Son of the Pink Panther (1993) User Reviews

A funny mess thanks to Roberto Benigni

[dbborroughs · 5/10 · 11 February 2005]

No this doesn't match the Sellers films, but it does have Roberto Benigni which is reason enough to watch.

Okay, yes, when Benigni is not on screen this film is bad, and some of the performances are patently bizarre (Edwards' daughter as one of the villains for example) but it has some very clever silliness by the mad man of Italian comedy which is fine by me.

I know this isn't much of a review but it isn't much of a movie with only one thing, or rather one man to recommend it. If you don't like Benigni in full on silly mode then don't watch this. If you do like him you must see this.

Amusing moments along with embarrassing in this new entry Inspector Clouseau with a likable Robert Benigni

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 14 August 2011]

This following to Closeau series is a new attempt to maintain the slapstick franchise in spite of Peter Sellers death by means the substituting in Italian actor Roberto Benigni . This eight installment is a passable and average comedy because the formula is run out ; it stars Robert Benigni replacing Peter Sellers as one man show accompanied by an excessive Herbert Lom . After making life intolerable for clumsy Inspector Closeau , previous Chief Inspector Charles Dreifuss (Herbert Lom) encounters Jacques Gambrelli (Robert Benigni), who reminds him painfully to Inspector Clouseau , the man who drove him nutty and got insane . With good reason: Gambrelli is Clouseau's son . While a princess (Debrah Farentino) is in France to accompany her daddy (Oliver Cotton), a king from far Orient on a diplomatic mission . She is abducted by some delinquents (Robert Davi , Jennifer Edwards )who obligate her father to abdicate , which he will not do even for her. And since her nation has such close ties to France the Police Prefect instructs commissioner Dreyfuss to go where the princess was abducted and directing the investigation. On the way he runs into the kidnappers and were to be shot when a Gendarme stumbles into them and saves Dreyfuss. Dreyfuss oversees that there is something familiar about this patrolman. When he goes to the local police chief and says him that he will be handling the investigation and asks for his best man, he assigns him Gambrelli, who just happens to be the Gendarme he met earlier . And having another meeting with Gambrelli, he goes to his home to encounter his mummy Maria (Claudia Cardinale), and is shocked to discover that results to be Closeau's son .

¨The revenge of the Pink Panther ¨ release was the fifth part of series of Inspector Clouseau from French Surete and the last entry by the late Peter Sellers though he would follow playing but with outtakes in films as ¨Trail of the Pink Panther¨. After that , it was continued by ¨The curse of the Pinnk Panther¨ that turned to be another flop and starred by Ted Wass . ¨The son of the Pink Panther ¨ is the eight part of Closeau series and a light comedy starred by the great Roberto Benigni as the inept and bungler Inspector of the French Surete . The movie gets entertaining and hilarious moments here and there. This slapstick picture contains amusing , funny scenes , fresh and diverting moments but also flaws and gaps . Herbert Lom steals the show parodying his classic character including his ordinary faces , grimaces and gestures . Appears as secondaries the usual series as Burt Kwouk , Grahame Stark and of course a mature Claudia Cardinale . The actors seem to enjoy themselves immensely but they are supposedly amusing holidays . Lively and atmospheric music by habitual Henry Mancini with songs arranged by Bobby MacFerrin ; furthermore ,magnificent opening and ending cartoon titles by Chris Hummel . Colorful and glimmer cinematography by Dick Bush . The film is regularly penned and directed,as always,by Blake Edwards. Several chuckles and gags , the result of which is one acceptable entry from series but inferior to precedent outings as the original ¨The Pink Panther¨, ¨A shot in dark¨, ¨Return of pink panther,¨Revenge of pink panther¨. Director Blake Edwards although gets some inspired bits penned by him however he attempts to alive his classic personage with no much success . The flick will appeal to Pink Panther series buffs and Roberto Benigni fans. This is arguably one of most mediocre of the series about the botcher and bungling Inspector .

O.K.

