Review of The Pink Panther 2 (2009) by Dave W — 30 Oct 2009

Steve Martin is the only person on this planet that can be assigned a role that was first established by Peter Sellers (with honorable mention) and sucessfully pull it off without a hitch. There is no doubt in my mind that Martin has maintained his credibility as a comedian in film throughout his career wheras comedic washouts the likes of Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler have worn out their welcome by more than a melennia.

This was a pretty funny film that matches the first film. Jean Reno, John Cleese, Andy Garcia and Alfred Molina perform respectively but this is Martins game through and through and he has fun with it.

Martin has some pretty big shoes to fill but he knows funny, and shows no sign of holding back in playing Cloussau in his own comedical way. In some ways I liked this film a bit more than the first or maybe I was in a mood to laugh, who knows.

People may quibble and complain that the Pink Panther series has drifted far from it's original roots without Sellers and those people just don't like change and if they are happy with their Peter Sellers Collections and are content with that, that is fine but sometimes you just have to let go and breathe the air of the new, though while not as true to the source material, it certainly has come into it's own with Martins influence.

Do you think Sellers did not influence and make The Pink Panther his own with the original films? Yes, he did. So why is it so hard for people to accept another work from another comedical actor that was greatly influenced by the genius of it's star and let him make it his own? People have got to stop their nit picking and bickering and accept this film as a Steve Martin affair and compare him less with his predeccessor.

The Pink Panther 2 is a true winner especially when compared to other films released around the same time, dare I mention Year One? (Blech!) With a strong supporting cast and consistent laughs throughout, the result is an enjoyabley funny affair that may leave you gasping for some air.