The Pink Panther

I keep hearing "Steve Martin is no Peter Sellers" this, and "it just doesn't come close to the original version" that, so perhaps my enjoyment of this movie is only because I had nothing with which to compare it. I suppose my best advice, in that case, would be not to see this movie if one is strongly attached to Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau. As for me, having walked into the theater expecting yet another overly drawn-out "Saturday Night Live skit" type movie, I was extremely surprised to find that The Pink Panther, while not continuously hilarious, was definitely still funny. And most of that was due solely to Steve Martin himself.

Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline) has finally been presented with a case that could catapult him to national fame and glory--the high-profile murder of France's beloved soccer coach, Yves Gluant (Jason Statham). Adding to the mystery of the soccer coach's murder is the missing Pink Panther diamond, presumably stolen from Yves as he died. Dreyfus decides to place the most incompetent detective in France in charge of the investigation, so that after months of botched police work he can swoop in at just the right moment and solve the case himself, thereby winning a medal of honor and a seat in the French National Assembly. Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) is therefore promoted and given charge of the case, along with Detective Ponton (Jean Reno), who is to secretly report back to Dreyfus on all of Clouseau's activities. If Dreyfus had ever watched even one single episode of Columbo, then he would know better than to underestimate a seemingly clueless detective; however, this not being the case, Clouseau is left to stumble aimlessly around Paris searching for the killer and the stolen diamond. While Clouseau may be completely hopeless, he is nevertheless pure of heart, and makes an earnest if not bewildered attempt at an investigation. With the competent and well-trained Ponton at his side, Clouseau spends the entire movie conducting ridiculously unhelpful interrogations and becoming involved in several blundering mishaps. Yet somehow, he seems to be on the right track, much to the irritation of Chief Inspector Dreyfus.

Most of this movie is just silly, but not quite to the "roll your eyes" extent. The comedy comes entirely from Clouseau himself, in his seemingly idiotic actions and the other characters' reactions to him. He's a lovable doofus, yet completely unaware of this fact, so he proceeds with full confidence into foolish conversations and situations. It is impossible for anyone, characters and audience alike, to take him the least bit seriously, especially with his ludicrous French accent and naive foolishness. With an abundance of funny one-liners and silly (yet still comical) slapstick routines, the movie was for the most part quite entertaining. I was honestly shocked that a movie centering around an absurd and over-the-top character such as Inspector Clouseau didn't have to be completely nauseating or obscenely juvenile, and I was impressed with Steve Martin's ability to make the character so likable and even pleasant to watch.

This film was quite fun, so I suggest that if you miss it in theaters that you make sure to rent it on DVD. Again, I have no idea how this version compares to the original, but in all honesty, I don't really care. This film, on its own, was simply good. And nothing against Peter Sellers or anything, but come on--we're talking about The Pink Panther, not a James Bond movie, and if Sean Connery can be replaced with Pierce Brosnan, then I think Steve Martin can take over a lesser-known or iconic role from 40 frackin years ago. But, like I said, I wasn't even born when the originals came out, so maybe I just don't get it. All I know is, this movie was funny, and I just plain loved Steve Martin's Clouseau.