The Pink Panther film review

certificate_PG

THE PINK PANTHER

It's hard to see The Pink Panther as anything other than an indulgent exercise for Steve Martin, who gets to pay homage to the comic genius of Peter Sellers. But for all Martin's undoubted talent, he is clearly no Sellers and this is no match for the original. There is an inherent sense that Martin never quite fulfils his potential. There are occasional glimpses at some deeper, more affecting sensibility, but he seems all too ready to abandon that in favour of a cheap laugh. That is the clear distinction between he and Sellers' interpretation of the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. With Sellers, there was a real person at the heart of his inept policeman, someone you cared for as well as laughed at. Martin's Clouseau is more just a vehicle for a series of gags, few of which have the charm of Blake Edwards' films.

Director Shawn Edwards, who was at the helm for Martin's Cheaper By The Dozen, has adopted a crasser approach. Working with a script by Martin and Len Blum, The Pink Panther has a more frenetic pace and cruder undercurrent than the original films. There are plenty of recycled jokes, in particular one involving a globe and another with Clouseau farting, but here they are overdone. In fact The Pink Panther suffers from an overall feeling of trying too hard to please. It's only because Clouseau is such a wonderful character, and the source material so good that the outcome offers a few enjoyable moments.

The Pink Panther films were never about the plot, which in this case is a good thing as there really isn't one to speak of. What one there is centres on solving the murder of a famous football coach Yves Gluant (Jason Statham) and the retrieval of the notorious Pink Panther diamond which Gluant sported at the time of his very public death in front of a thousands of fervent football fans and his girlfriend, pop singer Xania (Beyoncé Knowles). Kevin Kline assumes the role of the beleaguered Chief Inspector Dreyfus, so brilliantly played by Herbert Lom first time around, who is put in charge of the case. Dreyfus is seeking the prestigious Medal Of Honor and, after six failed nominations, wants nothing to sabotage his chances. His plan is to bring in an incompetent who will inevitably screw up, meanwhile he will solve the case and glory and the Medal will be his.