The Pink Panther

This movie unfolds slowly & tentatively, but picks up speed as it progresses...or maybe I was just too concerned with Steve Martin's interpretation of Inspector Clouseau, and I finally relaxed about halfway through the film. Well, when you're used to seeing Peter Sellers as Clouseau, it's just difficult to view anyone else in that role. But, true to the character, Steve Martin does make it his own, and actually pulls it off pretty effectively. He has always been good with physical humor, and this film is no exception.

Similarly, its difficult to adjust to seeing Kevin Kline as Inspector Dreyfus. Since this movie is a prequel, I can assume that Clouseau has yet to get completely under his skin. It was typical Kevin Kline ... dry, with a weak french accent. I was mildly disappointed because I really enjoyed his french character & accent in French Kiss several years ago.

The first few gags were very short-sided and fell flat, but once Clouseau starts looking for clues the slapstick works a little better & the film gets more enjoyable. Many of the gags are predictable (as is the plot), but what really makes them work is Martin's reactions (which I really think was the key to Peter Seller's portrayal as well).

This film was very tame, with only subtle innuendoes that most youngsters aren't likely to grasp. The audience appeared to laugh at least as much as I did. If you don't expect too much, this movie will be fun; if you expect too much, you're likely to be disappointed.

The movie was just fun. I'm a huge fan of slapstick and goofy humor. Well this is a movie just full of it. I took my nine year old daughter with me, who like a lot of the children I know really like Steve Martin. Well we both laughed a lot and sometimes out loud, especially me. It was opening night and the theater was almost full. There were lots of people laughing during this movie. It was a crowd of all ages and at the end there was applause. I'm not gonna give some long drawn out analysis of the movie and compare it to the original series or any other movies for that matter. I will just say that I was very skeptical about a new Pink Panther movie and just assumed this would be a stupid bomb. Well I must say it was stupid funny and like a bomb it was explosively funny. I'm glad I saw a clip on the Letterman show that sparked my interest. Steve Martin and Kevin Kline were downright funny.

As a father it's always fun to take your kids to a movie where you can both laugh out loud and enjoy without having to worry about foul language, nudity or violence. If you want to go see a serious movie full of the hardships of life then go see one of the Oscar nominated pictures. If you just want to go and have some simple fun with one of your kids, your spouse or a friend, then allow yourself the time to see why Steve Martin is still one of America's best funny men.

While obviously nothing can hold a candle to Peter Sellers and the original Pink Panther, I was pleasantly surprised with this new installment. I went in being very skeptical, but I laughed through most of the movie, and left satisfied by the experience. Beyonce really should stick to singing, so it was good that her speaking role wasn't very big; honestly a different person for her role would have made the movie better. At the movie theater or renting it later, it is definitely worth a look. Plenty of slap-stick, and Martin's accent is more over the top than Sellers, which made some of the situations very funny. And yes, his pronunciation of "hamburger" features quite prominently in it.

I really enjoyed this movie. I expected the worst because of many of the comments here, but that's why they play the game, so the saying goes...

There were plenty of laughs and a simple but serviceable plot that held together for the whole film. I personally don't think Martin was trying to BE Sellers, but to do his TAKE on a character created by Sellers. Think original Clouseau + The Jerk and you get the idea.

The key is that Marin captured the spirit of the character and the film captured the spirit of the original films as well. That's all one could ask.

Jean Reno was quite good, Kevin Cline not so good. He might have taken more time to make his own Dreyfuss.

Now to clear some things up:

First: For those who lament a crappy remake of the original film, I suggest you go watch the original film. You will be surprised at how unfunny it is. Sellers is good, but the movie itself is slow and obvious. I remember loving the movie as a kid, then I tried to watch it recently and realized I was remembering the sequel. The original was really weak and boring.

Second: For those who say Martin turned Clouseau into some kind of loser, I again suggest you watch the originals. He WAS a loser. He WAS pathetic. That was the point. He was a sexual repressed, pathetic loser who lucked into solving crimes while bumbling around and trying to get laid. Martin's Clouseau fits this mold.

Third: This is not a remake, but another in a series. To suggest that the original is so sacred that another film in a series can't be made many years later is the worst kind of snobbery. Why do people treat films with such reverence but not plays or musicals? If a great star creates a character on stage, does that mean no one else can ever play that character in the history of theater? Of course not. Sorry to say, Sellars is dead. He can't come back and do it again.

Now there are things about this movie that are different than the originals in terms of tone.

One is that the subject matter has been toned down a bit. Though there is the implication of sex in multiple places and a few murders (not violent and not seen), it isn't as risqué as the original, to fit a broader market one would suppose. Still not sure how they can get away with advertising it on Nickelodeon with links to NIck.com, but that's a typical Viacom/MTV problem.

But this film is a bit lighter than the original for that reason. It is still satirical, but less blatantly pop culture gag driven than a Shrek. Pink Panther takes subtle jabs at the French and their love of cycling, hatred of American food, etc. It also incorporates a very fun sequence with 006, creates gags out of Viagra, ring tones, the TSA, etc. Basically, it's current without being so tied to 2005/6 that it will feel dated later.

If you like to laugh, you'll like this movie. If you consider yourself a tough cookie for laughs, then you may not. But that's your fault, not the movie's... ;)

First off, why all the reruns? Are there NO creative minds left in the movie making business? Or are they all tangled up in making dreary reality films? Steve Martin deserves something original as he is certainly an original talent. Why must we have to go into a movie with the quintessential movie of that title already firmly etched into our mind? The comparison is going to be there, try as you may to squelch it. And in so saying, I will admit this movie isn't bad, it does have the moments and the laughs. But I, for one, am tired of rehash after rehash of previously made movies - most of which can't be improved on. (Witness the hideous remake of Charley and the Chocolate Factory. That will likely be the only movie that Johnny Depp, one of the world's best actors, shouldn't have made and that was almost embarrassing to watch.) And The Pink Panther should have been left the perfect jewel that was created by Peter Sellers.