Review of The Pink Panther (2006) by Steven P — 08 Jun 2010

This is a positively horrid, inept, and clumsily not funny excuse for a comedy. Shawn Levy attempts to reignite the franchise but crashes Steve Martin's star vehicle into a flagpole. An effective pile of vomit on the grave of Peter Sellers, it tries to be Charlie Chaplin but comes off more as Ed Wood.

The effects, makeup, and costumes are pitiable for what's supposed to be a movie shot on an $80 million budget, and Martin and Len Blum's script does not hold up to the standards set by the cartoon and Sellers' films.

Clive Owen, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, and Kevin Kline are all terribly wasted in their supporting roles, but Jason Statham actually fares pretty well (mainly because he doesn't talk.). Beyonce may have been the person who survived this film with their career intact.

The animated opening credits are essentially the only link this junk has to its lineage. I was hoping this movie would fail, being seen only by people who are developmentally disabled, four years old, or both.

I was wrong, as the film is the top grosser in the franchise. If this is how a person can screw up a classic franchise, maybe it's best just to leave them as fond memories instead of making them drudgery for us and everyone else.

The Pink Panther gets two cars, rammed into 21 times despite driving a minute Smart ForTwo and having three feet of space on either end, out of 100.