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 | Diamond | France | Coach | Pink Panther

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

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Steve Martin's last line in the movie after a hospital bed smashes through a hospital window is "That breeze feels good." This is a nod to his role in The Man with Two Brains (1983) where, as Dr Michael Hfuhruhurr, he tells Dolores Benedict the same words after he inadvertently breaks a window.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Clouseau and Ponton are at the presidential ball and are seen by the guard, the guard cocks his gun twice.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Inspector Jacques Clouseau: You are Yuri the trainer who trains.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Getaway: (#15.4)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Check On It (Pink Panther)

Enjoyable, but not fantastic.

This movie unfolds slowly & tentatively, but picks up speed as it progresses...or maybe I was just too concerned with Steve Martin's interpretation of Inspector Clouseau, and I finally relaxed about halfway through the film. Well, when you're used to seeing Peter Sellers as Clouseau, it's just difficult to view anyone else in that role. But, true to the character, Steve Martin does make it his own, and actually pulls it off pretty effectively. He has always been good with physical humor, and this film is no exception.

Similarly, its difficult to adjust to seeing Kevin Kline as Inspector Dreyfus. Since this movie is a prequel, I can assume that Clouseau has yet to get completely under his skin. It was typical Kevin Kline ... dry, with a weak french accent. I was mildly disappointed because I really enjoyed his french character & accent in French Kiss several years ago.

The first few gags were very short-sided and fell flat, but once Clouseau starts looking for clues the slapstick works a little better & the film gets more enjoyable. Many of the gags are predictable (as is the plot), but what really makes them work is Martin's reactions (which I really think was the key to Peter Seller's portrayal as well).

This film was very tame, with only subtle innuendoes that most youngsters aren't likely to grasp. The audience appeared to laugh at least as much as I did. If you don't expect too much, this movie will be fun; if you expect too much, you're likely to be disappointed.