Pink Panther 2

Premiere Patrick Parker

If you liked the first then you are going to like this one as Clouseau is offensive and outrageous, which is a perfect fit for one of the "Wild and Crazy Guys."

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Provides genial chuckles, but it's never excitingly rude.

TV Guide Jason Buchanan

The results are, quite surprisingly, fairly charming.

New York Daily News Joe Neumaier

Martin starts at the outrageous accent and spins out from there, and that's fine for this. And there are a few snicker-worthy scenes.

Variety Todd McCarthy

Serves up enough goofy pranks and fractured wordplay to keep the series purring along.

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub

The predictable script feels as if it were filmed right off the cocktail napkin it was jotted on, but at least the movie has an "Ocean's 11" sequel's worth of good actors, including Alfred Molina, Jeremy Irons and Jean Reno.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Although the stunts come thick and fast in The Pink Panther 2, they are jammed together in a way that gives most of them barely enough time to register.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Peter Sellers was a genius who somehow made Inspector Clouseau seem as if he really were helplessly incapable of functioning in the real world and somehow incapable of knowing that. Steve Martin is a genius, too, but not at being Clouseau. It seems more like an exercise.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

Nothing is harder and more elusive than successful slapstick onscreen. Nothing.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Level of humor: subteen.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Andy Spletzer

A forgettable waste of time.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

Plays like an undeserved victory lap for a series that only limped to the finish line the last time.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

The bloom is decidedly off the pinkish rose. Martin has a few inspired moments but in order to get to them you have to wade through a mosh pit of unfunny gags.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

The story, of course, is a line on which to pin the comic set-pieces, and that's where Pink Panther 2 comes up lustreless. Zwart has no discernible sense of comic rhythm, beyond managing to punctuate scenes with a wall crashing in.

Empire William Thomas

A mirthless shot in the dark that misses the target by some distance.

Los Angeles Times Betsy Sharkey

There is no real plot, the movie's filled with friends of Steve, the comedy is terribly overplayed, or the comedy is overplayed terribly (again, you can choose) -- what you're left with is a bag of tricks that has seen better days.

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

My only question is this: In the context of these by-the-book pratfalls, is it funny enough?

USA Today Staff [Not Credited]

Perhaps Martin should go back to taking chances and writing original work.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

There are three or four big laughs scattered throughout The Pink Panther 2, along with a smattering of decent chuckles. But all those moments combined account for maybe five minutes of screen time, which leaves you with another hour and a half of movie to sit through.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

The breath of fresh air, to the extent that one can be identified in the staleness of this recycled refuse, is John Cleese.

New York Post Kyle Smith

The movie hopes to be regarded as childlike too, but there's a difference between kid-friendly and just regular old dumb.

Village Voice Ernest Hardy

It's Garcia, Molina, and Tomlin who give you momentary hope that the film might settle into a witty, irreverent romp. Unfortunately, their efforts are ultimately defeated.

The Hollywood Reporter Sheri Linden

This comedy whodunit generates more laughs than its predecessor, which is to say, two or three.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Costars John Cleese, Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, Andy Garcia, and Jeremy Irons look either bored or desperate, gasping for laughs in an airless screenplay.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Martin is a gifted physical comic. He deserves an original role tailored to his own talents. Watching something this borrowed just makes me blue.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

Playing Clouseau's exasperated boss, Cleese rams his head into a wall minutes into the action. That's a powerful image, insofar as his headache was mine.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Even the great Lily Tomlin can't muster a funny reaction to a Polish joke. It's an everything-including-the kitchen-sink comedy -- and the sink has rusty pipes.

Austin Chronicle Russell Smith

What I can't accept, however, is talents such as Reno, Garcia, Tomlin, and Molina wasting away in a movie like this. As punishment for their complete lack of artistic integrity, all four of them should be forced to sit in a room for all eternity watching The Pink Panther 2 over and over.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

This time he (Martin) goes through the motions.

Salon.com Mary Elizabeth Williams

One of the most dreadfully unnecessary movies in recent memory.