THE MOVIE PAGES presents STEVE MARTIN & JOHN CLEESE in THE PINK PANTHER 2 pinkpanther2.htm

What Do The Critics Say?

"It's all about Martin's commitment. He knows the rules, the limits and he's an expert at performing it. Even the stunt doubles do some awesome work. The humor is silly with slightly smart touches. Some are just plain pratfalls, but he's joyfully racist and his saving grace is that he's always right. You can be ridiculous if you get the job done, and every time he's ridiculous."
Fred Topel CAN MAGAZINE
"Typically, second movies are usually light-years inferior to the first. Not so with The Pink Panther 2. After a long week of financial worries, children worries, job worries, The Pink Panther 2 hits all the right notes and is an excellent 90 minute escape. Nothing here is gut-busting, but you will catch yourself laughing out loud on occasion and completely entertained by the comedy."
Gary Wolcott TRI-CITY HERALD
"I laughed more times than I thought I would so that is a big improvement on the previous film which almost made my toes curl. It will keep the kids quiet over half term and it won’t be the worst film you see this year."
Simon Thompson HEART 106.2
"It won't blow you away, but it's worth a few laughs"
Chris Hewitt ST PAUL PIONEER PRESS
"The most important thing I have to say about PP2 is that nothing in this sequel of the remake makes us groan with embarrassment, as several scenes in the first one did. Driven by the same basic 'French Maxwell Smart' concept as the first, with Steve Martin as the uncoordinated Inspector Closeau, PP2 has better ideas and a better story."
Andrew L Urban URBAN CINEFILE
"Inspector Jacques Clouseau returns for his 11th big-screen outing, and the results are, quite surprisingly, fairly charming. If The Pink Panther 2 can keep our kids laughing while giving them the same warm memories we associate with the best installments of the series, then it's still a success no matter how well it measures up to the original."
Jason Buchanan TV GUIDE'S MOVIE GUIDE
"Steve Martin is back doing the fur-nay ack-saynt (now increasingly eun-fur-nay); and with this film he's very much channelling the spirit of the final Panther movies from the original series, when Peter Sellers had nothing to offer but despair."
Peter Bradshaw GAURDIAN

"Lily Tomlin assumes the inspired new character of a political-correctness watchdog at police headquarters who keeps catching Clouseau at wayward moments. Like Steve Martin's first outing in the role three years ago, which generated a $158 million worldwide gross, "2" serves up enough goofy pranks and fractured wordplay to keep the series purring along."
Todd McCarthy VARIETY
"If you liked the first then you are going to like this one as Clouseau is offensive and outrageous, which is a perfect fit for one of the "Wild and Crazy Guys." Clouseau's sleuthing practices are so unbelievably absurd it's hard not to laugh."
"Patrick Parker PREMIERE MAGAZINE
"As a comedy, it's got plenty going for it: including a great lead in Martin, a strong supporting cast, classy production values, a cute romantic subplot, and a screenplay that keeps the gags flowing at a steady pace."
Jason Buchanan TV GUIDE'S MOVIE GUIDE
"Despite all the supporting star power, it's Martin's physical comedy that makes the movie. This time around, Martin appears a bit more at ease in the character, using his own distinctive comic timing rather than trying to just fill Sellers' shoes. The result is funnier and less distracting."
Sue Pierman MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
"Steve Martin doesn’t fail. Like a good comedy soldier, he does what needs to be done. Even when Martin plays the fool, he commands respect. So while Pink Panther 2 isn’t a great movie, it’s a Steve Martin movie."
Amy Nicholson INLAND EMPIRE WEEKLY
"I couldn’t stop laughing when I watched Pink Panther three years ago. I expected the very same from Steve Martin this time as well and I wasn’t disappointed. The jokes are great, but what really takes the cake is Steve Martin’s acting. The scenes are very well done and the theatre was wild with laughter."
Ajay ON THE ROAD CALLED LIFE
"Some scenes are really funny and that is what plays a significant role in binding the interest of the audiences. Background score is a treat to ears. The Climax is well executed. The reaction of the audiences highlights how well the movie is going to amuse as well as amaze the audiences and the good news is that the kids just loved the movie."
TOP54U TEAM

