The Pink Panther (2006)

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 | Pink Panther | France | Coach

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 Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | 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:

Originally, the animated title sequence was going to be done in CGI, but the filmmakers decided to stick to traditional, hand-drawn animation instead. This animation was directed by Bob Kurtz, who had worked on some of the "Pink Panther" shorts. The CGI title sequence appears as an extra on the DVD, and is partly used as menu animation.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the opening soccer game scene, the advertisement banners in the stadium appear backwards in several shots.

Quotes:

French journalist: Inspector, do you know if the killer was a man or woman?
Inspector Jacques Clouseau: Well of course I know that! What else is there? A kitten?

Movie Connections:

Featured in 2006 MTV Movie Awards (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Race

A Completely Different Panther

Peter Sellers was Peter Sellers. Steve Martin is Steve Martin. In the same way, Steve Martin's Inspector Jacques Clouseau is a totally new creation, as uniquely Martin's as the original was uniquely Sellers'. The essential details are the same: the ridiculous accent, the unique level of incompetence, the tendency to karate-chop the air on reflex. But instead of trying to emulate Sellers, Martin fills out the character with his unique brand of goofiness. By the end of the movie, I had totally accepted Steve Martin as the new Inspector Clouseau, never once trying to compare him to Peter Sellers.

The film starts out with narration by Kevin Kline as Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom's character in the older films). The narration contains a few groan-worthy clichés but only exists long enough to set up the plot. Kevin Kline sometimes struggles to keep his French accent straight, but he makes up for it later in the movie with his willingness to be the butt of several gags.

The movie then moves to one of its high-points: the credits. An animated version of Steve Martin's Clouseau chases after the famous Pink Panther to a traditional rendition of Henry Mancini's theme. The sequence is not only the cartoon cat's funniest appearance so far (Must be happy to be doing something other than insulation commercials), but it's a treat for fans of the original films willing to indulge. Several moments pay tribute to the animated sequences of the Peter Sellers films, including "A Shot in the Dark." Then the real movie begins. Steve Martin shines as Inspector Clouseau, nailing the ridiculous accent perfectly. It even varies slightly from Sellers'. The plot is that of a conventional murder mystery, a nice change from the muddled plots of the previous movies. It's even possible for the viewer to spot the clues.

Steve Martin's Clouseau has been upgraded from mere idiot to idiot savant. He's accident prone, absent minded, and slow on the uptake, but when he's got time to sit down and think it's not hard to believe he's capable of solving the case.

Beyonce's character, while important to the plot, actually gets only a small amount of screen time. Her role requires only average acting talent. She may not be the most competent actress, but she is very competent when it comes to giving the camera absolutely smoldering stares.

I found myself rooting for Martin to solve the case and get the girl. No, not Beyonce. Emily Mortimer as Dreyfus' scatterbrained secretary. She and Martin have great chemistry, as do Martin and sidekick Jean Reno. There's a real warmth in the relationship between Clouseau and Reno's character. The tired routines that were recycled so many times in the original films are thankfully gone, though there are several subtle nods to those familiar with the older films. While, sadly, the movie never once reaches the level of hilarity the originals did, the laughs are steady, the story flows nicely, and the characters are extremely likable. The movie may or may not appeal to fans of the original movies, but fans of Martin, especially the young ones acquainted with him (as well as director Shaun Levy) from the "Cheaper by the Dozen" movies, will love it.