforcat · 1/10 · 7 February 2009]

This movie is a huge insult to Peter Sellers, The Pink Panther, and everything concerned. It's also an insult to the once-funny Steve Martin's past, and it's tragic he doesn't seem to realise it (which is almost unbelievable). Why? Because it's not funny, it's that simple. Had it not been for the legacy, it would simply be another not-funny-at-all mess that regretfully made some money for the schmucks that produced and wrote it (I guess people will go see it because of all the stars, which should be enough). But because of the legacy, many young viewers will have their experience of the real Pink Panther series biased and maybe spoiled for ever. It's like spitting on Peter Sellers' grave. Another review I've just read says "The Pink Panther 2 proves Steve Martin is now nothing more than a paycheck-cashing hack" - now, that's harsh, at least I didn't say that myself!

"PINK PANTHER 2" -- Silly but Enjoyable

[jimchudnow-1 · 7/10 · 5 February 2009]

I've always enjoyed the general purposeful nuttiness of the "PINK PANTHER" series of films, both with Peter Sellers & recently with STEVE MARTIN. Martin stars as the bumbling-but-successful French Inspector Clouseau. This time, he joins a "Dream Team" of sleuths (including one played by ANDY GARCIA) who are trying to track down the "Tornado" who's been stealing very famous artifacts from around the world. Although she's somewhat wasted in this film (compared to the fine work she was allowed to do with Martin in 1984's "ALL OF ME"), LILY TOMLIN appears as a woman trying to help Clouseau with being more "politically correct" (which is a pretty fruitless endeavor!). While it wasn't great, the audience (including loads of kids) responded with a bunch of LAUGHS to the shenanigans going on, & the adults seemed to like the mild romantic elements. While I didn't find this as good as previous episodes, it's a generally pleasant distraction (and we could certainly use that in these times).

Garbage

[fkkemble · 1/10 · 19 September 2010]

I cannot understand why this movie was made? How can Steve Martin live with himself? He should be buried alive for foisting this abomination on the viewing public. Peter Sellars was a true genius and an unrivalled master as a comic actor in this role. His acting was both intelligent and inspired; Steve Martin on the other hand has simply made himself look utterly stupid. In any event I feel that Kevin Klein would have made a far better job of the Clouseau role if it had to be done at all. A great part of the charm of the Pink Panther movies was derived from the exclusively sixties flavour, the vehicles, the fashion and above all the actors who were extraordinarily well cast. The original Pink Panther movies attracted a varied and selective audience whereas the modern Pink Panther could only attract the accolade of the terminally stupid. Could we perhaps organise a petition to stop Steve Martin from repeating this offensive twaddle or maybe have a whip round and buy him off.

An Honest Attempt

[FiendishDramaturgy · 8/10 · 21 February 2009]

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 :.

Watchable: The Bungling French Detective Is Back.

[Pratik112 · 6/10 · 14 February 2009]

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.

An odd, sexy brother in a dress The Pink Panther 2

[jaredmobarak · 2/10 · 3 February 2009]

Hmmm. Does America really hate itself this much? I guess it does. I'll start off by saying how I'm not much of a fan of Peter Sellers Pink Panther let alone watching Steve Martin laugh himself to the bank with a couple of remakes, (I did not see the first). But alas, I found myself in a theatre full of elderly people laughing and younger people walking out, (it was a free screening, I don't much blame them), and I envied my two friends who both said they fell asleep. I unfortunately kept awake in order to sit through the—Inspector Clouseau had the perfect adjectives—drab and disgusting display on the big screen. It was obvious from the beginning, overlong in the pacing and especially the repetitive beyond belief jokes, and just plain sad for the big name actors involved, many of whom I enjoy and some that I love—I'm talking to you Emily Mortimer. While others laughed, I found myself yawning with a delicate, slow moving pat of the mouth as though I was as stale as the script. Maybe my generation just can't understand this type of film, but if that's so, how could the first have warranted a sequel? We have the originals with a superstar in Sellers and yet we repackage for the youth of today? We need Hollywood to start taking control of the economy because they must be doing something right despite the utter absurdity of their decisions.

It all started okay—short, quick glimpses of priceless artifacts being stolen around the world. Maybe there'd be some seriousness to the comedy. Then came the obligatory look at the cartoon Pink Panther wreaking havoc in the opening credit sequence and the soon fun began. Ends up the stolen items were red herrings, only brought out to hopefully let us understand the importance of the pink panther diamond. You see: if that diamond could be spoken in the same breath as the Shroud of Turin, it must be quite the hot item. And who is sworn to protect it you might ask? Well the imbecilic French of course, (I'm sure France LOVES these films), headed by a Brit, for whatever reason, in John Cleese and the "hero" of the film, Martin's bumbling Clouseau. We've seen this thing a million times—of course the idiot will idiotically stumble into solving the case; it's just a matter of wading through the nonsense runtime padding until that fateful moment graces us with a conclusion. Hell, even the American "The Office" uses this device every week; no wonder it is a water-downed facsimile of the British original.

