'The Pink Panther 2' review

Steve Martin (Credit: Peter Iovino/Sony)

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After a thief known as "The Tornado" allegedly steals a variety of precious items (including France's beloved pink panther diamond), an "international dream team" of detectives (Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Yuki Matsuzaki, Aishwarya Rai) works to crack the case. Slowing down the process is the team's  leader, Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin), the renowned nincompoop who has a way of missing the obvious and botching what should be simple until he somehow stumbles onto the truth. Co-starring the always-pleasant Emily Mortimer as Clouseau's crush and John Cleese as Clouseau's boss, with small, surprising turns from Jeremy Irons and Lily Tomlin.

The buzz: In 2006's "The Pink Panther" Martin was no match for the restrained charm of Peter Sellers, the original bigscreen Clouseau. But the movie was, at times, pretty funny, and bounced along with enough goofball spirit to make the laughs outweigh the groans.

The verdict: There's no such lightness to the highly unnecessary "Panther 2," with a mystery that plods like a feline with a bum leg and an unusual number of sexual innuendos for a PG flick. The movie's not devoid of laughs, particularly if you can't help but crack up at some of Clouseau's absurd mispronunciations. (Guilty as charged.) But part of Sellers' appeal was that he never seemed like he was trying to be funny—he just was. From Martin's increasingly over-the-top performance to a terrible scene involving Clouseau and his sidekick (Jean Reno) dancing about shampoo (don't ask), everything in "Panther 2" so clumsily charges at the door marked "funny" that it merely knocks itself out on the frame.

Did you know? It can be dangerous to try to read lips when you don't actually know how. Otherwise, like Closeau, you may think people are saying something like, "Never retune a wet piano." Good advice, just not something that often comes up in conversation.

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