Son of the Pink Panther MPAA Rating: PG Entertainment: +2 Content: -1/2

In the 1960's and 1970's, the Pink Panther comedy movie series starring Peter Sellers was a big hit. Now, along comes SON OF THE PINK PANTHER, a modern day revival of those movies. A new actor, Roberto Benigni, plays Jacques Cousteau, Jr. Like his father, he's a bumbling, clumsy French policeman who is always getting into trouble. His mission is to rescue an attractive Arab princess kidnapped by a ruthless gang of mercenaries. They are working for evil conspirators who want to take over her father's sheikdom. Jacques serves as a great annoyance to his supervisor, Commissioner Dreyfus (Herbert Lom). He provokes hilarious, slapstick antics ranging from zany exploits in a hospital disguised as a doctor, to a violent but comical encounter in a foreign Casbah-type night club. Eventually, he gets caught in a war between the two opposing factions and, in the process, gets credit for rescuing the princess. Then, when he's being honored for this accomplishment, he falls off the platform during the ceremony. SON OF THE PINK PANTHER doesn't have all the magical appeal of the original Peter Seller movies, but it's good for some laughs.

This modern day sequel is reminiscent of the earlier movies with only a minimal number of questionable elements. Sometimes, though, the fighting and shooting become intense and sometimes injuring others is exploited to entertain. The dialogue contains two moderate vulgarities which are disappointing and obviously included to avoid a G rating. In the night club scene, Clouseau comically kisses the belly of a scantily clad dancer, and twice she briefly puts her hands over her clothed breasts. In a rough scene, the princess's dress is torn off by her captors. While posing as a doctor, Clouseau gets drunk on some medicinal alcohol and accidentally injects himself with a potent sedative. For the most part, though, the slapstick comedy is clever and unpolluted. It may be a bit too mature for younger children, but its questionable elements don't seem severe enough to earn a negative rating.

Preview Reviewer: John Evans
Distributor: MGM/UA, 10000 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232