[Dock-Ock · 4/10 · 21 May 2001]

O.K. is the only possible way of analyzing this movie. It does what it set out to do. But if you have seen this movie and were disapointed, did you really think it was going to be as funny or enjoyable as earlier entries in the Pink Panther series? The movie's comedy is very lukewarm. Whether this is the fault of Blake Edwards, or maybe he intended it to be that way is unknown. Roberto Benigni is the Son. O.K, he is now an academy award winner, but in 1993 a complete unknown. If anyone on the movie wanted it to be a success then a bigger name should have been chosen, a David Jason, Dudley Moore or Rowan Atkinson. Benigni, does quite a good impersonation of Peter Sellers throughout the movie, but this aside isn't very funny or charming. The return of cast members like Herbert Lom, Graham Starke, Burt Kwouk and Liz Smith is good. But overall the movie seems forced and is something of a hit and miss. Lets hope the upcoming Mike Myers remake breathes new life into this series.

Long may you twitch Mr. Lom!

[Gunnery Sergeant Hartman · 16 September 2001]

A few spoilers throughout.

Yes it was a rehash. Yes, Blake Edwards recycled a lot of the jokes from the original. But I still feel that SOPP manages to do succeed. Benigni Is a nice choice for Sellers' illegitimate (Did I spell that right?) son. Not only does he kind of look like Sellers, but he has the gift of completely falling on his face and making it look like an accident. Burt Kwouk is entertaining as always as Kato. As is Graham Stark as Auguste Balls. It is nice to see them both in this movie. I also liked seeing Claudia Cardinale back in this one. But, I have to give special kudos to Herbert Lom. The first film I saw him in was "A Shot in the Dark", and it made him my favorite actor. I often found myself watching the other films in the series mainly because of him. He does an impressive job for being as old as he was (I think he was about 75.) When the bomb blew up in Maria's house and he was standing there in his smoldering suit with the poodle humping his leg, I almost died laughing. Also, Edwards gives more focus to his character of Charles Dreyfus. Instead of ending up in an insane asylum like he usually does in the other Pink Panther films, He manages to solve the mystery, AND get the girl. He giggles, he twitches, he goes a little nuts, but he wouldn't be Dreyfus if he didn't. What's really great is that he makes peace with his enemy (Jacques Clouseau), and he becomes a father to his son, and it's hard not to wish him well. God bless you Mr. Lom. Long may you twitch.

P.S. I have heard rumors that a new Pink Panther series is in the works with Mike Myers as the lead. It will never work. I'm not saying that Myers is a bad actor. I don't think he is. He just can't play stupid. When Peter Sellers did something stupid, you didn't think it was acting. When he fell off a couch, you were completely convinced that his character WAS that dumb. It honestly didn't look like acting. I just don't think that Myers will be able to do that. He's to confident. Maybe he will prove me wrong. I hope that the movie's creators bring back Lom, Kwouk, and Stark though!

Oh Blake Edwards, how low have you fallen!

[TheLittleSongbird · 1/10 · 4 June 2011]

I say this as a big fan of The Pink Panther. This movie is a shameless mess, with just two redeeming qualities. One is that the music is wonderful, appropriately zany and jazzy. The other is the amusing title sequence. These aside, you have here the worst of the Pink Panther movies, as bad as Trail and as mediocre as Curse were even they aren't as close to unwatchable as this.

The locations are quite nice, but the editing and photography aren't as striking, often feeling rushed and dull. The cast are really quite ineffectual. I don't mind Roberto Benigni personally, but he is in my opinion miscast and he mugs shamefully. In fact the only thing he manages to succeed in doing is annoying poor Herbert Lom who is saddled with an underwritten character and a badly misguided plot.

The basic plot is to do with a kidnapping, and how it is written and constructed is mind-bogglingly inane. The comedy is even worse, the script is shambolic and the slapstick is inept and unfunny. It is nice to see the lovely Claudia Cardinale but she sadly doesn't have that much worthwhile. And I don't think Edwards has done a poorer directing job than what he does here.

All in all, a big mess and only really worth seeing to see how bad it is. 1/10 Bethany Cox

Quite probably the worst of the Pink Panther movies

[riptide-2 · 2/10 · 20 July 2000]

I was more than willing to accept a new actor to take over the Pink Panther franchise as Clouseau's inept son, and I feel that he would have made a decent enough Clouseau. The problem lies with the script of this movie. Many of the gags are simply re-hashed from previous Panther movies, and not very effectively at that.

Dismal attempt to revive the series

[gridoon2024 · 4/10 · 15 October 2017]

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.

Running On Empty

[bigverybadtom · 2/10 · 29 April 2011]

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.

I'm glad that Peter Sellers did not live to suffer this one.

