Paris should be ashamed

There are inklings of similarities between “The Pink Panther 2” and the classic work of Peter Sellers. But after 2006’s “The Pink Panther,” the fact that Steve Martin makes a terrible Inspector Clouseau is no more a mystery to the producers than it is to us.

In the case of this sequel, the shared name is merely a coincidence.

What has not changed is that once again The Pink Panther diamond has been stolen. And for no good reason, Clouseau has been assigned to the case.

Instead of Clouseau hilariously (or not) performing a one-man show, he leads a team of international detectives played by Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina and Bollywood’s lovely Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, all of whom have little of interest to do and are clearly above this material, but at the same time portray characters that are equally as pathetic and gimmicky as Clouseau.

In addition to the parade of C-caliber stars, the movie is ripe with cheap laughs that reek of not a failed attempt to recreate a treasured classic but of modern, American slapstick.

More could be said about why today’s slapstick comedies lack the charm of the good ol’ days, but frankly, this film is not even deserving of the analysis.

The material is all mildly racist and sexist and extremely stupid. But with comedy this moderate, nothing in the film is particularly offensive, nor are any of the gags and stunts boisterously silly.

Instead of cringing or crying out in disbelief at the lunacy of it all, we are left simply rolling our eyes. Perhaps a more outrageous film, however terrible, would be more entertaining.
“The Pink Panther 2” is not only dumb but is also boring, a trait infinitely worse for any film going crowd.