The Pink Panther 2 (2009)
Picking up where the first remake left off, Steve Martin, Jean Reno, and Emily Mortimer reunite in The Pink Panther 2. Kevin Kline isn’t in this one but is instead replaced by John Cleese, the disapproving Inspector Dreyfus determined to take the already inept Inspector Clouseau down off his pedestal. In this one, a team of international experts—Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Yuki Matsuzaki, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan—are hired to find the missing artifact, and the plan is for Clouseau to tag along and embarrass himself so terribly he won’t have to be actually fired. The only problem is, no matter how bad his blunders, he refuses to go away!
Once again, this remake of the beloved Peter Sellers franchise was panned, even though many of the jokes, had they appeared in the originals, would have gone over well. I think modern audiences are just steadfastly loyal, and as someone who is extremely loyal to my favorite movies—in my opinion, the only film of The Great Gatsby was made in 1974—I understand. This installment has a repeated section of humor that, in only ten years, has become enormously dated. Lilly Tomlin costars as an office harassment guide who repeatedly tries to censor Steve’s politically incorrect comments and inappropriate behavior towards women. If you’re able to put on your 2009 goggles, you might get a kick out of these jokes, but most feminists probably won’t laugh.
A good rule of thumb is if you enjoyed the first remake, you’ll probably like the second. The three leads are still the same, Christophe Beck still gives a great, jazzy update to Henry Mancini’s theme, and Emily Mortimer still gets to wear some gorgeous outfits. There’s some silly humor, some physical gags, and an idiot of a hero to root for.
More Steve Martin movies here!
Once again, this remake of the beloved Peter Sellers franchise was panned, even though many of the jokes, had they appeared in the originals, would have gone over well. I think modern audiences are just steadfastly loyal, and as someone who is extremely loyal to my favorite movies—in my opinion, the only film of The Great Gatsby was made in 1974—I understand. This installment has a repeated section of humor that, in only ten years, has become enormously dated. Lilly Tomlin costars as an office harassment guide who repeatedly tries to censor Steve’s politically incorrect comments and inappropriate behavior towards women. If you’re able to put on your 2009 goggles, you might get a kick out of these jokes, but most feminists probably won’t laugh.
A good rule of thumb is if you enjoyed the first remake, you’ll probably like the second. The three leads are still the same, Christophe Beck still gives a great, jazzy update to Henry Mancini’s theme, and Emily Mortimer still gets to wear some gorgeous outfits. There’s some silly humor, some physical gags, and an idiot of a hero to root for.
More Steve Martin movies here!