>>REVIEW
THE PINK PANTHER
STARRING Steve Martin, Kevin Klein and Beyonce Knowles
DIRECTED BY Shawn Levy
Opens Friday, February 10
Check listings
Not unlike the murder and diamond thefts found throughout the series, the latest incarnation of The Pink Panther raises questions only a master sleuth could hope to answer.
Why, for instance, did Steve Martin co-write and star in the ninth addition to the Pink Panther franchise (the 10th, if you include the 1993 television series featuring the voice talent of Canadian Mark Frewer)? Was he trying to balance the five films made with the original Jacques Clouseau, Peter Sellers, against the four made posthumously (five if you count the series)? And will Beyonce Knowles ever be featured in a film in which she is cast as someone other than a singer?
Unfortunately, this unassuming take on the 43-year-old Pink Panther formula answers only the latter question – a resounding no.
After a completely superfluous narrative introduction by Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline), The Pink Panther quickly cuts to the familiar animated credit sequence found in every past Pink Panther film, albeit with a white-haired version of Clouseau – either a nod to Martin’s trademark hair or a tacit admission of the franchise’s age. From the credits the film punches the formula that creator Blake Edwards’s legacy has been following since the original Pink Panther’s premiere in 1963. Clouseau bumbles through his search for the stolen Pink Panther diamond and its murderous thief while his antics and outrageous accent amuse the audience and drive Chief Inspector Dreyfus to near insanity.
Some jokes manage to rise beyond the pedestrian, such as Martin’s perfectly executed inability to pronounce "hamburger," while others plot with all the predictable wind of a long series of fart jokes – results of Martin’s charisma and script, respectively. A combination of occasional gems with an equal number of easy shots is the order of the day, with the pleasure of seeing The Professional’s Jean Reno slap his own ass in a disturbing unitard counterbalanced by the quick exhaustion of the film’s self-conscious references to its displacement in time. "Clouseau on the Internet," unfortunately, only has so much comic mileage.
Though certainly not awful, the latest Pink Panther is a by-the-numbers comedy that would be better enjoyed at the cut-rate price of a rental. Perhaps by the time the DVD has been released, you’ll be able to rent the animated series at the same time. If memory serves, it’s not bad. |
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