The Inside Story After Steve Martin successfully reinvigorated the legendary 'Pink Panther' comedy franchise in 2006 with the hit, "The Pink Panther", a sequel became a happy consequence for the actor. "I love playing Clouseau," says Martin. "I had to brush up on the accent a bit, but other than that, it was like a visit from a familiar friend. This role gives me a chance to do broad physical comedy; Clouseau is truly an exaggerated character, innocent and childlike. At the same time, he thinks he’s on top of every situation, which I think is always funny. So when the opportunity for the sequel came along, naturally, the answer was yes." Producer Robert Simonds ("Billy Madison" & "The Wedding Singer") observed that Martin is the film’s not so secret weapon. "Steve completely embodies this character, bringing so much more to it than is even on the page: and since he co-wrote the script, there’s a tremendous amount on the page as is. We would not have made a sequel if Steve weren’t driving it. He understands Clouseau. He writes for Clouseau. He creates the world. Part of the burden of doing a sequel is that you must make it bigger, better, funnier, fresher than the first one." "People love Clouseau," says director Harald Zwart ("Agent Cody Banks"). He has a huge heart, and though he makes a lot of mistakes, it all comes from naļve clumsiness. He’s always trying his best: it’s just that his best is never good." "This character that resonated in the 1960s still has an appeal now," notes Emily Mortimer ("Elizabeth" & "Notting Hill"). "There’s something about this complete nincompoop who manages to save the day that people find appealing." "What Steve’s done, which is so brilliant, is not to do an homage to Peter Sellers but to retain the spirit of Clouseau and keep the very best of it: the essence of it," says Alfred Molina, who played Diego Rivera in "Frida". "He’s taken the character and our collective memory of the character and made it his own." But, it seems not everyone is as enamored with the qualities of the character. "I have met people like Clouseau in England," says 2002 Sir Peter Ustinov Award recipient John Cleese. "We call them 'pronoid'; the opposite of paranoid. They think that everyone likes them and is on their side, when there is no evidence for this whatsoever. And I think Clouseau is like that. Clouseau has no idea that people can’t stand him: he doesn’t realize he’s a pest." It’s hard to deny that the overzealous Clouseau can be a pest, but the actor playing him is altogether admired by his colleagues. "I love working with Steve," says Simonds ("Cheaper by the Dozen"). "He’s a brilliant man. He’s smart, he’s honorable, he’s hardworking, and he’s ferociously committed to making every joke as fresh as it could possibly be." "It’s not only the character that made me want to return as Ponton, it’s the friendship between Steve Martin and myself," says Jean Reno ("Jet Lag"). "I like him very much as an actor, a human being, and a philosopher, as an artist in fact. He’s somebody who knows completely the work of being an actor and making people laugh. We made a great team in the first 'Pink Panther', so I was very happy to make this movie with him, to be part of the adventure, to be Ponton again." "Steve is just fabulous and I definitely have a Nicole-type crush on him in real life," says Mortimer ("Paris, je t'aime"). "He loves the experience of being Clouseau. It’s a real pleasure and an honor just to watch him do his stuff. What’s interesting is that he’ll play Clouseau, then; after the director calls 'cut', the real Steve is an incredibly sophisticated, serious person who knows everything about art and writes novels and for the New Yorker! How much more grown-up can you get than that?"