What does that padding consist of though? Credible guys like Alfred Molina, Jean Reno, and, why oh why did he do it, Jeremy Irons joining the ranks of hammy ex-serious actors like Andy Garcia and Lily Tomlin to make faces and fill the frame with reaction after reaction shot of Martin's shenanigans. If the film is good for anything it is using Aishwarya Rai's sexuality and introducing me to Yuki Matsuzaki who entertains for the most part. Otherwise it is all excruciatingly painful to watch, mostly for the fact that you realize how little you make a year and how much they all made for doing practically no work on a film that will be thrown away after opening weekend and probably given a third installment.

I really feel bad having very little in the way of backhanded praise for this film. I realize the amount of time and work put in, yet can't help but think of how many other more important things that time could have been spent on. When you have to sit through a ten minute exchange between Martin and Tomlin of him checking out an attractive girl in the hall, her calling him out, him denying it, her not believing, and then him looking again—repeat … three more times, you know that hell has arrived on earth. On top of that come lines like "But I can't fly!!" and an impromptu sing-along manifested from a shampoo name, JoJoBa pronounced HoHoBa; you can imagine the worried looks to watches wondering how much longer it could go on. Yet there was laughter! I can't fathom it either. People ate some of this stuff up like it was the most hilarious thing they've seen since The Pink Panther 1. I guess I'm just out of touch, or else just way too cynical and jaded. Either way, if you are like me, stay far, far away at all costs.

Did not need to be made

[doug1939 · 1/10 · 6 February 2009]

This is a good example of a film that was totally unnecessary. The original "Pink Panther" films starring Peter Sellers were very funny and artfully done. The Steve Martin ventures are basically unfunny crap. Spending money to view a film as awful as Martin's "Pink Panther 2" is an unpardonable waste of resources. You would be better served by buying a DVD of the Peter Sellers rendition of "Pink Panther 2".

Steve Martin needs to find fresh new material that has never been previously filmed. He used to be funny, and has made some very enjoyable films in the past. His recent remakes of previously done material have been awful stinkers.

Dream Team Fails to Acquit Pink Panther 2, But Entertaining Enough to See

[Kakueke · 6/10 · 10 February 2009]

"Pink Panther 2" is not a great movie, but it is not as bad as some say. A new villain, The Tornado, snatches away the Pink Panther diamond. But The Tornado has also swiped other big-name treasures: The Magna Carta, The Shroud of Turin, and the Emperor's Sword. It is an international "Dream Team" of detectives, not just Inspector Jacques Clouseau, who investigate. Joining Steve Martin (Clouseau) are some accomplished actors: Andy Garcia plays (very well) Italian businessman Vicenzo, Alfred Molina is British inspector Pepperidge, and Yuki Matsuzaki is Japanese electronics expert Kenji. The odd lady out, and a very key person, is the exotic and very pretty Sonia (Aishwarya Rai). She is an expert on criminology and, specifically, The Tornado.

***The following may contain spoilers***

Martin is no Peter Sellers. The Englishman ever had poise and charm as Clouseau: Something about him fit so well into a French policeman's uniform or a trench coat. Sellers carried himself well when not tripping over something, and when he did, he seemed oblivious. His manner of speaking was deliberate yet natural: sophisticated, arrogant, comedic aplomb, if you will, and one reason he was funny was that he was almost always serious. Martin's Clouseau is also egotistical and certainly has presence, but not the same poise. He is too goofy. He is taller and gawkier, older, and more nervous. He also gets depressed when he screws up. Martin is fairly funny when he engages in French-to-English mispronunciation dialogue, but I take Sellers' smooth manner over Martin's verbose. In fairness, part of the problem is the script. Attempting to make the movie funny, the screenwriters concocted a substantial amount of cheap lines, especially politically incorrect dialogue and behavior, for Martin, having him contradict his political correctness mentor Mrs. Berenger (Lily Tomlin) by ogling women and making a bad joke about his "yellow" friend Kenji and sushi. He embarrasses a comrade in front of others by saying "I'm sorry you cannot satisfy your wife," and of his secretary, he says to a group of detectives: "Nicole is here to service your needs...use her in any way you wish." The low sexual humor, of which there is plenty, is not always terrible; but if you go there, limit it and assign it to characters other than Clouseau. Blake Edwards' Clouseau had wit, not cheap humor, including in romantic situations.

