Iam a fan of the silly comedy genre. I think Austin Powers kicks it more than James Bond and believe Steve Martin's stupid French accent alone is funny enough to merit a franchise.
But the best inside joke of the film comes from Aishwarya Rai Bachchan when she introduces herself, a good 25 minutes into the film: "Sorry, I am late. The flight was delayed by two hours. You must be Pink Panther, the famous detective. I will not be of much use here."
Ha ha ha! Classic Rai, if you have attended any press conference of hers - walks in two hours late, and blames the flight. But surprisingly here, the lady laughs at herself, and admits she would be of no use in an ensemble such as this one. She imports the Bollywood brand of facial contortions.
Bad make-up aside, she comes across as a stunner at least in a couple of scenes - especially, where she sits cross-legged in a short formal skirt with a slit, opposite Inspector Clouseau inside the flight with make-up glittering off her bust. But that's about all the nice things we can say about her.
If you've read interviews speculating the length of her role, you probably already know the ending. Since I already did, I had no choice but to sit back and redeem whatever few laughs I could from Steve Martin and Jean Reno. And there's Andy Garcia thrown in for a bonus. Yes, French accent still makes you laugh, he's adorable as the bumbling Inspector, and even has a couple of scenes that require him to be moist-eyed. The master comedian milks the part to the last drop, and revels playing everybody's favourite goofball.
Watch him fight the karate kids, hang out at the Pope's (literally!) or snoop around a high-surveillance building, and you know there are very few actors left who can make these things funny enough to warrant a watch.
The film is all that you expect from the Pink Panther franchise - structured as a series of familiar gags that first humiliate the legendary Inspector, take him to the depths of despair, until he finally redeems his reputation with an uncanny flair for investigation and solving cases. Emily Mortimer is the perfect foil to the unlikely hero and she's bound to walk away with more fans than Ms. Rai at the end of it all. Go for it only if you are in the mood for silly slapstick.
But the best inside joke of the film comes from Aishwarya Rai Bachchan when she introduces herself, a good 25 minutes into the film: "Sorry, I am late. The flight was delayed by two hours. You must be Pink Panther, the famous detective. I will not be of much use here."
Ha ha ha! Classic Rai, if you have attended any press conference of hers - walks in two hours late, and blames the flight. But surprisingly here, the lady laughs at herself, and admits she would be of no use in an ensemble such as this one. She imports the Bollywood brand of facial contortions.
Bad make-up aside, she comes across as a stunner at least in a couple of scenes - especially, where she sits cross-legged in a short formal skirt with a slit, opposite Inspector Clouseau inside the flight with make-up glittering off her bust. But that's about all the nice things we can say about her.
If you've read interviews speculating the length of her role, you probably already know the ending. Since I already did, I had no choice but to sit back and redeem whatever few laughs I could from Steve Martin and Jean Reno. And there's Andy Garcia thrown in for a bonus. Yes, French accent still makes you laugh, he's adorable as the bumbling Inspector, and even has a couple of scenes that require him to be moist-eyed. The master comedian milks the part to the last drop, and revels playing everybody's favourite goofball.
Watch him fight the karate kids, hang out at the Pope's (literally!) or snoop around a high-surveillance building, and you know there are very few actors left who can make these things funny enough to warrant a watch.
The film is all that you expect from the Pink Panther franchise - structured as a series of familiar gags that first humiliate the legendary Inspector, take him to the depths of despair, until he finally redeems his reputation with an uncanny flair for investigation and solving cases. Emily Mortimer is the perfect foil to the unlikely hero and she's bound to walk away with more fans than Ms. Rai at the end of it all. Go for it only if you are in the mood for silly slapstick.
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