The Pink Panther [Blu-ray]
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Movie Reviews of The Pink Panther [Blu-ray]
Movie Review: Disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
Although this production did generate a few laughs, the casting is poor, and frankly I expected better from Steve Martin. It can be summed up in the five second segment in which he noisily passes gas in what he thinks is a soundproof room--yuk!Movie Review: "Killer, I will find you because it's France!"
Summary: 3 Stars
Viewers who are after a sophisticated plot would probably do well to look elsewhere, but for those of us who like their humor sometimes silly and absurd, The Pink Panther occasionally fits the bill. The movie isn't nearly as bad as you'd think and it certainly isn't as bad as the worst of the original Peter Sellers movies.
This new updated version of the Pink Panther - starring cameos by Jason Statham and Clive Owen and featuring a lovely performance by Emily Mortimer - is rather a vehicle for showing the comedic talents of Steve Martin who talks funny with his fake French accent as he assumes the role of the bumbling Inspector Clouseau made famous by Sellers.
The story - or what there is of it - begins when Yves Gluant, (Statham) France's most famous soccer coach (and boyfriend of the beautiful pop star Xania (Beyonc? Knowles) is murdered in plain sight in front of a huge crowd after leading his team to victory against China. By the time anybody notices that Gluant is dead- the priceless Pink Panther diamond has disappeared from his finger.
Enter Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline) turns to Clouseau (Martin) the least competent cop in France to help solve the mystery. Dreyfus hopes that the press will devote its attention to Clouseau, thus freeing him to solve the crime in a less pressured environment. Dreyfuss has also been nominated for the Medal of Honor for the seventh time and this time he plans to win it at any cost.
Much of the movie is composed of sight gags, there are lots of people falling over and running into things and generally being stupid. Much of the witty repartee comes from the chemistry between Martin accident-prone Clouseau and the Martin as the snobbish and patronizing Dreyfuss. Both are extraordinarily vulnerable - Clouseau because of his hubris, pride and insecurity and Dreyfus chiefly because of Clouseau.
Martin embeds Clouseau with a touch of the innocent and its this innocence that lends the love story between him and his secretary, Nicole (an adorable Emily Mortimer). But the best thing about the replica is how wholeheartedly Martin throws himself into the physical comedy, which is uniformly hilarious. Most of the laughs are pretty juvenile, aimed for ten year olds, with the only really funny jokes coming from a scene involving flatulence and Viagra.
The best part of the film is when the opening titles kicks in with an animated sequence featuring a squat cartoon Clouseau and the slinky panther-playing cat and mouse to the strains of Henry Mancini's sublime burlesque theme. The rest of the film is very much direction by numbers.
Even the best Pink Panther movies were never great cinema, just great fun; the scripts were vehicles for Sellers' genius, which combined lordly timing with a gift for absurd physical comedy. He was a buffoon, but he was a buffoon with dignity, Martin does a good job of carrying on the legacy, but one sort of wonders why the series needed to be remade in the first place. Mike Leonard October 06.
Movie Review: Why see this if the reviews say it stinks? Surprise!
Summary: 4 Stars
This new version of The Pink Panther didn't fare well in the reviewer columns when it was first released. Being a fan of the Peter Sellers versions, I didn't exactly boycott this movie. I just told myself that I didn't want to see a corruption of the original. Well, that changed when it came out on DVD, and was discounted to boot.
This version of The Pink Panther was also entertaining.
Steve Martin was a very passable Inspector Clouseau, Kevin Kline was okay as the Chief Inspector, and Jean Reno was a great reinterpretation of Clouseau's sidekick. Funny, funny throughout!
One thing that couldn't be changed, and wasn't, was the music. It couldn't have been a Pink Panther movie without the Theme from Pink Panther!
Movie Review: Bonus features review
Summary: 4 Stars
Bonus features on this DVD are everything a "Pink Panther" fan could hope for. There are four documentaries, and they are all great. I loved learning how the animators made the hilarious opening titles for the beginning of the film, and showing how the filmmakers built the set for the climatic palace scene.