As for the slapstick and other humor, it is often predictable and silly. In a less-than-stellar scene at the film's beginning, Clouseau bumbles a parking ticket issuance in a hint of more forced humor to come. Still, there is enough here for viewers to laugh at and enjoy, exerting the right to relax. The same restaurant is accidentally burned down twice by guess who [?], and Clouseau has a meeting with the Pope that ends up with Clouseau encountering some fearsome heights. There is a lot of crashing, bashing, and banging; at some point, this is overdone. Vicenzo and Chief Inspector Dreyfus (John Cleese) have a few good moments of humor. An encounter between The Dream Team and a falsely accused Tornado (played by Jeremy Irons) is fairly funny. This is one of a few moderately good twists concerning The Tornado and those in the villain's orbit.

My favorite aspect of the movie is the romantic tension between Clouseau and his sweetheart of a secretary, Nicole (Emily Mortimer). She is the most compelling person of the film. Finding it difficult to express their love for each other, Clouseau and Nicole still feel it, and this makes for a good climax (seriously, no pun intended). Nicole is very beautiful and so is Sonia, who has a sexier look and, for a while, eyes for Clouseau.

But the reality is that the overall script does not match the four great "Pink Panther" works. In the original series of movies, things started going downhill in "Revenge of the Pink Panther" (and continued much further in the follow-ups without Sellers). Sellers could not salvage "Revenge," in which there was too much klutzy humor including overuse of Cato. But Cato fighting is better than fighting with a colleague's young karate kids, as Martin does here. Overall, the silly overrides the witty or sophisticated in "Pink Panther 2."

What's the point?

[sethmlanders · 1/10 · 1 October 2014]

The first one was plenty and with a sequel, you would expect Steve Martin to try harder this time around. At least with "Pink Panther 1", I had quite a few laughs. Here, there was nothing funny during this movie. The experience I had in the theater was the same as when I saw "The Love Guru", sitting there amazed and stone-faced without a single laugh. Steve Martin can act really well and he can be extremely funny. All Of Me, Roxanne, Parenthood, The Man with Two Brains, etc. are all proof that this man can do better than this and The Pink Panther 2 ruins his charm. The plot...what plot? There was none! Nothing happening, sophomoric jokes, and frankly it was boring! This franchise is beyond dead and there's no excuse for Martin's actions, receiving a 12% on Rotten Tomatoes. Not to mention that this was a serious financial flop! It was just a chance for Martin to cash in on the movie as Peter Sellers rolls in his grave. It's pointless and I wasted my time with this garbage. Do the same and don't waste your time or money on this disaster of a movie!

Martin continues the tradition in this harmless chapter of the series

[george.schmidt · 7/10 · 9 February 2009]

THE PINK PANTHER 2 (2009) **1/2 Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, John Cleese, Yuki Matsuzaki, Aishwarya Rai, Lily Tomlin, Jeremy Irons. Martin returns in this not-bad sequel to the re-imagination franchise of Inspector Jacques Clouseau, the buffoon French policeman who winds up as part of an international 'dream team' of investigators trying to stop "the Tornado", a globe trotting cat burglar, while attempting to regain the love of his life back in good graces (the sweet Mortimer). Martin proves to still be an agile performer in this decent blend of slapstick, double entendres and general goofiness for this benign chapter of the series. (Dir: Harald Zwart)

Steve Martin Is Losing It

[Trombonehead · 1/10 · 6 February 2009]

Sorry, but Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau just does not make it. There is only one Clouseau, and that's Peter Sellers. I can't understand why Martin has done this, except his ego has gotten so big he thinks he's funny enough to pull it off. Well I have news for Steve: Forget it! Both of these Pink Panther remakes are totally lame travesties and nothing more than cheap imitation cash-grabs. Steve Martin, go back to doing what you're good at, being Steve Martin, not a second-rate, amateur, really bad imitation of Peter Sellers. As for John Cleese, he must be hard up for cash. That's the only reason I can see him doing this. Obviously the Hollywood marketing people have aimed this piece of junk at the juvenile market which is too young to know about Peter Sellers.

So many Whiners, So little information

[cebrail · 7/10 · 19 February 2009]

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.

Haven't we suffered enough....isn't there enough pain in this world...!

