The Pink Panther 2

It’s maddening to watch somebody as gifted and funny as Steve Martin stumbling about in trash like The Pink Panther 2. It’s hard to believe that a man like Martin can’t find better material than this. While he’s always been prone to commercial trash (like the Cheaper by the Dozen and Father of the Bride movies), he used to show a fine sense of adventurism in some of his film choices (Pennies From Heaven, Bowfinger, The Spanish Prisoner). I’m not one of the folks who say the Pink Panther series had to die with Peter Sellers. I actually think Martin could’ve made for a decent Clouseau, and I kind of liked him in the first film, even though the movie surrounding him was crap. However, in this sequel, I grew tired of his shtick before the opening credits.