Sunday, February 8, 2009

THE PINK PANTHER 2




Comedy

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
John Cleese: Chief Inspector Dreyfus of La Sûreté Nationale
Steve Martin: Inspector Jacques Clouseau
Emily Mortimer: his secretary Nicole
Jean Reno: Ponton, Inspector Clouseau’s right-hand man
Andy Garcia: Vicenzo, the Italian member of the international police Dream Team
Alfred Molina: Pepperidge, the British team member
Yuki Matsuzaki: Kenji, the Japanese representative
Aishwarya Rai: Sonia, the Indian representative
Lily Tomlin: Mrs. Berenger, a political-correctness counselor

REVIEW
No one is ever going to suggest this is a fine example of intellectual humour at its best. But what it does offer is quite a few laughs from the many one-liners, some sight gags and lots of slapstick. Lots.

Not everything works of course. For example the rather overblown sequence following the opening credits may not appeal to everyone but after that it settles down to a series of one bumbling episode after another. It’s pretty silly and not likely to offend too many despite some utterances by Clouseau, ergo, the need for Mrs. Berenger.

So for an hour and a half you get to forget about your own problems and concentrate on those created by Clouseau. Not a bad trade-off.

CLASSIFICATION
for some suggestive humor, brief mild language and action.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• A copy of the Magna Carta is on display in the British Library not in the British Museum.
• When Vincenzo meets Clouseau for the first time a lock of hair dangles from his head when the camera angle is over his shoulder but mysteriously disappears when seen from Clouseau’s perspective.
• Lathered in shampoo Clouseau manages to sprinkle his head with some grains of corn, one of which has a mind of its own as it disappears only to reappear in subsequent scenes.

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