"I think Steve has the greatest comedy mind of anyone I’ve met," says BAFTA winning actor John Cleese ("A Fish Called Wanda"). "When I was editing "A Fish Called Wanda", he came to one of the viewings and when we went out to dinner afterwards, gave me the best set of notes that anyone gave me in my life. So this is a man with a great comedy mind. We are always saying how suddenly you see part of his genius: how he delivered the sentence and how he created a moment, a magical moment, and then you laugh and you don’t know why." For the sequel, the filmmakers hit upon the idea of accentuating Clouseau’s bumbling character, by surrounding him with a dream team of detectives from around the world who are trying to catch master thief, 'The Tornado". "I think Clouseau seems funniest when he’s surrounded by highly competent, really smart people," Simonds notes. An esteemed international cast was assembled for "The Pink Panther 2". In addition to Jean Reno and Emily Mortimer, who return to their roles as Ponton and Nicole, respectively, several highly respected and funny actors join the cast, including John Cleese, Lily Tomlin, Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Yuki Matsuzaki, and Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. "The entire cast is very generous," says Jean Reno ("Ronian" & "Godzilla"). "We each felt we were lucky to be a part of the collaboration. Everybody was in the same mood, everybody was on top of their game." It was very important to the filmmakers that the two stars who played Ponton and Nicole (Clouseau’s two closest associates), returned for "The Pink Panther 2". Clouseau’s relationships with both, now clearly established, are developed in the sequel in funny and touching ways. "Though Jean and Emily aren’t necessarily known for comedy, they both do it really well," says 1981 WGA TV & 1988 WGA Screen Award winning writer, Martin. Reno says that the setup of "The Pink Panther 2" kept Ponton’s relationship with Clouseau open for many comedic possibilities. When his wife throws him out of the house for seeming to care more about work that his family life, Ponton moves into Clouseau’s bachelor pad (along with his two boys and dog). "Suddenly," notes Reno (who played Pierre Niemans in the thriller, "The Crimson Rivers"), "the two men are pushed into 'Odd Couple' territory. Somebody is coming to your house with the two kids, the dog, and completely making a revolution to your life. But, I think, nobody can really enter into the interior life of the character of Jacques Clouseau." "Jean Reno and I remained good friends after the first movie. I love him," says Martin ("Bowfinger"). "He’s a delightful guy who is always joking and kidding around." "Jean Reno is one of the most soulful people you’ll ever meet,"says Simonds ("Just Married"). "He’s able to convey so much with just a twinkle in his eye." 2003 Independent Spirit Award winning actress Mortimer ("Lovely & Amazing") revealed that stepping into the role of Nicole doesn’t require quite as much acting as she lets on. "It is worryingly easy to access my inner Nicole. There’s definitely a side to me that’s Nicole-esque. Although I pretend not to be, I’m slightly hapless myself. On the set, one of the actors would say to me, 'Oh, I loved what you did in that scene: it was so funny,' and I’ll have this moment where I realize that whatever it was, I hadn’t done it on purpose." "Her character is so grounded, she becomes Clouseau’s emotional tether in the film," Simonds notes. "She does such an unbelievable job of being in love with this out of control character that she becomes the access for the audience." The role of Clouseau-hater Chief Inspector Dreyfus went to comedy legend John Cleese.

"When they came and asked me to play Dreyfus, I thought, how do I do this? And then I thought of my predecessors, Herbert Lom and Kevin Kline, and, well, they were both dreadful, so I’ll just try and do it reasonably well," Cleese joked. "And people have noticed the difference!" Obviously pleased to be a part of the cast, Cleese says, "I’m old enough to remember going to a cinema in Leicester Square to see the first Pink Panther and thinking it was just so sophisticated. Claudia Cardinale, Cappucine, David Niven, and of course, Sellers, who’s a comedy genius. The English have always found the French accent very funny: I don’t know why." And did the 1980 BAFTA TV winner for "Fawlty Towers" behave himslef on the set? Zwart warns:"you’ve got to watch out for John Cleese. There were practical jokes all the time on the set." And what of the 'dream team'? Three time ALMA Award winning actor Andy Garcia (1999, 2002 & '06) was cast as the Italian detective Vicenzo. "I love doing comedy,"he said. "My early training and experiences on stage in Los Angeles were in improvisational comedy groups and troupes; it’s something I enjoy very much." "When I first met Andy I thought he’d be a really serious guy," says Yuki Matsuzaki ("Letters from Iwo Jima"), "but when I have scene with him, or even when he’s off camera, he takes care to help his fellow actors be good on film." Alfred Molina says his character Pepperidge is, "a very British, stiff character. His expertise is in forensic science and deduction. I really wanted him to wear heavy tweeds." Fout time Screen Weekly Award winner and Bollywood leading lady Aishwarya Rai Bachchan decribes Molin as, "wicked and wonderful and just so amiable: he’s a special person. He’s a great, wonderful actor, which is obvious from the varied performances he has given, and then again, he’s just spontaneously funny." "Aishwarya, the green eyes, the beauty!," says reno. " Wow. The surprise it is that she has a big sense of humor, always laughing, which is fantastic for a beautiful woman. And she is always ready to act." And did the Indian movie star find shooting an American film in Paris and Boston very different from moviemaking at home in India? "No, I have never looked at it as different. I think each experience remains individual depending on the director and the core team members that make the movie; irrespective of the language it’s being made in." Yuki Matsuzaki rounds out the team as Kenji, who he describes as "a Japanese detective who’s a specialist in computer programming and computer security systems. Sure, he is a computer geek (in Japanese we say ‘otaku’), but he doesn’t think of himself that way." In fact he is a little like Clouseau. "He gets so excited when he’s found some facts and wants to share the joy of it, but other people can’t understand at all," Yuki says. Steve Martin and four time EMMY award winner Lily Tomlin reunite after a twenty five year seperation. The last time they appeared together was in 1984's "All of Me". Four time American Comedy Award winner Tomlin plays Mrs Beregen. Tomlins says her character, "has been hired to instruct all the employees at the Palais de Justice in political and social correctness. And of course, Clouseau is a prime student, because he’s so gauche, bless his heart, he just doesn’t get it." Mrs Beregen she says is "rather upper-class American, cultured, well-spoken, educated, a little pretentious." "Lily and I don’t pal around," Martin says, " but whenever we see each other it’s like old times." Producer Simonds recalls how a "ten second scene could go on for three or four minutes and just get funnier and funnier and funnier. Their chemistry is phenomenal." Synopsis

