Son of the Pink Panther (1993)

Who payed the critics

Boring

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Jacques (Roberto Benigni) is a gendarme in Southern France. He still lives with his mother (Claudia Cardinale) and carries a big secret with him wherever he goes. You see, Jacques is the son of Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellars, now deceased) and he has inherited all of Papa's bumbling expertise. Now, by accident, Jacques crosses paths with Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom), and gets entangled with a terrorist group who has kidnapped a lovely Princess of a small Arab country. Quite early, Dreyfus gets injured and Jacques and Mama come calling at the hospital. Even here, Dreyfus is unable to rest as Jacques promptly mixes up the TV remote with the bed elevation buttons. Guess who comes springing out of the sheets? Even so, Dreyfus likes Mama J very much and a romance starts. But, as Jacques gets his bike stuck in the cement and other mishaps, will a Princess indeed be rescued? This sequel is harmless fun, despite missing the essential element, Sellars. Benigni has a different style but he is quite as funny and expressive. Lom is the perfect, exasperated foil to Roberto and the rest of the cast is quite fine. The French scenery is absolutely wonderful while the costumes, script and direction by Edwards have winning qualities. Did you believe there would be no more Clouseau antics after Sellars early demise? With the right substitutes, the Pink Panther keeps on growling, prowling, and turning the tables on the bad elements.

If this movie was it's own standalone film I would give it a 6 out of 10, but because it's a sequel to a well built and closed film series it fails. I like the idea and everything and I'm glad Blake Edwards made this a sequel and not a reboot. It has a few laughs here and there, but that's it. Regardless I recommend this as one time watch if you're a huge fan of the franchise.

Terrorist Hans Zarba (Robert Davi) kidnaps Princess Yasmin of Lugash (Debrah Farentino) to force her father to abdicate. Police Commissioner Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) gets into an accident with the getaway van. Just as Zarba is about to kill Dreyfus, local policeman Jacques Gambrelli (Roberto Benigni) crash into mess. Gambrelli sees the drugged Yasmin but believes Zarba's story. Gambrelli lets them go. Later, Dreyfus is horrified to discover from Maria (Claudia Cardinale), a character from 'A Shot in the Dark', that Gambrelli is actually the son of his greatest nemesis Inspector Jacques Clouseau.This is like watching a man drowning and there is nothing anyone can do about it. One can see Roberto Benigni flailing away. It's a fool's errant to try to replace Peter Sellers in this way. This is Blake Edwards' last feature directorial effort and he's past his prime. It's nice to see the other old timers but everybody has lost a step. As much as Benigni is flailing wildly, the movie is an utter disaster without him. None of it is funny and it's incredibly tiring to see Benigni keep trying ... and failing to salvage this mess.

I believe that Blake Edwards' monumental comedic accomplishment were with the very talented Peter Sellers. I believe that his most enjoyable role was in the film titled "The Return of the Pink Panther" in which former Chief Inspector Dreyfuss escapes from a Mental Institution to kill Clusoe and to build a Doomsday Machine. Even the latest production of the "Son of the Pink Panther" does not come close to the original series, and certainly the acting is not up to par with new Italian comedian, nor by the aged Herbert Lohm. I give the "Son of the Pink Panther" a thumbs down for its lack of originality and overt repetition of the same routines from Peter Seller's performances, God rest his Soul! Regards, Steve Horvath, Chicago, IL