[AlphaCritic · 1/10 · 5 August 2009]

I didn't get past watching the first 10 minutes of this drivel….!! . 10 minutes that I'll never get back. This film did not even achieve my lowest expectations. I'm reachin' out to Mr Martin here…….PLEASE…PLEASE…PLEASE …PLEASE…..stop makin' these films…..why are you makin' us suffer dude…? I had such respect for your work and then you go and pull a stunt like this. I'm no purist and do not believe that Peter Seller's was the one an only Inspector Closeau….I enjoyed Alan Arkins take on the role very much as well. I do believe Mr Martin could have had some potential in the role………..but my god the scripts for PP and PP2 have been absolutely diabolically lame. The jokes and gags all seem to be forced, childish with a lot of unwarranted toilet humour.

If I could give this film a lower mark than 1 then I would have done so….! Dennis the Pennis was right….Mr Martin….when did you stop being funny ?.

Better than I've expected to be!

[argstyl · 9/10 · 16 February 2009]

My opinion is that it was better than the 1st one. It was quick,the plot very interesting,I was easily absorbed(I did not realized how the time passed).As I was watching it in Greece some jokes were not very funny for those who do not understand English(as some quotes were like rhyming).I certainly would watch it again-I like this kind of humor. The actors were like a surprise to me because I did not know about the cast. The only thing that made made make a face was the pronunciation, from the beginning of the film mostly Mrs.Nicole made it too pronounced-of course "they were" french people but it was too much pointed out.The whole film was too good,I laughed with tears,the audience was attentive, everything went well-so good that I was not expected it -I have the opinion that part 2 can not be as good as the 1st one.Regards!

If you are in the mood for funny this is an excellent choice for everyone.

[AncientChineseSecret · 14 February 2009]

We enjoyed this film from start to finish. The audience was roaring with laughter at all the right times. Money & Time well spent one can't ask for more. Thanks for the entertainment to all those who had hands and ideas in the film.Keep making films. Helpful info: Get there early to get your popcorn/treats and beverages you don't want to miss any bit of it. I find if you sit up higher in the audience one's eyes relax and are able to take in the whole film without feeling you are pressed against a window shield in a smart car. 10/10 STARS. I do hope parents will convey that stunt people were used and if those things ever happened there could be deadly consequences.

Amusing and at times outright funny.

[PWNYCNY · 7/10 · 12 February 2009]

Not as good as the first Steve Martin remake, but still amusing and at times outright funny. Most of the humor consists of sight gags and slapstick, but there are some quite funny scenes such as when Inspector Clouseau interrogates the Pope with hilarious results or Inspector's lessons on proper etiquette from Mrs. Berenger played by Lily Tomlin who is wonderful in this movie. Other parts of the movie fall flat. The rest of the cast is also funny. John Cleese playing a Frenchman was excellent. This story is innocuous enough to have been rated G. Good movie, entertaining, light fare. One problem with the movie is that Jean Reno seemed to be miscast. In the first movie he plays a serious role but here he plays a buffoon and sidekick to the hapless Clouseau. It did not work. A strong actor like Jean Reno should have strong roles.

Awful

[mlfrdrdg · 1/10 · 14 February 2009]

Steve Martin is embarrassing. The movie is downright awful. Martin's attempt at a French accent is simply annoying.

There are scenes that are visually entertaining, such as the wine juggle. John Cleese, as usual, is quite funny. Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau was funny in the original movie. However, Martin in the same role is simply foolish. I got up from my seat and left the other four in my party when I just couldn't stand it anymore and went to the plex next door to see part of a lame romantic comedy rather than risk hating myself for wasting my life watching another minute of The Pink Panther 2. I haven't walked out of a movie in probably 40 years! I met up with the group later, the were decidedly disappointed in the film-- and no long fans of Steve Martin.

The Circus Clown Returns

[feagruth · 1/10 · 14 August 2013]

I have always struggled and even wanted to like Steve Martin as a comedy actor yet at best can only rate him as moderately talented. There is something instantly likable about him which has always allowed one to overlook the fact that in any role, it is Steve Martin, stand-up comedian and not the character that one sees.

In taking on the part of Clouseau, Martin and the creators of these hideous films missed the point that trying to imitate a parody will never work. What Edwards and Sellars created played on so many levels including a very ignorant British attitude to French culture that is certainly unknown in America. I suppose at least he can feel happy that he is on a par with Queen Latifa in the Americanisation of the classic Besson film, Taxi.

To go further and make a second installment of such spuriousness just underlines that Martin has no understanding of the fact that all of the original films will stand the test of time and be purchased by generations to come. Great comedians often tend to be great character actors (Take Billy Connoly for one). Moderate comedians make moderate actors.

All in all, it manages to achieve the heights of a nice little retirement fund for the likes of Martin, Cleese (who should be ashamed) and other actors that have sullied their reputations by appearing in this debacle.

Watch the originals, compare them to these. Then you'll really laugh.