The DVD also has two music videos by Beyonce Knowles (who plays Xania in the film), neither of which I was particuarly thrilled with, since I am not a fan. But still, "Check On It" got stuck in my head for many hours after watching it. The other music video has a bland commentary with director Shawn Levy.
The alternate opening sequence has gorgeous animation and clever ideas. But I like the one in the film better, mostly becuase it's funnier and introduces those who haven't seen the original "Pink Panther" films to the relationship between the cartoon Panther and Clouseau. The alternate sequence has an optional commentary of Shawn Levy, who spends most of it going, "Oh, look how amazing that animation is," as if he's never seen it before. I mean, the animation is amazing, yes, but we don't need the director saying that for us.
The DVD also includes special sneak peeks of other Columbia Pictures' movies and an intruiging promotional spot for Sweet N' Low, which was way too short to enjoy it.
My biggest concern on the bonus features was that the cast and the crew in the documentaries just couldn't stop fawning over director Shawn Levy. I'd rather hear more about Steve Martin or Kevin Kline, but that's just my opinion.
If the makers of this DVD could have added even more bonus features, it could've been a two-disc set, but I enjoyed the extra features anyway.
If you want to see my view on the movie, find the review titled, "Good one!"
Movie Review: A very funny movie from start to finish
Summary: 4 Stars
It goes without saying that no one can ever take the place of Peter Sellers, who will always be the perfect embodiment of Inspector Clouseau, but Steve Martin - a legend in his own right - really takes this role and runs with it, leaving a steady train of laughter in his wake. I thought the entire film was very funny - lots of slapstick stuff, of course, but also some more subtle humor that played well without becoming pretentious. Martin's fake French accent was a definite winner, and - let's face it - a fake French accent is the funniest accent of them all (with the possible exception of the Swedish Chef from the Muppets, of course).
If you're like me, you've probably wondered at one time or another just how the cartoon Pink Panther and the Pink Panther movies are connected. Well, you're going to have to keep wondering because I'm still not sure myself. Sorry about that. Anyway, in this particular film (loosely based on the original movie in the series), the Pink Panther is an obscenely gigantic diamond that is stolen from the head coach of the French soccer team when he is murdered in the middle of a packed soccer stadium. Inspector Clouseau is brought to Paris, made a detective, and given charge of the murder case - not because he is the right man for the job, but because Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline) wants an incompetent boob to divert media attention while he goes about solving the case himself - thereby ensuring himself of his long-coveted Legion of Honor award (for which he has already been nominated seven times).
Determined to finally prove his detective skills, Clouseau throws himself into the investigation, leaving no stone unturned. Because justice is justice and France is France, he will not rest until the murderer is caught. All kinds of hilarity ensue as he unleashes his unique good cop, bad cop interrogation technique on a witness, demands to question a murder victim, endeavors to lose his French accent for some undercover work in America, and generally goes around making a fool of himself without even realizing it. It's a recipe for constant hilarity.
Don't expect a lot from the story itself, as it's thrown together somewhat haphazardly; just sit back and revel in the comedic antics of Steve Martin. He is at all times the center of attention, although I must say that the rest of the cast is quite good (although I think Jean Reno's enormous talents are wasted for the most part as Clouseau's sidekick Ponton). Beyonce Knowles acquits herself well in the role of the murder victim's girlfriend, and Kevin Kline seems to take great delight in his role as Chief Inspector Dreyfus.
The bottom line is this: this new incarnation of The Pink Panther is an exceedingly funny movie, and Steve Martin proves himself to be the perfect choice to try and fill Peter Sellers' shoes for a new generation. I'm not naturally a fan of remakes such as this, but I think even the most dedicated Peter Sellers fan can really enjoy the humor of this film. It really is a funny movie from start to finish.