Truly Dreadful Film

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Load of rubbish!!

Best movie ever!

It's nice to see Herbert Lom, Burt Kwouk and Claudia Cardinale (even if in a different role) back in the "Pink Panther" series one last time, and the stunning Debrah Farentino is another welcome sight, but Roberto Benigni is no Peter Sellers (he was much funnier the following year in "Il Mostro", made in his native country), and the gags and pratfalls are years-stale and unfunny. The film is a good-looking yawner. *1/2 out of 4.

Jacques (Roberto Benigni) is a gendarme in Southern France. He still lives with his mother (Claudia Cardinale) and carries a big secret with him wherever he goes. You see, Jacques is the son of Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellars, now deceased) and he has inherited all of Papa's bumbling expertise. Now, by accident, Jacques crosses paths with Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom), and gets entangled with a terrorist group who has kidnapped a lovely Princess of a small Arab country. Quite early, Dreyfus gets injured and Jacques and Mama come calling at the hospital. Even here, Dreyfus is unable to rest as Jacques promptly mixes up the TV remote with the bed elevation buttons. Guess who comes springing out of the sheets? Even so, Dreyfus likes Mama J very much and a romance starts. But, as Jacques gets his bike stuck in the cement and other mishaps, will a Princess indeed be rescued? This sequel is harmless fun, despite missing the essential element, Sellars. Benigni has a different style but he is quite as funny and expressive. Lom is the perfect, exasperated foil to Roberto and the rest of the cast is quite fine. The French scenery is absolutely wonderful while the costumes, script and direction by Edwards have winning qualities. Did you believe there would be no more Clouseau antics after Sellars early demise? With the right substitutes, the Pink Panther keeps on growling, prowling, and turning the tables on the bad elements.

This movie looks as if it started out as a serious attempt to revive the Pink Panther series, but in mid-production everyone decided it wasn't going to work out, so they end up going through the motions. The plot is weak-really, Dreyfus ends up being in love with Maria Gambrelli? And the laughs are few.Roberto Benigni is the only person in the movie who shows any enthusiasm, and he is the only one who seems to genuinely try to be funny. Unfortunately, he ends up acting silly, rather than like Clouseau who is a man who tries to act dignified even in spite of all the (unintended) bumbling he does. Still, even Peter Sellers could hardly have done much more with this material.

This installment of the "Pink Panther" series was a good romp.Italian comic Roberto Benigni is Jaques Gambrelli, the son of Inspector Clouseau, who has to save a princess from being taken by criminals. Gambrelli, however, carries a lot of traits from Clouseau, including giving Chief Inspector Dreyfus a hard time."Son" doesn't quite measure up with the other films: Series director Blake Edwards seems to lose some of his talent of choreographing slapstick, and the story has nothing to do with the diamond. However, there are still enough funny moments, and Benigni gives a good performance. The opening credits are funny too, presenting Bobby McFerrin's strange scat version of Henry Mancini's theme song, while the animated Pink Panther and Gambrelli chase each other. The movie is not a disaster like most say, and it isn't brilliant, but it will still make you laugh. That accomplishment is good enough.