[kirkland1951 · 1/10 · 19 October 2003]

This movie spelled the end for the Pink Panther series. Not only would most never wish to see another one, most would wish that they had not wasted time on this one. It proved that Peter Sellers is and always will be the one and ONLY ... Inspector Jacques Clouseau. It's hard to believe that Blake Edwards would allow this travesty to be seen. It goes beyond disappointment. This film should be burned and all those who had anything to do with it should deny association to it. I know that I do not wish to admit to viewing it. It's got to finish in the 10 worst comedy motion pictures of all time. The sooner that I can forget it, the better. Roberto Benigni is worse than Alan Arkin at acting or comedy. I don't normally cast such a final judgement, but this movie is TERRIBLE. I can't see how anyone could say that they enjoyed any of it. I kept waiting for something funny to happen, like in the the Peter Sellers installments. It never did.

"Son" Is Funny

[DirectorsCut19 · 6/10 · 11 February 2006]

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.

Clouseau crumbles

[Kakueke · 4/10 · 24 November 2001]

This is the worst Pink Panther Movie. The slapstick is just terrible, and Roberto Benigni, as Clouseau Jr., just does not fill Peter Sellers' shoes. But let's look at it thoughtfully: If Sellers were in this movie, it is true it would still not be that funny, altho it would be somewhat better. However, altho I blame the problem in "Son" more on Blake Edwards, it is also true that if Benigni were in a Pink Panther movie with good scenes, the movie would be only mediocre. Altho Clouseau is such a fool, Sellers plays him with such great presence, so artfully and skillfully, and, yes, suavely, the audience is actually, paradoxically, laughing with rather than at the bumbling Clouseau. And if the scenes are great, everything is great. Benigni does not measure up, but he does not have much from Edwards. The scenes are just not funny, they are dumb, silly, stupid. Look at me I'm a boob. Does not work. Pale shadows of the excellent fun long gone.

Some redemption is provided by subplots, as Herbert Lom and yes, Claudia Cardinale return. Dreyfus (still) is involved in the investigation at hand, of the kidnapping of Princess Yasmin of Lugash, played by Debrah Farentino. Lo and behold, we have a revelation about Jacques Jr.'s origins. The martial arts square-offs between the princess and her female captor Yussa (Jennifer Edwards) remind me of the Stefanie Powers mud spa scene in "The Girl from Uncle," altho the forum(s) are different. It is good to see Cato (Burt Kwouk) still around.

All in all, thumbs down. The best reason to see it is just to see Claudia again. Otherwise, there is not much, and much bad.

Some may still appreciate great visual humor

[carlex · 9/10 · 23 January 2002]

Blake Edwards, the man who was certainly the most visually inventive and provocative comedic filmmaker of his time, naturally has a hard time being understood by the historically myopic. This film is no exception, and it's too bad: it's rather tender and vibrant in its humor, colorful and gracefully paced in its framing and editing. However, today is the age of team MTV and nudgenudgewinkwink teencomedies, and woe to Blake. Too bad - the anger that folks seem to hold for directors as they work into their later years is rather frightening and rabid, it seems to me. This film is fresh, funny, and, actually, rather youthful. I, for one, am quite glad that Blake made it. Thanks to all of you.

Son of the Pink Panther was an okay finale to Edwards' iconic series

[tavm · 6/10 · 7 February 2009]

