The Pink Panther Review

"The Pink Panther" reviews

Movie

The Pink Panther

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2009-03-06 22:06:02

Rating

2/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

The Pink Panther will be palpably funny to kids who know not of its legacy. It's hard to imagine this remake ever being laugh-till-you-cry funny, but it seems as though demography calculations (see Beyonce as the female lead) sucked some potential out of it.

Story

Even for young people who blank when Peter Sellers' name is mentioned, Henry Mancini's Pink Panther theme means Inspector Clouseau is back—the song's more famous than a Beyonce Knowles tune! The latest "episode": After France's soccer coach is murdered and his Pink Panther ring stolen, an opportunistic Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline) calls on Clouseau to botch the investigation and thereby make himself a hero. "Ze inspyecteur" clumsily tackles the case and almost everybody he meets along the way, including his sidekick, Gilbert Ponton (Jean Reno), his pretty coworker, Nicole (Emily Mortimer), and international pop star Xania (Knowles), the coach's girlfriend. Clouseau ignorantly bumbles along, embarrassing all in his path, en route to meager investigatory work. The clean end result is obvious, so the story revolves around the series of minor calamities he sets into motion on the way.

Acting

Granted, most viewers' frame of reference for the film will be its cartoon series, but Martin's take on the iconic Clouseau will still be met with skepticism. His SNL mania makes cameos, and the scenes from the trailer are all indeed hilarious for young and old viewers, but both are few and far between. Martin does physical comedy perhaps better than anyone, but it doesn't translate to a nouveau Clouseau—only a non-blasphemous one. Then there's Beyonce... So beautiful, so glamorous, such a good voice. Those strengths are apparently enough to land top billing, while acting—her weakness—takes a backseat. The fact that her dubious character's longest scene comes while inexplicably performing a song condemns the film to one of modern-vanity, when it in spots feels nostalgic. Kline, also contributing little, makes it seem like he hammered out his role on a brief jaunt to Paris.

Direction

Shawn Levy seems to be on the same page with Martin (whom he's now directed or produced in three films), mass audiences and (thus) financiers. His mastery poor-man's slapstick continues, and is in full-swing, in Panther, which will possibly take him from the proverbial "cusp" to the "big times" as a director. Levy shows great skill in showcasing the best that Martin has to offer as a physical comedian. Martin, who co-wrote the film, and Levy do make a formidable team when it comes to pratfall humor, but like their Cheaper by the Dozen collaborations, "enough is enough" is the overwhelming feeling midway in. As for the big blunders, think more PG-rated Naked Gun gags--complete with a Lt. Drebin look-alike—than Panther hilarity of '63. Overall, Levy again displays promise, but it'd be nice to see what he's really capable of as a filmmaker, rather than a film manipulator.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 2 stars.

Movie

THE PINK PANTHER

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-03-10 16:33:00

Provider

Review

Oh dear. If ever there was a comic creation that could pass easily from generation to generation, that was simply unimprovable, that didn't need reinterpreting, it's Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau. Doing so with an actor who, by common consent, hasn't been funny for the best part of two decades looks like an act of monumental folly.

And so it proves. Pink Panther gets almost everything wrong, starting with Steve Martin whose physical awkwardness and inability to act normal even for a second is in stark contrast to Sellers - whose Clouseau always appeared convinced he was the only sane person in the room. As one American reviewer has already noted, casting Martin while Leslie Nielsen's career lies dormant smacks of cowardice, and Martin rewards his backers with a karaoke take on the famous accent. In short, he beumbs.

Kevin Kline, a brilliant physical comedian himself, misfires as Dreyfus, Clouseau's mentally deteriorating boss, though Jean Reno fares better as a gendarme and Emily Mortimer is passable as his short-sighted secretary. Director Shawn Levy contributes next to nothing visually, adopting a stand and point approach to his camera. The plot, of course, is secondary (Clouseau investigates the murder of a French football coach), though the decision to suddenly transmogrify Clouseau into a brilliant detective so he can solve the crime is the cinematic equivalent of grinding gears.

Steve Martin has now slaughtered two genius comic creations (ever seen his Bilko? Now you know why). Whose next, Groucho Marx in Duck Soup? It could work, if they hired Dick Cheney as director.