elshikh4
This is a movie where the first 2 thirds are bad and the last third is good. You read that part of the movie was directed by Geoffrey Edwards, the son of the movie's director Blake Edwards. Therefore I can't decide; was the good part directed by the son or the father ?! The bad 2 thirds : Roberto Benigni was in absolutely pathetic place. He looked lost, speaking bad English. The material given to him couldn't be more weak and unfunny. For little instance : in his first scene he doesn't find a way to make comedy except by his fallen cap? (as if it's a move improvised in the location !). And for bigger instance his scene as a doctor was terrible and boring. Overall, while he's the already talented and successful Italian comedian I know, I was pushed to wonder "who's that ugly loser? He doesn't fit to cinema in the first place?!".You'll have lazy writing and ton of coincidences. See how Dreyfus, Gambrelli / Clouseau's son, the gang of kidnappers and the kidnapped princess meet in one of the most contrived moments ever. And if I forgave this, how to forgive else matters that nearly format the whole 2 thirds : the kidnappers want to kill Gambrelli because he "saw the princess", while Dreyfus and his assistance did see her as well ?! (Ahh, the thing is Gambrelli had "a good look" to her !), Dreyfus happens to be there, while they're trying to murder Gambrelli, twice ! Gambrelli is in the hospital while the gang is asking for a doctor, originally why these guys need one while you'll discover later that they can handle injuries pretty well ?! The gang's head sees Gambrelli wearing a doc coat and doesn't recognize him ?! When did Gambrelli hear one of the conspirators' name "Uncle Address"? He was away from the kidnappers' radio !The cuts are rough, as if there are missing lines or moments. There is no juice. The lines were all direct, being more like something written by robots to be said by robots just to inform the wanted and that's it. Forget any effort to make the dialog laughable by puns or anything. At the first meeting between Dreyfus and Gambrelli's mom, after less than 1 minute she shouts angrily to Dreyfus admitting that her son is CLOUSEAU'S, from where did that come out ?!! Robert Davi, as the head of kidnappers, was no less than awful. His dead face served nobody's good. And even his last line, supposedly his only comic one, was so badly performed. Claudia Cardinale, who played Princess Dala in (The Pink Panther), now plays Maria Gambrelli, the maid played by Elke Sommer in (A Shot in the Dark)! Confused enough ?!Now, to the good third : right after Gambrelli's salvation from being murdered by a car with no brakes, things got finally alive. The old magic of Edwards awakes very late and makes a clever scene at the hospital; the French chief of police fall, while hanging by the telephone's wire, is not only the first laugh but the first proof that this is a Blake Edwards movie ! Benigni gets active. Watch him, rather enjoy him, doing some decoration with Dreyfus's injured leg. Now every scene has a funny closing or a closing anyway. Burt Kwouk comes back as Cato. The casino's sequence is interesting and well-made. In brief it's where the movie became a movie, not a series of curtailed soulless scenes !The movie has some beautiful elements. Henry Mancini's music is on their top. Using human voices instead of the musical instruments at the opening credits proved to be different and inventive intro for the franchise. Although afterwards he deviated from the famous Pink Panther Theme, but why not, since this is a new character, and the final outcome was something distinct and so elegant. Speaking about elegance, the cinematography of Dick Bush was a nice dream. I loved its smoothness and yummy serene colors. See how it made Debrah Farentino's dark eyes spark ravishingly. Debrah as Princess Yasmin was a brunette queen; she has a one-of-a-kind sex appeal, and Edwards, oh the wicked Edwards, didn't let her go in peace; so he bared her to her panties at one moment, and made Benigni's gun bare her legs at another for no reason but her dazzling beauty (Thanks, dear Edwards. Hot mango and honey indeed !). Herbert Lom is a treat apart; hence his scenes were watchable despite their obvious poorness. The used poetry was excellent. The action compensated the absent comedy with fresh sequences that fit a perfect action movie.The main dealing with the title character showed nice creativity : a Clouseau's son, fond of Opera and poetry. Commissioner Dreyfus marries his mom, turning from his father's nemesis to his alternate father. And a sister to him, namely a possible she-Pink Panther ! All smart, all ambitious if not too ambitious, because (Son of the Pink Panther) opened to poor box office and bitter reviews, Blake Edwards didn't direct any movie after it, and all of these futuristic plans, with Benigni as a new lead accompanied by new Panther family, was entirely drooped.Blake Edwards was criticized for being too sincere for the Pink Panther movies, with or without Sellers. I believe it's not the name's fame, his desire to milk it, No, those movies provide loose slapstick, action and pretty girls, in other words his belief in cinema. It's a lovely game to satisfy his appetite and show off his muscles, thus many was never enough. This time he went to play with no glasses. 50 min out of the 90 were bad. At the last shot Benigni after sort of dull slapstick routine declares "that felt Good". I beg to differ !