Ten years after the flop that was Curse of the Pink Panther, director Blake Edwards once again tried to revive his iconic series without the late star Peter Sellers. In Curse, there was some wonder among Dreyfus and Francois if Clifton Sleigh was related to Clouseau. Here, it's confirmed that Gendarme Jacques Gambrelli (Roberto Benigni) is indeed Clouseau's son by his mother, Maria Gambrelli (returning Claudia Cardinale, previously Princess Dala in The original Pink Panther. She replaced Elke Sommer of A Shot in the Dark). It's also confirmed that it's been ten years since Clouseau's death (perhaps a little after the events of Curse, perhaps?). Besides the always welcome return of Herbert Lom as Commissioner-once again!-Charles Dreyfus, we also get again Burt Kwouk as Cato, Liz Smith as Marta Balls (she previously appeared in Trail of the Pink Panther in outtakes from The Pink Panther Strikes Again as well as Curse), and, back as her husband, Professor Auguste Balls, the always versatile Graham Stark (though Harvey Korman played him in Smith's previous entries). With Andre Maranne seemingly unavailable, Dermot Crowley takes over his role of Seargent Francois Duval here. Also new to the cast is Debrah Farentino as Princess Yasmin who falls for Gambrelli, Robert Davi as the villain Hans Zabra, and Edwards' daughter Jennifer as Yussa. All are good in their roles. Incidentally, the director's son Geoffrey Edwards, who previously was co-writer on Trail as well as Curse, is second unit director here as well as the director of the live-action section of the title sequence. Okay, I liked Curse despite the ending so I wondered how I'd feel about this one after what happened there. I was very glad no mention was made of Clouseau's going over to the other side so I half wondered if that was conveniently forgotten or what. Anyway, Benigni was fine mixing his and Sellers' characterizations in making us believe he really was Jacques Clouseau's son and his scenes with Lom are pure gold. Kwouk as Cato is also nicely done compared to his over-the-top attacks on Curse. In fact, I liked his disguise as a Jewish man and his surprise attacks on the villains though I half wondered if he'd die when one of them kicked him back in the refrigerator. Not every set piece was laugh-your-head-off funny but I was pretty entertained from beginning to end. Oh, and there's a cameo by Benigni's wife, Nicoletta Braschi, involving another twist that I won't reveal here. And the beginning live-action/animated title sequence by Desert Music Pictures/Kroyer Films, Inc., respectively, marked a new kind of hilarity as conductor Pink Panther (who is passed the baton from Henry Mancini in a nice cameo) tries to stop the animated Benigni from wreaking havoc in the music/film projector studio as we see Bobby McFerrin use his unique mouth to warble his own version of Mancini's Pink Panther theme. So with this series entry, we say goodbye to the cast and crew of the previous nine (including this one) Pink Panther movies especially Mancini as he'd die not long after. This also turned out to be Edwards' last feature film as once again, Son of the Pink Panther flopped. So in a way, this was indeed the end of the ORIGINAL Pink Panther series. However, someone decided to reboot the series thirteen years later. Next up, The Pink Panther (2006)...

Keep off Sellers' turf.

[fullonrobotchubby · 2/10 · 15 August 2006]

I have not seen the latest Pink Panther movie starring Steve Martin, but from what I gather, it at least has redeeming qualities. Its most popular credit is the song Beyonce provided for it (I'm not a fan - "Check on Me" is it called?), and most had no idea the song and movie were connected (I also read that Martin's comedic timing slightly saves the family film). Clearly, it can't be as bad as Son of the Pink Panther... can it? I mean Son is really bad; I've heard Peter Sellers (the original Inspector Clouseau) roll in his grave a time or two, but I thought there was thunder outside when I saw this. A then-unknown Roberto Benigni (yup, that wacky Italian who, five years later, would beat Tom Hanks AND Edward Norton for the Best Actor Oscar and declare he wants to "kidnap you and make love to you") plays what many suspect to be Clouseau's offspring. Of course, it's up to him to solve the case, which I won't even bother going into detail with. My favorite scene, uhhh... some physical comedy with a bicycle toward the beginning. Can't we all, as a whole, agree to never make or support another Pink Panther movie ever again? The Bobby McFerrin (?!?) musical intro to this gunk should have served as enough indication that the genius work of Blake Edwards and Sellers should not be outweighed by a steaming pile of pink whatsit.

Not quite worthy of the series, but still funny

[vchimpanzee · 14 February 2006]

The enduring image of Roberto Benigni for me is the crazy man climbing over people to collect his Oscar. Obviously, if he won, he has talent. But I didn't see anything so great here. He's not quite Peter Sellers.

In Gambrelli's first scene, the physical comedy was great, the writing was top-notch, and the performances of actors other than Benigni just fine. Benigni showed he could do physical comedy almost as well as Peter Sellers, though his delivery of dialogue lacked something.

Later on, Benigni showed more talent, or at least my expectations were lower and he met them. Gambrelli had quite a funny scene in a hospital when he thought a patient's bed control was a TV remote. This was the first and best of several disastrous scenes in that hospital (and I mean disastrous in a good way).

Gambrelli's funniest scene came when he pretended to be a doctor, though he had left the hospital when this particular scene took place. Other standout moments for Gambrelli came when he dressed like a Middle Easterner, and in the movie's final action scenes, and in the final scenes after the climax of the major plot.

The main plot line was silly but enjoyable. A subplot with an interesting spoiler seemed a distraction but actually contributed a lot later.

