The Pink Panther (2006)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Shawn Levy

Writers (WGA):

Len Blum (screenplay) and
Steve Martin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 February 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Mystery

Tagline:

Get a clue!

Plot:

Loosely based on the 1964 Peter Sellers original film, where the detective must solve the murder of a famous soccer coach and find out who stole the infamous Pink Panther diamond.

Plot Keywords:

Clouseau | France | Pink Panther | Coach | Diamond

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Steve Martin	...	Clouseau
Kevin Kline	...	Dreyfus
Jean Reno	...	Ponton
Emily Mortimer	...	Nicole
Henry Czerny	...	Yuri
Kristin Chenoweth	...	Cherie
Roger Rees	...	Larocque
Beyoncé Knowles	...	Xania
Philip Goodwin	...	Deputy Chief Renard
Henri Garcin	...	President
William Abadie	...	Bizu
Daniel Sauli	...	Music Producer
Jean Dell	...	Justice Minister Clochard
Anna Katarina	...	Agent Corbeille
Nick Toren	...	Agent Savard

Also Known As:

The Birth of the Pink Panther (USA) (working title)
The Mask of the Pink Panther (USA) (fake working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for occasional crude and suggestive humor and language.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA | Czech Republic

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Ireland:PG | Australia:PG | UK:PG | Netherlands:MG6 | Brazil:Livre | Malaysia:U | Norway:11 | Argentina:Atp | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Spain:T | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Sweden:Btl | Chile:14 | Iceland:L | Hungary:14 | Germany:6 | Denmark:7 | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Hong Kong:IIA | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | South Africa:PG | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:12 | Peru:PT | USA:PG (PCA #40805)

Filming Locations:

Kaufman Astoria Studios - 3412 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

In the press conference scene, the cameras that are supposed to be "news" cameras actually filmed parts of the scene.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Clouseau is talking with LaRoque, the table with his coat and the chair behind the desk disappear when he hits the desk to break the vase off his hand.

Quotes:

Nicole: Do you live alone, Inspector?
Inspector Jacques Clouseau: Yes, I do.
Nicole: Do you ever get lonely?
Inspector Jacques Clouseau: No. Not since the Internet.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Troldspejlet: (#35.7)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Got to Be Real

Well worth watching

Don't be swayed by some of the negative reviews. This movie is entertaining, and fun to watch. As has been noted in other posts, Martin is not Sellers, and Kline is not Lom. But you already know that. That being said, Steve Martin puts his own spin on the character, and most of the time it worked quite well. If you remember, the original Pink Panther was made in '63, A Shot in the Dark was in '64, and it was 12 years before the next one with Sellers was made. And during that time, Alan Arkin played Clouseau. So, Sellers playing the inspector wasn't an instant classic, and took over a decade to catch on enough to make sequels.

The plot in this outing is no more strained or outrageous than the others, and the slapstick comedy is just as forced at times as in the previous movies. But that is what Panther fans expect. If you were an adult when the first Pink Panther movies came out, you will remember all of the negative attitudes from numerous movie goers about how silly and juvenile they were. But those of us who 'got' the humor loved them. And those of us who 'get' the humor this time around love this movie.

I am just saying, give it a chance. It may not be the same as the originals, but it comes closer than anything else ever has or ever will. Sellers may be dead, but if you miss the spirit of Clouseau, it is alive in this movie. Let the people who want to appear sophicated bash this movie all they want, but I am pretty certain that even though they compare it to the original and point out its shortcomings, they would probably have had the same negative attitude toward the original movies had this forum existed back then.

The movie doesn't take itself seriously, so we shouldn't take it seriously either. Watch it, laugh out loud, enjoy it, and have an enjoyable evening.