Rating: PG
Starring:
Steve Martin as Inspector Jacques Clouseau
Jean Reno as Gendarme Gilbert Ponton
Emily Mortimer as Nicole Durant-Clouseau
Andy Garcia as Vicenzo
Alfred Molina as Chief Inspector Randall Pepperidge
Yuki Matsuzaki as Kenji Mazuto
Aishwarya Rai as Sonia Solandres
John Cleese as Chief Inspector Dreyfus
Lily Tomlin as Mrs. Berenger
Jeremy Irons as Alonzo Avellaneda
Johnny Hallyday as Laurence Milliken
Geoffrey Palmer as Joubert
Philip Goodwin as Renard
Armel Bellec as Louis
Jack Metzger as Antoine
Special Features:
Disc One: Blu-ray
Gag Reel
Drama Is Easy…Comedy Is Dangerous Featurette
A Dream Team Like No Other Featurette
Trivia Game: Master Thief – Golbal Crime Showdown!
Disc Two: Bonus DVD
27 Classic Pink Panther Cartoons
Includes Digital Copy of “Pink Panther 2” For Portable Media Players
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.85:1)
DTS-HD MA 5.1
Portuguese, French and Spanish Language Tracks
Portuguese, Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin and Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 92 Minutes
The Movie:
The following is the official description of the film:
“Steve Martin returns to the scene of the fun as the brilliant, bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau in this side-splitting slapstick comedy for the whole family! When legendary treasures from around the world are stolen, including the priceless Pink Panther diamond, Clouseau is assigned to a dream team of international detectives who are under pressure to bring the master thief to justice before he strikes again.”
“The Pink Panther 2” is rated PG for some suggestive humor, brief mild language and action.
Mini-Review:
Having already been through the first “Pink Panther” remake, we pretty much know what we’re getting here. The first had one of Steve Martin’s less memorable performances, weak comedy, and it didn’t come close to comparing with the original Blake Edwards films. So anyone entering into this film should know exactly what they’re going to get. With all previous criticism in mind, they do a few things right with this sequel.
The first thing they do correctly is bring in a group of international inspectors for Clouseau to play off of. Not only do we get the French stereotype, but the British, Japanese, and Italian ones, too. You get a whole new batch of straight men for Martin to play off of, and you get a whole new playground for him to venture into such as Rome, the Vatican, etc.
The second thing they did right is get a strong cast. We’re treated to Andy Garcia as Vicenzo, Alfred Molina as Chief Inspector Randall Pepperidge, Lily Tomlin as Mrs. Berenger, and Jeremy Irons as Alonzo Avellaneda. It’s fun to see Martin play the fool in front of all these respected actors and actresses. Aishwarya Rai from “Bride and Prejudice” is also a pretty love interest for Clouseau as Sonia Solandres
Finally, they do manage to have a couple of good comedy sequences in the film. One features Clouseau trying to catch dozens of wine bottles as they fall off a rack. Another great scene is reminiscent of Peter Seller’s classic kung fu battles with Cato in his apartment. This time around Martin battles Ponton’s two young sons who are kung fu enthusiasts.
Overall “The Pink Panther 2” is just as forgettable as its predecessor, but it’s good for some light entertainment. And except for one risqué scene with Lily Tomlin, it’s safe for families to watch together.
The Blu-ray bonus features are fairly slim. There’s a digital copy of the film, a gag reel, and two ‘making of’ featurettes. But my kid’s favorite extra is the bonus disc featuring 27 classic “Pink Panther” cartoons. They love them all and have been watching them more than the live action movie.