There was some real violence in addition to the slapstick that dominated the movie, but nothing too serious. Also several scenes from before and after sex.

I had a special reason for liking Cato Fong this time. If I saw him in any of the other movies, I don't remember. But Burt Kwouk is now a part of my Saturday nights on public TV, playing an intelligent but somewhat stereotypical philosopher/electrician, a man not all that different from Fong, in the British sitcom 'Last of the Summer Wine'.

And, of course, it was fun to watch Dreyfus being tortured, and Herbert Lom did a good job as usual. Claudia Cardinale did a fine job as Gambrelli's mother.

I don't remember how many Pink Panther movies I have seen. I do remember the one where Clouseau asked for a room and the hotel clerk couldn't understand him. Regardless, I do want to see all the Peter Sellers movies, and while I don't go to theaters, I look forward to the Steve Martin film when it is available on TV. Whether this film measures up depends on the individual, but I had a good time with it even after I realized it wasn't going to be the spectacular experience Sellers could have made it.

Not to be missed: the opening credits with the familiar theme music performed by multiple Bobby McFerrins in the style of 'Don't Worry, Be Happy', conducted by the animated pink cat that has become a staple of these movies (who I also enjoyed for years on Saturday mornings). I enjoyed the music in this movie overall, because it remained traditional, in the styles from the era when the first movie in the series was made.

Don't expect another Peter Sellers, but this was still fun.

Begnini doesn't cut it

[ftgplus4 · 2/10 · 10 February 2016]

It goes without saying, of course, that no other star of a Pink Panther movie can measure up to Peter Sellers. But of those who have tried, Alan Arkin is probably the best, followed by the rather bland Ted Wass.

As for Roberto Begnini? He's dead last.

The script to SON isn't that great to begin with; it barely has a laugh in sight, and the background story into which the star steps is rather messy and confusing (not like that's a first for PP films or anything). But Begnini's character doesn't do much to help things. He's annoying as anything, has an unconvincing and hard-to-understand accent, and -- above all -- is mostly just painfully unfunny. When he makes a fool of himself pretending to be a doctor, it's like the other actor in the scene didn't have to *try* to look completely unamused. And the idea of the princess being charmed by him throughout the film does not ring true on any level.

When Begnini comes close to being funny, it's due to physical humor rather than anything verbal. While Sellers' Clouseau was always funny verbally, with rarely a wasted word, Begnini talks and talks and just makes things worse in the process.

Additionally, this film refers back to earlier PP films while also ignoring what happened in them; other films in the series do this too, but not as badly. Clouseau's relationship with Ms. Gambrelli, and his eventual fate, are described as being completely different from what was portrayed before -- for no good reason.

By far the most satisfying aspect of this movie, and the only reason to watch it, is the character of Commissioner Dreyfus. The TV Guide review of the movie says it best: "SON is Dreyfus' reward after... years of suffering... at the capricious hands of chaos. He's less caricatured here than usual. He tics and twitches, he goes a little nuts, but he wouldn't be Dreyfus if he didn't. Nevertheless, he also has achieved a degree of inner placidity and wisdom that has come with age and, for once, allows him to effortlessly and decisively solve the case. For once, he gets to be the hero, and he even gets the girl... In terms of the greater scheme of the series... it is significant that Dreyfus makes his peace with chaos by marrying into it. It's hard not to wish him well."

Bottom line: Not even as good as CURSE OF THE PINK PANTHER, and neither as good nor as bad as TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER (depending on which parts of that movie it's being compared to). Serious PANTHER fans may want to check it out just to see how the series ends, at least for Dreyfus.

There's just something missing

[studioAT · 3/10 · 7 June 2010]

Blake Edwards should really have stopped making Pink Panther films after Peter Sellers died and realised after the cut and paste film that was "Trail of the Pink Panther" and the flop that was "Curse of the Pink Panther" that the public just weren't interested in Clouseau clones.

The franchise was already thirty years old at the time of this release and although there are some funny moments to be had everything feels tired and the cast can't save this weak film.

Panther regulars Burt Kwonk and Herbert Lom all appear in an attempt to make this feel like a classic Panther but without the talent of Peter Sellers this film fails to match the high standards of the previous entries.

A weak end to Blake Edwards franchise that deserved a better conclusion.

Desperate.

