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Amazon.co.uk Review
If anyone could step into the huge shoes of comedic genius left by Peter Sellers as bumbling French policeman Jacques Clouseau, it's Steve Martin. Sellers made Clouseau a true icon of character and comedy in five Pink Panther movies in the '60s and '70s; Martin has arguably already attained Sellers' rank as an entertainment talent, so it only makes sense that he became Clouseau's heir apparent for the inevitable screen resurrection. This updated story of the priceless eponymous diamond purloined under mysterious circumstance and pursued with Keystone Cop-like antics by Clouseau is a frivolous yet winning pastiche of physical gags and riffs on Clouseau's hilariously impenetrable accent. A famous French football coach (Jason Statham in cameo mode) is wearing the stone, set as an engagement ring for his pop star fiance (Beyonce Knowles). But before a packed stadium crowd of thousands, the ring disappears from his finger as he falls dead from a poisoned dart. The wisp of a plot is secondary to the pratfalls of Martin's prim, prissy, and utterly inept Clouseau. He's brought onto the case by France's top cop (a drolly sophisticated Kevin Kline) who wants Clouseau to fail in a scheme to make himself a national hero. Even in a world where jokes about Viagra, flatulence and other familiar sophomoric subjects are required, Martin makes his Clouseau singularly memorable. You'll be fully expecting Clouseau to shatter priceless antiques, mangle his pronunciations (hamburger, anyone?), and prevail in the end, but Martin carries it off, giving homage to Sellers at the same time that he remakes the character in his own image as a comic master. --Ted Fry
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Pointless, dull and unfunny. The only reason to watch it is to prove just how brilliant Sellers was in the originals. I gave this one star because I couldn't give it nothing, which is what it deserves.
Steve Martin used to be funny- a long, long time ago. Do not waste your hard earned cash on this dross, buy the Peter Sellers Pink Panther boxed set with the originals,and laugh until you cry.
Steve Martin used to be funny- a long, long time ago. Do not waste your hard earned cash on this dross, buy the Peter Sellers Pink Panther boxed set with the originals,and laugh until you cry.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The latest and least unsuccessful post-Peter Sellers incarnation of The Pink Panther isn't a particularly good movie, but it's certainly a lot better than Blake Edwards last three disastrous bloody-minded attempts to prove that he was the genius of the series and didn't need Sellers (who, to be fair, had he lived was planning to pull the same crap on Edwards by replacing him with Clive Donner). Steve Martin certainly doesn't make the part his own but at least he fares better than Roberto Begnini, though the accent is wrong in all the unfunny ways. It doesn't need to be a Sellers impression, but remotely amusing would have been nice, especially since director Shawn Levy hasn't a clue how to stage a decent pratfall, rendering much of the physical comedy lukewarm. Along with being the only one of the series not to be shot in Scope, most of the old faithful setups of the series are discarded - Kevin Kline's rather flat Dreyfuss isn't trying to kill Clouseau all the time (no nervous tic or accidental dismemberment either) and Kato isn't constantly attacking him (though this is reworked as Clouseau constantly attempting to attack his assistant, who effortlessly pre-empts him every time) - with not enough new to fill in the void they leave. Indeed, in a sign of its troubled post-production that saw it shelved for the best part of a year, one of the one of the funniest scenes (a surreal airplane sequence that has nothing to do with the plot) got deleted, as did Dreyfuss' motive for bringing in Clouseau to the case, but at least they're both in the DVD extras.
Sadly, Jean Reno is almost entirely wasted as Clouseau's sidekick in the film. Looking like he's just had plastic surgery (it's easy to understand why he avoids the clean shaven look, it's scary in a faceless man kind of way), his only genuinely funny moment is a brief dance routine, which at least puts him one up on the one of the film's unbilled guest stars. In a cameo as a thinly disguised James Bond ("006. You know what that means?" "You're one away from the big time?"), Clive Owen proves that while he may have all the dramatic ability of a block of wood with woodworm when it comes to `serious' films, when it comes to comedy he's even worse (think Charlton Heston in trying-to-prove-he-has-a-sense-of-humor mode, only much worse). His delivery of even the simplest lines is astonishingly stilted even by his standards, making you wonder if he's unable to speak English unless it's spelt out for him phonetically. Still, if nothing else his leaden touch proves what an unmitigated catastrophe he would have been as 007, and it's a fairly brief moment in a film that's watchable with a few laughs. There's no reason to watch it other than completism, but there's a lot worse out there.
