Son of the Pink Panther [VHS]

Son of the Pink Panther [VHS] Review

Blake Edwards, looking for some way to resurrect the Pink Panther series after the death of Peter Sellers, hit upon the idea of creating an illegitimate son for him (with Claudia Cardinale, who starred in the original film in 1963, returning as the mother). Edwards's most useful notion was casting Italian comic Roberto Benigni as the junior Clouseau. Benigni is a walking sight gag, capable of turning dross to gossamer with his sheer physical skill. Unfortunately, he's no Rumpelstiltskin--his powers only go so far--and there's too much straw for him to spin it all into gold; indeed, he gets buried, despite an energetic performance, in a limp plot about the search for a kidnapped princess. --Marshall Fine