New Version of Panther Doesn't Measure Up

by: Josh Marks

"The Pink Panther" is a forgettable prequel to the 1964 Peter Sellers classic. However, Steve Martin as French Inspector Jacques Clouseau and a decent supporting cast of Kevin Kline, Beyonce Knowles, Emily Mortimer and Jean Reno save this movie from being a disaster.

Most of the stunts fall flat and become repetitive but the execution by Martin could save any unimaginative Hollywood remake and "The Pink Panther" is no exception. This makes it a halfway decent flick, at time hilarious but most of the time missing the mark.

The film, directed by Shawn Levy (Cheaper by the Dozen) and co-written by Martin, starts out at a packed soccer stadium with the murder of the Team France soccer coach and the stealing of the famous Pink Panther diamond. The events unfold in front of the coach's girlfriend, international pop star Xania (Knowles), and Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kline). Dreyfus wants the Medal of Honor so he recruits Clouseau to fudge the investigation in a secret plan to win the medal for himself. Clouseau's partner in the investigation is the competent Gendarme Gilbert Ponton (Reno). The clues lead Clouseau through a series of bizarre encounters from Paris to New York and back. Emily Mortimer plays his secretary who helps with the investigation.

While there are a few classic and hilarious scenes from Martin, "The Pink Panther" for the most part never rises above the level of an unoriginal imitation of the 1964 Sellers version. It falls in line with so many Hollywood films today - browse through the library of classic movies and remake them in a mediocre and profitable way. If "The Pink Panther" is worth seeing it is because of Steve Martin - a credit to his writing and acting abilities even in an average film such as this one.