Sadly, Jean Reno is almost entirely wasted as Clouseau's sidekick in the film. Looking like he's just had plastic surgery (it's easy to understand why he avoids the clean shaven look, it's scary in a faceless man kind of way), his only genuinely funny moment is a brief dance routine, which at least puts him one up on the one of the film's unbilled guest stars. In a cameo as a thinly disguised James Bond ("006. You know what that means?" "You're one away from the big time?"), Clive Owen proves that while he may have all the dramatic ability of a block of wood with woodworm when it comes to `serious' films, when it comes to comedy he's even worse (think Charlton Heston in trying-to-prove-he-has-a-sense-of-humor mode, only much worse). His delivery of even the simplest lines is astonishingly stilted even by his standards, making you wonder if he's unable to speak English unless it's spelt out for him phonetically. Still, if nothing else his leaden touch proves what an unmitigated catastrophe he would have been as 007, and it's a fairly brief moment in a film that's watchable with a few laughs. There's no reason to watch it other than completism, but there's a lot worse out there.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Unfortunately, just not funny. Steve Martin has done another hatchet job on what was a very amusing character, however this time it's even more of a mess than the Bilko remake. Poor casting: Kline's accent is more English than French, Reno is misscast and Knowles is just dreadful. Some of the gags have been stolen from the original movies (rolling globe for one), or for some reason just go on too long or are just awful.
The funniest thing is watching the extras with the the star and director explaining how amazingly great they each are and what a gem they've created.
Stunning that it even managed a cinematic release. If you want an alternative to Sellers watch Alan Arkin in Inspector Clouseau, Steve Martin has lost it.
The funniest thing is watching the extras with the the star and director explaining how amazingly great they each are and what a gem they've created.
Stunning that it even managed a cinematic release. If you want an alternative to Sellers watch Alan Arkin in Inspector Clouseau, Steve Martin has lost it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Don't be fooled. This is not the original Pink panther movie.
And it's dull, dull, dull.
Peter Sellers was a comic genius.
Steve Martin isn't even slightly funny.
Save your money. Buy something else.
This is dross. Read more
Peter Sellers was a comic genius.
Steve Martin isn't even slightly funny.
Save your money. Buy something else.
This is dross. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Earl le Pen
Come back Peter Sellers, all is forgiven!
Put bluntly, there isn't a single laugh in this movie. It doesn't say much for Steve Martin that you never for one moment believe he is Clouseau - instead you're never allowed to... Read more
Published 7 months ago by mr rupert
Very funny!
I don't understand why people are so negative about this movie. Steve Martin is perfect as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau and as he wrote this script it's even funnier. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Sam
happy kids
excellent purchase - good price for purchaser - great viewing for grandkids !
Published on 21 Feb 2010 by Robert Anderson
minus 5stars
whats with all these bl....dy remakes,just watch the original masters.the world's lost all it's ideas.
Published on 17 Jan 2010 by A. kennedy
Come on now, its really quite good
Ok, when I saw they had remade the pink panther I wasn't sure I wanted to watch it, but I did and Peter Sellers was a hard act to follow. Read more
Published on 20 Sep 2009 by Kathryn
Steve Martin's 'Jacques Clouseau' is just not funny.
Trying to live upto Peter Sellers version of Jacques Clouseau was always going to be a hard task for anyone ... and Steve Martins version is just a poor imitation. Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2009 by N. Thompson
Oh my Lord!!
This is very possibly the worst thought out, worst executed film Martin has ever done. Some scenes actually make you look away from the screen for their purile attempts at humour. Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2009 by Rousie Rouse
Pink Panther
Such a good film. I bought this on impulse and wasn't sure whether it would be good or not, but after watching it, i must admit that it is a genuinley funny film. Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2009 by Michael Macdonald
Blasphemy of the worst kind
What were they thinking of when they even decided on making this film. I was born in 60s so Pink Panther films were one of the highlights of my childhood. Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2009 by Michael M. Ordoukhani
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