The Pink Panther

—1. Overview
—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—5. Posters
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads

When I first heard that there was going to be a remake of The Pink Panther, the first word to come to mind was “heresy.. I thought, “Please God, don’t let Hollywood sully another one of my favorite memories. Make it stop.� Then, when I heard that the release date for The Pink Panther was being pushed back from the blockbuster season of summer 2005 when theatres roll out their best and brightest to the early winter doldrums of 2006 when studios usually dump whatever celluloid garbage they have left on the shelves in theatres, I thought my worst fears had been confirmed.

However, I’m happy to say that the new Pink Panther isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It is, in fact, funny and entertaining. It may not ever be a comedic gem like its predecessor, but it isn’t the travesty many recent remakes have turned out to be either. In fact, it made me want to go back and watch the original Pink Panther all over again, and when it comes to an homage movie of this sort, that’s one of the best compliments it can receive.

One thing is for sure, for all the other elements that made the original Pink Panther such a classic film, most of it rested squarely on the shoulders of Peter Sellers. Sure he’s had some better roles and may have shown more talent in other films, but let’s face it, the character of Inspector Clouseau was uniquely his own, and it’s what made the original films so funny. To take on such a classic character is a bold move, and while Steve Martin doesn’t outshine the original, he at least holds his own and seems to know that no one can ever top Peter Sellers; at best they can only imitate him, and to that end Steve Martin does a competent job. He brings just enough charm, idiocy, cluelessness, savior faire, and physicality to the role for it to not to be mistaken for anyone but Clouseau.

Despite the fact that many of the gags can be seen coming miles away, especially if you’ve seen the other Pink Panther films, they’re still funny and have a kind of classic charm to them. However, some of the gags fall flat or run on far too long; but on the whole, this film is more hit than miss. Admirably, this film avoided much of the raunchy bathroom humor that most modern comedies bank on, and because of that, it has a light-hearted fun feel to it that reflects the innocent charm of the source material it’s based on.

Martin does a pretty good job with the trademark Clouseau accent, making it the central gag in a couple scenes that are actually pretty funny. Martin puts in one of his best comedic performances in recent memory, and rather than merely trying to fill Seller’s shoes, Martin brings his own talents to the Clouseau character and creates something that is uniquely Steve Martin—and yet it’s still the Clouseau we all remember and love. Like the original, it isn’t necessarily the direction or the writing that makes the movie, although those are important and for the most part done well, it’s the character of Clouseau and how he’s portrayed that makes the movie fun.

Despite his bumbling cluelessness, Inspector Clouseau somehow always seems to come out on top. He always inadvertently solves the case, saves the day, and gets the girl. It’s this ability to succeed despite his shortcomings that I think makes this character such a popular and endearing one. We’d all like to believe that things will work out despite how we may mess them up. That’s one of the most amazing things about God; He uses flawed people to fulfill His perfect plans. More than that, I Corinthians tells us that God chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise (I Corinthians 1:27), which sounds like a verse tailor made for Inspector Clouseau, or for me and my imperfect ways, or for you. Isn’t it amazing that God loves you that much? You may not be perfect, but that doesn’t matter to God. He still wants you to be a part of His family, He still has a purpose and a plan for you, and He wants to help you grow and mature into perfection. You may be a bumbling Clouseau, but that’s just fine with God. He knows how to perfect those of us who may be diamonds in the rough, even when no one else sees our potential.

While such a message may not be the central theme of this new Pink Panther film, it does shine through as Clouseau is able to wrap everything up in a tidy little package by the end of the film, showing the world that he may not be the idiot that everyone thought. I found this ending to be a bit distracting because, although it’s been a while since I’ve seen the original, I don’t really recall Clouseau ever really knowing what was going on. If the case happened to be solved, it was merely by accident.

However, in this new version, Clouseau does indeed seem to possess an effective deductive mind as he reveals the solution to the crime; but after all his bumbling antics throughout the rest of the film, I found this sudden turn of events jarring. It did provide a convenient end to the film and gave it a feel-good ending as the “hero� wins the day, but it didn’t quite ring true with the character we had been watching or with the rest of the film.

Regardless of your opinion of the original Pink Panther films, I think this new version may surprise you. In a remake-happy Hollywood that churns out eye-rollingly bad versions of classic characters and franchises, it’s refreshing to see one that won’t make you hate yourself for being duped into seeing it out of a sense of nostalgia. Although The Pink Panther may not end up being a comedy classic in its own right, it is a funny film that has a light-heartedness about it that makes it enjoyable to watch. Even when I wasn’t laughing I had a goofy grin on my face because I knew that what I was watching was just being silly for silliness’ sake.

Although it may not be worth a full-ticket price, it’s definitely worth seeing it in the bargain theatre or waiting for it to come out on DVD. If nothing else, it will have you imitating that impossible French accent in order to try and get a giggle out of your friends (You: “There’s iz a larje boomp on your head.� Your Friend, “That’s because you hit me with that mannequin leg!� You: “Yes, yes. You have ze fut in mouth disease, no?�), and that’s got to be worth something… right?

— Overview