Parents' Guide to

The Return of the Pink Panther

Movie PG 1975 115 minutes
The Return of the Pink Panther Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Charles Cassady Jr. By Charles Cassady Jr. , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 10+

Hilarious Clouseau better in sequel than original.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 10+?

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age 10+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Jackandeoin
Jackandeoin Parent of 9-year-old
August 25, 2019
age 9+

Outstanding, quirky, and hilarious!

This movie is for everyone! Like most pink panther movies Peter Sellers hits the high note for all of us! What a great family film that makes you laugh until you fall out of your seat! This is a must see!
crankylibrarian
crankylibrarian Parent
January 3, 2014
age 11+

Cliche violent action flick, buoyed by Sellers's brilliant comedy

Cassady's review is dead-on: this does feel like 2 separate movies. Lord and Lady Lytton are quite despicable characters: selfish, snobbish, deceitful, and quite willing to endanger or harm others for their own amusement. However, Clouseau and Dreyfus have some of their most inspired bits: a highlight is Clouseau's attempted masquerade as a phone repairman. Younger children may be disturbed by Dreyfus's repeated shooting mishaps, and to see Captain von Trapp as a surprisingly violent con artist, (in shockingly ugly 70s outfits). And it might be worth mentioning that the cavalier treatment of mental illness would not pass muster today.
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What's the Story?

Despite high-tech security, the fabulous Pink Panther diamond is stolen by a masked cat burglar from a gallery in the mythical Mideast country of Lugash. France's Inspector Jacques Clouseau is summoned to recover the gem. This is a career boost for the disaster-prone Clouseau, demoted to patrolling the streets of Paris by Chief Inspector Dreyfus, who ultimately fires him for his perpetual incompetence. Reinstated, Clouseau sets out after his old nemesis Sir Charles, and is tricked by the aristocrat's fun-loving wife Claudine to follow her to a Swiss ski resort. Meanwhile, Sir Charles claims he's retired from larceny and doesn't know where the Pink Panther is. He tries to prove his innocence by catching the real thief.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (10 ):

At times it seems like we're watching two different movies; wild slapstick with Clouseau, more grown-up adventure/intrigue with Sir Charles. This was the first time in ten years that Peter Sellers had reprised his hit 1960s role as the klutzy French police detective Jacques Clouseau, but the title is more literal than that, as Clouseau is once again tangling with the nefarious thief Sir Charles Lytton, alias `The Phantom,' from the original PINK PANTHER.

But it's Sellers' mastery of characterization that makes Clouseau work. He's a bumbling oaf but conceitedly believes in himself as a cool crimefighter and master of disguise -- and good fortune seems to conspire to indeed make Clouseau look like a super-sleuth in the end, sending Dreyfus into a homicidal rage. Even though director Blake Edwards shows other characters (not Dreyfus, of course) laughing at Clouseau, a supposed violation of screen comedy's most sacred rule, it's still a riot.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the poor way Chief Inspector Dreyfus handles his anger at Clouseau. Does anybody drive you crazy? What's a better way of containing negative feelings to someone you're stuck with at school or at home?

Movie Details

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