Boba_Fett1138
No this movie is not as good as the earliest Pink Panter movies and no, Roberto Benigni ain't no Peter Sellers but fair is fair, this is an entertaining and fun enough comedy, that showed some potential for a new fresh start of the Pink Panther series.Everything in this movie indicated that they intended this movie as a new and fresh start of the Pink Panther series. The movie was more of its time and modern and looked more like a James Bond movie done comedy style than an old fashioned made slapstick, like all of the other previous Pink Panther movies were done in.Too bad that people never really gave this movie a fair change. People just thought that the Pink Panther series should had stopped with the death of Peter Sellers in 1980 and director Blake Edwards should had never went on making more Pink Panther movies, as he did. This was the third Pink Panther movie without Peter Sellers, so people were already mostly fed up with it and after the previous too disappointing Pink Panther entries, the expectations for this movie naturally weren't really high. But I for one however wouldn't had mind seeing more Pink Panther movies with the son of Clouseau in it.No, I never really have been a Roberto Benigni fan, since he mostly only plays naive, smiling, jumping and screaming comical characters but he simply was well cast in this movie and did a good job with his role. I think it was a good move that they didn't let hem try to impersonate Peter Seller's performance as the famous 'brilliant' inspector but instead letting him be a total different character with Benigni his own interpretation.Nevertheless it's not a movie that totally abandons the style or spirit of the previous Pink Panther movies. It still let some old character re-appear in this movie such as Police Commissioner Charles Dreyfus (finally he got his promotion), Professor Auguste Balls, Cato and Sergeant Francois Duval. It however also becomes painfully obviously that by now the actors who are portraying the characters got terribly old and it became time for some fresh blood. As much as I loved Herbert Lom in all of the previous Pink Panther movies as Dreyfus, he really was too old for his role in this movie to be still believable and good in it. Same goes for Burt Kwouk as Cato, who at the time of this movie already was well in his 60's. The fact that this is a more comical approach of James Bond also means that there is some more story present this time, with a real villain and a love interested, action, shooting as well as most other typical genre clichés. The feeling that this is a more comical version of James Bond is being strengthened by the presence of Robert Davi, who previously played the main villain in the James Bond movie "Licence to Kill". Basically he plays the same role as he always does; a ruthless criminal boss who always is looking for more power and money. But if you're so great at playing these sort of roles, why wouldn't you take it? A only complaint could be that he doesn't play his role comically enough. He is serious as always, though I'm not to sure if this was what the film-makers originally had in mind. The different approach of the entire movie might also be a reason why some people have difficulties accepting this as a Pink Panther movie but I in fact think that all of the Pink Panther movies are somewhat- and always wanted to be like James Bond movies, only done in a complete different comical style.Director Blake Edwards with this movie shows that old fashioned slapstick can still be incorporated properly into 'modern' movies, if done and handled correctly. Blake Edwards with this movie shows that he still had it in him, which also makes it sort of a shame that his career pretty much died right after this movie.Give this movie a fair change and you might end up liking it for what it is.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
fullonrobotchubby
I have not seen the latest Pink Panther movie starring Steve Martin, but from what I gather, it at least has redeeming qualities. Its most popular credit is the song Beyonce provided for it (I'm not a fan - "Check on Me" is it called?), and most had no idea the song and movie were connected (I also read that Martin's comedic timing slightly saves the family film). Clearly, it can't be as bad as Son of the Pink Panther... can it? I mean Son is really bad; I've heard Peter Sellers (the original Inspector Clouseau) roll in his grave a time or two, but I thought there was thunder outside when I saw this. A then-unknown Roberto Benigni (yup, that wacky Italian who, five years later, would beat Tom Hanks AND Edward Norton for the Best Actor Oscar and declare he wants to "kidnap you and make love to you") plays what many suspect to be Clouseau's offspring. Of course, it's up to him to solve the case, which I won't even bother going into detail with. My favorite scene, uhhh... some physical comedy with a bicycle toward the beginning. Can't we all, as a whole, agree to never make or support another Pink Panther movie ever again? The Bobby McFerrin (?!?) musical intro to this gunk should have served as enough indication that the genius work of Blake Edwards and Sellers should not be outweighed by a steaming pile of pink whatsit.
