A good rule of thumb for remakes or rehashes, like Steve Martin's recently released "Pink Panther," is low expectations. It certainly is about time that this gem of a series was resurrected, but audiences that expect Sellersian wit and performance may leave a little disappointed.
The film follows the antics of the incompetent Inspector Clouseau (Martin) as he tries to solve the murder of a famed soccer coach and the theft of his priceless pink panther diamond. Put on the case by the politically ambitious Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline), Clouseau is expected to fail just in time for Dreyfus to step in, solve the case, win the Medal of Honor and be propelled forward to new political heights.
Martin is no Peter Sellers, the tremendously funny and profoundly talented actor who first played the bumbling Clouseau in the original "Pink Panther," made in 1963. Seller's Clouseau was so popular that he would play the role four more times, including one posthumous performance in 1982 (on this occasion, for the "Trail of the Pink Panther," the movie was pieced together using B-roll footage from the previous films).
Martin is a comedic genius in his own right, but his Clouseau seems deeply ensconced in schtick, and precisely the kind of predictable slapstick that Sellers was so careful to avoid in the original portrayals. However, Martin has shining moments that feel like moments from "A Shot in the Dark" or "Revenge of the Pink Panther," most notably the Inspector's hand-to-hand struggle with a couple of antique vases on a visit to Casino.
Also, the original films aren't light on mystery, action or suspense, and in these areas, the new "Panther" is distinctly lacking. Don't try to figure out who did it as the plot unfolds; they throw all the answers at the audience at the end.
But this is all probably the nitpicking of a person who holds Sellers's Pink Panther films near and dear. The film manages to illicit some belly laughs even though Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn are absent. And the one thing the new flick has that the old ones don't: Beyonce, as well as the always-amusing Kevin Kline and a surprisingly funny Jean Reno (the only actor in the film who is actually French).
Though this movie could make for a light and fun night, when it comes down to it, this is probably a film for a younger crowd. The Beyonce single that gets about six seconds of screen time has already been on the radio for weeks, and will probably stock theatres with herds of tweens. But those who grew up with the Pink Panther, or who instinctively use a bad French accent whenever they check into a hotel, have no excuse for skipping this one.
