Mar 04, 2009 07:05 PM
3156 Views
He's back!! The bumbling, accident prone French connoisseur has arrived. And he brings with him a truckload of gags, stupidity, idiosyncrisy and a touch of warmth served on a platter with the cocktail of the unique french accent to which we are so accustomed to. This time, he is also accompanied by a stellar star - studded cast which help him on his mission. Will Clouseau uphold himself amongst his contemporaries or will he be an international joke?? Can he prove to the world that his first case wasn't a fluke? And closer to home, how has Aishwarya fared in this international venture?? Lets find out.
Credits:
Director: Harold Zwart
Cast: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, Andy Garcia, Aishwarya Rai Bacchan, Emily Mortimer, Yuki Matsuzaki and John Cleese as Chief Inspector Driffus.
Length: 1 hr 25 minutes.
Plot:
The world is shaken by a series of international thefts done by the anonymous "Tornado". A dream team of detectives is formed from experts all over the world to nab this thief and France is represented by none other than Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin). Reluctantly, he is relieved of his present duties of giving tickets at carparks to join the dream team for which he has to leave France. Clouseau rejects the offer by saying that if he did indeed set foot out of France, the Pink Panther diamond would be stolen. The Pink Panther is stolen, ironically as soon as Clouseau sets foot 'outside France' and so the dream team is called to Paris itself to investigate the scene of the crime. Here we are introduced to the dream team, each one an expert in their field. The dream team comprises of Inspector Pepperidge from the UK (Alfred Molina), Inspector Vincenzo from Italy (Andy Garcia), techo whiz kid Kenji (Yuki Matsuzaki), our very own criminology expert on past 'Tornado' crimes Sonia Solandres (Aishwariya) and of course, representing France Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin). Clouseau loses respect of his peers through a series of stupid and nonsensical acts which should I point out, is his forte. Ultimately, even after stupid and horrendous acts that make headlines, to being taken off the case, he does find the thief who stole the Pink Panther via the most ingenious ways which only Clouseau can pull off!! Thats Pink Panther 2 for you..
Characters:
Steve Martin, the unofficial proclaimed master of comedy pulls off the role of Clouseau with panache. Had Peter Sellers lived to see the light of this day watching the masterpiece he helped create with the character of Clouseau, he certainly would be beaming with pleasure watching Martin rejuvinate the character with a new life. Till now, Clouseau was an epitome of slapstick ingenuity not to be taken seriously made just for the pleasure of the viewer rolling down the aisles but the new Clouseau has a very human touch. He has good intentions at heart but still manages to stuff things up. The chemistry between Reno and Martin (ponton and Clouseau), master and aide is sparkling. The relationship here gets depth after Ponton comes to live with Clouseau after he has a spat with his wife. With Ponton comes the package of his two karate loving sons and that makes for interesting viewing. John Cleese with however little screen time still manages to keep you grinning with his humourous portrayal of Chief Inspector Driffus. Scenes with Molina and Martin battling it out for 'my horse is bigger than your horse' also makes for interesting viewing. Emily Mortimer as Nicole, Clouseau's love interest is charming with her cute french accent and her 'I am so hopelessly in love with you' look whenever she sees Clouseau is heartwarming. Italian Vincenzo lands up to be a rival for Clouseau in terms of him wooing Nicole. The situation gets comical when Clouseau tries to prevent Vincenzo meeting Nicole but also denies any sort of relationship with her to look 'professional'. Now, towards the eagerly anticipated bit. Aishwariya here plays the 'hottie with brains' trying to get upclose with Clouseau. And no, she does not have a 'you blink and you miss it' part. She gets ample screen time. This role is quite similar to hers in Dhoom 2 except that she is dressed in prim suits all the time rather than the 'revealing' attire (oops! I just gave a big clue away)
Themes and gags:
Steve Martin, back in the avatar manages to tickle your funny bone like he did in the first one. A master of situational comedy, his antics have you in splits for most part of the film. Add a precariously funny Frech accent and you have Steve Martin doing what he does best - comedy!!
There are loads of gags in the second edition as well. Here are some of my personal favourites:
The scene when Chief Inspector Driffus is called to inform him of the Dream team. Driffus assumes thats its him that they have chosen to represent France and begins to feel grateful for choiosing him. Watch for his reaction when he is told thats its Clouseau and not him that has been chosen.
Mrs Barringer teaches Clouseau 'social and political correctness'.
Clouseau: Its always nice to have a sexy woman clumping around in high heels.
Mrs Barringer: You must not refer to a woman as 'sexy'.
Clouseau: But I was complimenting you
Mrs Barringer: You must not comment on a woman's body
Clouseau: I get it... I keep it to myself when I am thinking woof!!
Mrs Barringer: You must not refer to Asians as 'our little yellow friends'.
Clouseau: But everybody calls them that!!
Clouseau: Look at that dumb blonde!
Mrs Barringer: You must not refer to blondes as being 'dumb'.
Clouseau: But they are so dumb!!
The 'hamburger' pun makes a comeback and a new connotation is created:
Clouseau: Which shampoo is this?
Ponton: hohova..
Clouseau: No its not, Ponton, its 'Jojoba'
Ponton: No sir, its pronounced as hohova..
Clouseau: But its spelt as 'Jojoba' so its jojoba..
There is a lot of subtle sattire in the film. The reference of the cliched 'orientals' and 'our little yellow friends' and the age old joke of 'dumb blondes' mocks the particular branding of particular sects of society. Then there is the pun on the 'age of commercialisation' where Clouseau is puzzled as to why is there so much of media coverage when the Pink Panther had been stolen. It was supposed to be a tragic incident but these people were making money out of it. There is a bit of feminism thrown in, that in the wedding vows why should the woman 'obey their husbands?' They are not mere objects and should be given equal status but most importantly, it states that each person, however stupid he may seem, has a golden heart at his core and we should revere that. Its the rise of the underdog (now, haven't we seen that one before??).
The only downside of the film is its plot. It becomes predictable and with so many hints, its not that difficult for the viewer to know who was the thief, though the motive gets revealed in the end. Watch it for Steve Martin and Clouseau, this one I promise will bring a smile to your face.