[McBuff · 2/10 · 29 March 2001]

Since Peter Sellers´ death in 1980, Blake Edwards seems to be the only person on the planet who hasn´t gotten over it yet. Since then we have seen the tasteless mess that was "Trail of the Pink Panther", the feeble attempt "Curse of the Pink Panther" and now this...apparently Edwards saw a tv-performance by Roberto Benigni, and felt that he had the talent to revive the Clouseau character, but sadly the result is a painfully unfunny chaos. There´s Herbert Lom as Dreyfuss, but he seems fatigued and too mellow by now, there´s Claudia Cardinale who played the princess in the first Pink Panther movie, but here she´s supposed to be Maria Gambrelli (from A Shot in the Dark). There´s Burt Kwouk as Cato and Graham Stark as Auguste Balls but that´s just not enough. Robert Davi seems to be doing his Sanchez routine from Licence to Kill all over again. Roberto Benigni, despite all his efforts, is left to aping Sellers in what is basically weak imitations of the well known gags from earlier films, and quite frankly, it just doesn´t work. The title sequence and Bobby McFerrin´s rendition of Henry Mancini´s classic theme is worth one star, though.

The Final Nail in the Pink Panther's Coffin

[elicopperman · 3/10 · 24 May 2023]

Following a whole decade after Blake Edwards and United Artists' embarrassing attempts at continuing the Pink Panther series without Peter Sellers, one more try was done with Son of the Pink Panther. Starring Italian comic actor Roberto Benigni as Inspector Clouseau's son, the film did so poorly on its summer 1993 release that any plans to possibly continue the series ended right then and there, and Edwards himself would retire from filmmaking shortly afterwards. Watching the film 30 years following its original release, it's safe to say that this would mark the end of an era, and thank goodness for that too.

The film centers on the kidnapping of Princess Yasmin from Lugash, leading to Chief Inspector Dreyfus having to find her on account of France's strong ties with the country. Upon encountering local police officer Jacques Gambrelli, son of Jacques Clouseau and Maria Gambrelli from A Shot in the Dark, both men set out to find the missing Princess in spite of their shenanigans. With a premise of Inspector Clouseau's illegitimate son coming into play, one would think this would be a nice way to continue the magic of the series. Unfortunately, outside of general exposition from Maria Gambrelli on her son's origins, little is done to do anything unique with Clouseau jr other than the usual slapstick shenanigans with Dreyfus. Although Roberto Benigni is certainly doing his best in continuing the accident prone formula, his physical talents only do so much entertainment wise. At this point in the series, it seems like Edwards had long since exhausted what could be done and couldn't bother doing anything to make this film work for a new generation that hadn't grown up on the movies prior.

Outside of tired slapstick, the film does try to lighten the suspense up with dangerous stakes in regards to Princess Yasmin's kidnapping. Robert Davi pulls off a chilling performance as the chief kidnapper Hans Zabra, and the film does admittedly get its better sequences out of his team's presence alone. That being said, most of the action scenes feel tact on to keep the momentum going, not helped by how flat Yasmin is as a macguffin. On top of being played by producer Tony Adams' then wife Debrah Farentino, she is all looks and no character and feels more like an excuse for forced romantic chemistry between Yasmin and Gambrelli. At this point in the series, the movies can't decide whether they want to be fully goofy comedies or intense capers. One would even wonder why Jacques would be Clouseau's son in the first place when he could have easily been another accident prone cop like Ted Wass in the last Pink Panther outing. I guess having Claudia Cardinale back as Maria Gambrelli (replacing Elke Sommer) is a good enough excuse in the filmmaker's minds.

Going into any notable positives, the absolute highlight of the feature would definitely be the opening credits. On top of a groovy rendition of the iconic Pink Panther theme done by folk jazz singer Bobby McFerrin, the animation of the panther itself and a caricature of Benigni's Gambrelli continue the well timed pratfalls. By having the entire take place within one location, a recording studio booth where McFerrin and backup perform, the comical hijinks between both cartoon characters feel well confined within their environments enough to make for a strong start before all goes downhill. In addition to this being the last film to be scored by Henry Mancini, the production design makes good use of shooting on location in southeastern France and Jordan next to the UK. While the battle sequences are slightly bogged down by the obnoxious slapstick, the sets are marvelous in how grand the scope of it all is. Even when a feature is clearly dead in the water, you can still accompany it with some strong production values every now and then.

