By Jeff Hartke, February 11, 2006

The Pink Panther (PINKP) lays the yucks on thick, creating a fast-paced enjoyable comedy with broad appeal. Steve Martin (SMART) nails the role of Inspector Clouseau, using a fine mixture of humanity and ham – which is a good thing, since this is completely Martin’s show. Audiences looking for a friendly, goofy show will be well rewarded.


One of the reasons Sony (SONYX) recently purchased MGM was to have access to its library of titles, most notably the James Bond franchise, but the Pink Panther series as well. The 1963 hit spawned a cartoon series, plus numerous sequels, including this one, which had its release delayed until today.

Known at one point in production as The Birth of the Pink Panther and intended to be a prequel of sorts to the original series of movies, director Shawn Levy instead has his film stand on its own. There are no attempts to fit this in the timeline with the movies starring Peter Sellers, which is just as well, since such things as ringtones, illegal downloads, electric cars and airport security are all mined for laughs.

Fans of the original series will find that, despite this fresh coat of paint, the elements of the past series remain. Most importantly, Martin makes a splendidly ridiculous Clouseau. He has his own sense of style, and fashions the Inspector into a silly - but very caring - character. Perhaps this is because he co-wrote the script, and his comedic style fills the film. The humor is that Martinian cocktail of likeable losers who do outrageously silly things, all because they refuse to abandon their dreams. If you were a fan of his early stand-up routines, appearances on Saturday Night Live, or Bowfinger then you'll like this.

Kevin Kline (KKLIN) provides an excellent foil as the urbane, competent and soulless Captain Dreyfus, the exact opposite of everything that is Clouseau. Likewise, Jean Reno (JRENO) exists to provide contrast, playing a tough by-the-books detective assigned to be Clouseau’s partner. Emily Mortimer (EMORT) shows her range after a nice turn in Match Point and Beyoncé Knowles (BKNOW) is just pure gorgeousness.


Although there's plenty of physical comedy, Martin himself avoids most of the rough stuff, wisely leaving it to younger actors, including an uncredited cameo from a famous British actor that's just too good to spoil.

A number of critics have panned the film. I suspect that the reason for many of them is nostalgia, pure and simple. Peter Sellers was a great actor, but let's face it folks - a lot of those Pink Panther sequels were stinkers, and the rough edges of even the better movies may have been worn away by memory. This movie, judged on its own merits, is worth the price of a ticket.

The Pink Panther opens in wide release on February 10.