Trail of the Pink Panther

  • Review Date: July 7, 2005
  • PG
  • Genre: Comedy
  • 1982
Review

Common Sense Media says

A weak link in the brilliant series.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie has a salacious scene of nude young women (why nude? Your guess is as good as ours) stomping grapes at a vineyard. Also scattered profanity (in French and English), previously unknown in this series. A scene of attempted suicide (by a young Clouseau) is played for laughs.

  • Positive messages0
    Not applicable.
  • Violence3
    Slapstick between Clouseau and Cato, and between Cato and Marie (he thinks she's a burglar, but it's still a little disturbing to see Cato attack an innocent woman rather than Inspector Clouseau!). Another character, a sour old lady, tries to axe an annoying dog. A flashback to Clouseau's WWII years shows him exploding a bridge. In the present, his meddling also somehow blows up a car.
  • Sex3
    Clouseau's vineyard-owner father tries to grope two naked, giggly young women stomping grapes.
  • Language3
    The S-word a few times, plus its French equivalent. A friend of Clouseau's is named `Balls.'
  • Consumerism0
    Not applicable.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking3
    Social drinking, and the possibility that Clouseau's father is a habitual lush.
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What's the story?

After Peter Sellers died in 1980, director Blake Edwards announced he had enough outtakes and unused Sellers material to concoct new Pink Panther comedy starring the comic genius. Once again the sacred Pink Panther diamond is stolen. The mythical Mideast country of Lugash sends a demand to Paris for Clouseau to recover it. A handful of scenes -- some very funny, some overbearing -- show Sellers' Inspector Clouseau visiting his favorite disguise shop, starting fires in his office, checking into (and wrecking) a hotel, and getting stuck in an airline toilet while bandaged head to foot. Then, news comes that Clouseau's plane has disappeared. A chic French TV reporter, Marie (Joanna Lumley), starts interviewing everyone who knew Clouseau, including characters from earlier movies, like the aristocratic burglar Sir Charles Lytton (David Niven).

Is it any good?

 

TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER is a strange, mutant tribute/exploitation of the movie. Kids who are undiscriminating may laugh a few times. Edwards meant well, but it just doesn't work.

The cast reunion mainly provides an excuse to show plentiful excerpts from the previous films in the series. This is a sort of thing that long-running TV series do occasionally when they get lazy, the dreaded "clip show." The question of who has stolen the Pink Panther diamond is simply dropped, and the clips more than anything remind us that Peter Sellers wasn't really around for this production at all.

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What families can talk about

Families can talk about how they think this movie compares to the others.

This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
Kid, 12 years old
September 25, 2010
AGE
5
 
its only boobs.
Its only boobs in that vineyard scene. its not bad at all.
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (5) | Had useful details (5) | Read my mind (5)
Flag as inappropriate 
Parent of 3, 5, and 6 year old
July 27, 2010
AGE
17
 
Nudity
Fine movie, but was appaled by the topless women in the vineyard. Not just a quick peek, but some time spent on them romping about topless.
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (4) | Had useful details (4) | Read my mind (7)
Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 13 years old
April 18, 2011
AGE
2
 
nothing bad
just 1 boob scene rest is g rated
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (3) | Had useful details (3) | Read my mind (5)
Flag as inappropriate 
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This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
Studio:MGM/UA
Director:Blake Edwards
Cast:Herbert Lom, Joanna Lumley, Peter Sellers
Genre:Comedy
Run time:92 minutes
Theatrical release date:July 8, 1982
DVD release date:July 8, 1997
MPAA rating:PG
MPAA explanation:language and adult situations
This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
 

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
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