To call Son of the Pink Panther a low note to end the Pink Panther series on is an understatement to say the least. No matter how hard the cast is trying to make the film as entertaining as they can, the painfully unfunny script and questionable storyline prove that it was time to retire the franchise once and for all. Unless you're a die hard Pink Panther fan, skip this film at all turns, as it offers little to nothing for regular viewers and fails as an introduction to a new generation. It is sad to say that this would end up being Blake Edwards' swan song, for his legacy is worth cherishing more than this lame feature.

So he's a Diamonds son?.......

[FlashCallahan · 3/10 · 12 April 2015]

It is nearly 30 years since Inspector Clouseau managed to get Maria Gambrelli cleared of a murder charge, and Maria has gone on and have moved to a seaside town.

Princess Yasmin of Lugash has come to the town for a holiday with her father, but she is kidnapped, and because of the strong ties between France and Lugash, Chief Inspector Dreyfus is brought back from the dead to find her.

He is hampered by the local police officer Jacques and is amazed when he finds that Jacques is Maria's son.

He is terrified even though he and Maria are falling in love that Jacques is Clouseau's son and Jacques is showing similar behaviour.

Both Jacques and Dreyfus set out to find the missing Princess...

Edwards should have left this franchise alone when Sellers sadly passed away, because every Pink Panther movie made since then, have just been horrible smears on the unique humour he gave us in his performances as Clouseau.

And this one has to be the poorest (yes, it's even worse than the one that was full of deleted scenes and David Niven was dubbed). Benigni, so wonderful in Life Is Beautiful, really tries to do something with his character. He is so full of life, so animated, but so desperate to be Sellers, which he shouldn't have tried to channel.

So despite his best efforts, he cannot do anything to save it. The plot is terrible, jokes beyond stale, and cast members obviously regretting doing a favour for the once brilliant Blake Edwards.

When a comedy is released, and doesn't feature a single laugh, its unfortunate. But when a sequel to one of the defining comedies of the sixties is released and doesn't feature a single laugh, and fails to even give the viewer a smile, its a downright tragedy.

It's the poorest comedy sequel ever made, and I've seen Mission To Moscow.

A good fresh start.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 6/10 · 3 May 2008]

No this movie is not as good as the earliest Pink Panter movies and no, Roberto Benigni ain't no Peter Sellers but fair is fair, this is an entertaining and fun enough comedy, that showed some potential for a new fresh start of the Pink Panther series.

Everything in this movie indicated that they intended this movie as a new and fresh start of the Pink Panther series. The movie was more of its time and modern and looked more like a James Bond movie done comedy style than an old fashioned made slapstick, like all of the other previous Pink Panther movies were done in.

Too bad that people never really gave this movie a fair change. People just thought that the Pink Panther series should had stopped with the death of Peter Sellers in 1980 and director Blake Edwards should had never went on making more Pink Panther movies, as he did. This was the third Pink Panther movie without Peter Sellers, so people were already mostly fed up with it and after the previous too disappointing Pink Panther entries, the expectations for this movie naturally weren't really high. But I for one however wouldn't had mind seeing more Pink Panther movies with the son of Clouseau in it.

No, I never really have been a Roberto Benigni fan, since he mostly only plays naive, smiling, jumping and screaming comical characters but he simply was well cast in this movie and did a good job with his role. I think it was a good move that they didn't let hem try to impersonate Peter Seller's performance as the famous 'brilliant' inspector but instead letting him be a total different character with Benigni his own interpretation.

Nevertheless it's not a movie that totally abandons the style or spirit of the previous Pink Panther movies. It still let some old character re-appear in this movie such as Police Commissioner Charles Dreyfus (finally he got his promotion), Professor Auguste Balls, Cato and Sergeant Francois Duval. It however also becomes painfully obviously that by now the actors who are portraying the characters got terribly old and it became time for some fresh blood. As much as I loved Herbert Lom in all of the previous Pink Panther movies as Dreyfus, he really was too old for his role in this movie to be still believable and good in it. Same goes for Burt Kwouk as Cato, who at the time of this movie already was well in his 60's.

