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.

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.

Now i am a 15 year old and i just bought this movie a few days ago for a trip. I was think "Son of the Pink Panther," can't be all that good. But i was wrong! WAY WRONG! A BIG FAT WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!! This film is great i am not a fan of the first few films (The Pink Panther - Shot In The Dark) they arnt bad just not as funny. But the mid 70s ones are fantastic and now this! It was so funny i am still thinking of that line, "Hurry or they cut off my nipples!' it makes my laugh every time! Yes, Sellers is not in it. Yes it takes place ten years after the last one and yes it has a new guy. But it is good and worthy of a rental and even a buy! Not for the 40 year olds and up but for the teens and into the 20s.