After earning France’s Medal of Honour for solving the Pink Panther diamond mystery, Inspector Jacques Clouseau has been reassigned to a remedial job, one which Chief Inspector Dreyfus hopes will keep him out of trouble. Alas, just when Dreyfus thinks he's rid himself of Clouseau a bold thief, known only as the 'Tornado', makes off with many of the world’s most important cultural treasures, including: the Magna Carta, the Shroud of Turin and The sacred Japanse Imperial sword. Inspector Clouseau's previous success now earns him a place on a 'Dream Team'. The bumbling French lawman is relieved of meter-maid duty to join forces with the world’s greatest detectives (including international investigators from Britian, Japan and Italy), all of whom get to marvel at his unfiltered silliness. Yes, Inspector Clouseau is back on the case and once again he's wreaking havoc, right across the globe!

The Verdict

"Audiece know only too well that the Steve Martin 'Pink Panther' films aren't the real deal, they don't star Peter Sellers and that they aren't meant to be taken too serious. After all, the films are about a bungling, bumbling cluts, who despite all his apparent stupidity, some-how manages to come up with the right result. What seems obvious to everyone around him, fails to attract the attention of Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Despite what critics may be saying, Steve Martin is funny as Clouseau. He gives us a character that is such an idiot and so bloody stupid, we can't wait to see what he gets up to next. The theatre was nearly full at the special preview I attended and judging from the audiences reaction, they must have been thoroughly enjoying themselves. It seemed everyone, from kids to adults found martin's madcap antics funny. It was good to hear so many scream of laughter, especially when the dopey Clouseau (dressed as a Flamenco dancer) sets alight a recently renovated restaurant, which by the way, is having its grand re-opening. People couldn't wait to tell me how much fun they had at "The Pink Panther 2", something I suspect many cinemagoers will be telling their friends after seeing Clouseau's latest misadventure. Forget the past and enjoy the present, that's my advice if you want to get the best out of this film. Good family fun. Suitable for kids and adults alike. Loads of fun for everyone. Recommended. 4 STARS." Who Plays Who?

Steve Martin
John Cleese
Jean Reno
Emily Mortimer
Andy Garcia
Alfred Molina
Yuki Matsuzaki
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Lily Tomlin
Jeremy Irons
Johnny Hallyday
Geoffrey Palmer
Philip Goodwin
Armel Bellec
Jack Metzger
Eugene Lazarev
Richard LaFrance
Harry Van Gorkum
Michael Allosso

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Insp Jacques Clouseau
Chief Inspector Dreyfus
Ponton
Nicole
Vicenzo
Pepperidge
Kenji
Sonia
Mrs Berenger
Avellaneda
Milliken
Joubert
Renard
Louis
JAntoine
The Pope
Security Installer
Ticketed Driver
Maitre D'

The Production Team

Director
screenplay
Story
Characters
Producer
Original Music
Cinematography
Film Editor
Casting
Production Designer
Art Direction
Set Decoration
Costume Designer

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Harald Zwart
Scott Neustadter/Michael H Weber/Steve Martin
Scott Neustadter & Michael H Weber
Maurice Richlin & Blake Edwards
Robert Simonds
Christophe Beck
Denis Crossan
Julia Wong
Ilene Starger
Rusty Smith
Matthieu Beutter & Rick Butler
Carla Curry
Joseph G Aulisi