Pink Panther 2 (Blu-ray) (2009)

Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
I was smiling all the way through the opening credits of "The Pink Panther 2." They made me miss the golden age of credits, when you actually found out who the actors were going to be, and maybe saw a little cartoon in the bargain: This time, one about the misadventures of the Pink Panther, of course. And 10 of the actors in the movie's cast!...Imagine these names appearing one after another: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, John Cleese, Lily Tomlin, Jeremy Irons, Johnny Hallyday ... wait a minute! Aishwarya Rai Bachchan! That's India's Aishwarya Rai! The most beautiful woman in the world!...As the movie began, my smile faded. The actors are let down by the screenplay and direction, which don't really pop the supporting characters out into strong comic focus. Maybe the cast is simply too star-studded? There's sometimes the feeling they're being cycled onscreen by twos and threes, just to keep them alive...Opportunities to better develop all of these characters are lost, and we're left with the sight and stunt gags, which are central to the "Panther" films, of course, but feel recycled...Too many of the stunt gags are performed without payoffs; Buster Keaton, the master, always gave you reaction shots. When Clouseau is mistaken for the pope, for example, and seems to fall from his balcony to his death, why isn't there a crowd to contemplate the fallen Frenchman with his black moustache, maybe lurching to his feet, blessing them, and intoning dove la toilette? Or after Clouseau sets the restaurant on fire, why not make him struggle to get back inside, telling the firemen he insists on paying his check?...The first two "Panther" films, "The Pink Panther" (1963) and "A Shot in the Dark" (1964), were a serendipitous coming together of Edwards and Sellers. Truth to tell, none of their others were as inspired. The moment had passed. And it still hasn't come back round again. - Roger Ebert