The fact that this is a more comical approach of James Bond also means that there is some more story present this time, with a real villain and a love interested, action, shooting as well as most other typical genre clichés. The feeling that this is a more comical version of James Bond is being strengthened by the presence of Robert Davi, who previously played the main villain in the James Bond movie "Licence to Kill". Basically he plays the same role as he always does; a ruthless criminal boss who always is looking for more power and money. But if you're so great at playing these sort of roles, why wouldn't you take it? A only complaint could be that he doesn't play his role comically enough. He is serious as always, though I'm not to sure if this was what the film-makers originally had in mind. The different approach of the entire movie might also be a reason why some people have difficulties accepting this as a Pink Panther movie but I in fact think that all of the Pink Panther movies are somewhat- and always wanted to be like James Bond movies, only done in a complete different comical style.

Director Blake Edwards with this movie shows that old fashioned slapstick can still be incorporated properly into 'modern' movies, if done and handled correctly. Blake Edwards with this movie shows that he still had it in him, which also makes it sort of a shame that his career pretty much died right after this movie.

Give this movie a fair change and you might end up liking it for what it is.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

(Not) the Son of the Pink Panther

[Wes47 · 1/10 · 5 July 2016]

The original Pink Panther (1963) was a light-hearted comedy. This one features The Princess from the original as Clouseau's widow, because apparently, forgetting that she's a Princess, making her the wife of a dead Clouseau, and having Clouseau's son not know who he is is very funny. And apparently, it's also funny for Clouseau's son to be mistaken for a pink diamond.

There was also about a million bullets flying everywhere (more humor?). Having a new Princess who acts like she's drunk when tranquilized and kidnapped (over and over) is supposed to be funny. And her Mother (who looks to be about the same age as her daughter) is behind the kidnapping, just because. About the only funny thing about this movie is that Clouseau's Mother is only 13 years older than her son.

Meaning that she had Clouseau's son before she ever met Clouseau.

Completely Underrated

[chazzy-3 · 10/10 · 29 February 2000]

The visual wit and warm wrap-up that Blake Edwards' brings to one of the finest comedic series of film history (and, apart from the couple produced in the eighties, they were consistently original and inventive - and changed with each one) is sadly misunderstood and no longer appreciated by our audiences. The manner in which Edwards' uses the entire screen instead of just cutting for quick effects requires a little more patience, and can result in quite a payoff - witness the side-splitting scene with Dreyfus and colleague in hospital beds (but, of course, you need a widescreen version to see it). This movie made me laugh, and laugh, and laugh, but, as I said before, if Edwards' "The Pink Panther Strikes Again" (probably the best in the series) were released today, it wouldn't have gotten the time of day either. It's too bad, because this film, which displays a tenderness to these characters and Edwards' creation as a whole, was never allowed a chance to really be seen without generally jaded eyes.

Like Father, Like "Son" Somewhat Less

[EmperorNortonII · 7/10 · 18 January 2002]

The "Pink Panther" franchise has spawned a number of movies. The last one in the series is "Son of the Pink Panther." It stars Roberto Benigni as the original Inspector Jacques Clouseau's son. He does a good job stumbling and bumbling his way through the story. It's easy to picture Benigni as a Clouseau-type stumblebum. And a number of characters appear that, although they did not appear in "The Pink Panther," have become familiar in other "Panther" movies. But the last in the line differs somewhat from the original. Its tone isn't quite as lighthearted as the first. It has a lot of violence that seems to taint the movie. Although there are a few good scenes, this movie reminds us all how sorely Peter Sellers is missed.

Benigni flailing away without any help

[SnoopyStyle · 1/10 · 19 October 2015]

Terrorist Hans Zarba (Robert Davi) kidnaps Princess Yasmin of Lugash (Debrah Farentino) to force her father to abdicate. Police Commissioner Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) gets into an accident with the getaway van. Just as Zarba is about to kill Dreyfus, local policeman Jacques Gambrelli (Roberto Benigni) crash into mess. Gambrelli sees the drugged Yasmin but believes Zarba's story. Gambrelli lets them go. Later, Dreyfus is horrified to discover from Maria (Claudia Cardinale), a character from 'A Shot in the Dark', that Gambrelli is actually the son of his greatest nemesis Inspector Jacques Clouseau.

This is like watching a man drowning and there is nothing anyone can do about it. One can see Roberto Benigni flailing away. It's a fool's errant to try to replace Peter Sellers in this way. This is Blake Edwards' last feature directorial effort and he's past his prime. It's nice to see the other old timers but everybody has lost a step. As much as Benigni is flailing wildly, the movie is an utter disaster without him. None of it is funny and it's incredibly tiring to see Benigni keep trying ... and failing to salvage this mess.