Reel Reviews: ‘Pink Panther’ pans out on too much recycled humor
Another remake is upon us and, while it lacks the originality and wit of its predecessor, it remains mildly enjoyable. Doing its best to reside in the exact same vein as the original “Pink Panther” films from the 1960s and 1970s, this updated version features much of the same mindless humor and physical comedy. Steve Martin (“Shopgirl”) embodies the starring role of Inspector Jacques Clouseau, first brought to life on the big screen by the improvising comedic genius Peter Sellers.
A murder needs to be solved and the elusive Pink Panther diamond needs to be found. So it is Inspector Clouseau who is assigned to the case and we spend well over half of the film watching him bumble around Paris and New York leaving a trail of destruction in his path. Although the story allows for some fun wordplay, it wraps itself up like a “Scooby-Doo” episode and requires zero mental effort. A lot of the comedy behaves in much the same way. It is so simple and rash that it soon becomes easy to anticipate the punch lines. Not just the comedy, but the whole film itself, becomes rather humdrum and it’s only a matter of time before the seemingly endless conveyor belt of antics stops moving.
Martin puts forth a valiant effort portraying the idiotic, but always loyal, inspector with his rubbery facial expressions, thick French accent and nonstop physical calamities. His performance exhibits great consistency, but not the glimmering spark from some of his earlier films (such as “The Jerk,” “All of Me,” or “Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels”). And Kevin Kline (“De-lovely”) manages to contribute the same level of effort as Clouseau’s snobby, conniving Chief. Emily Mortimer (“Dear Frankie”) is perfectly adorable as a timid secretary and Beyonce Knowles (“Austin Powers in Goldmember”) plays a sexy pop singer. (I wonder if she thought her role was a stretch.) Sadly, poor Beyonce gives a fine performance but she remains upstaged by her perky breasts (which appear like they are going to come bouncing out at any moment).
This film will be a nice choice for some laughs if you’re not too choosy. It remains family friendly and has humor that both children and adults will enjoy, despite the fact that all the humor is recycled. Directed by Shawn Levy (“Just Married”), this “Pink Panther” will hopefully not be the seed from which a series of films will grow. It boasts an all-star cast, beautiful sights and an eruption of silly rollicking, but it’s all been done before and may even inspire the phrase “Too much of a good thing” in some viewers’ minds.
Films like this can remind us that comedy is a lot more difficult than we realize. It requires originality and insight, but must also be well-executed and unpredictable. “The Pink Panther” has all of these qualities, but only in very small amounts. Like cotton candy, the first few morsels are fun, but it doesn’t take long for boredom to set in since every bite tastes the same.
Casey T. Allen is a critic for the Utah Statesman. Comments can be sent to caseyal@cc.usu.edu.