The Pink Panther (2006)

Bumbling Inspector Clouseau must solve the murder of a famous soccer coach and find out who stole the infamous Pink Panther diamond.

Director:

Shawn Levy

Writers:

Len Blum (screenplay), Steve Martin (screenplay)

Stars:

Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, Jean Reno

1 win & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Martin	...	Clouseau
Kevin Kline	...	Dreyfus
Jean Reno	...	Ponton
Emily Mortimer	...	Nicole
Henry Czerny	...	Yuri
Kristin Chenoweth	...	Cherie
Roger Rees	...	Raymond Larocque
Beyoncé	...	Xania (as Beyoncé Knowles)
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

Storyline

Before thousands of enthusiastic spectators at the World Cup semi-finals between France and China, an elusive professional assassin murders the famous French coach, and manages, somehow, to steal from his hand his prized possession--the priceless Pink Panther diamond ring. Now, of all the Parisian Police Force's detectives, the deceitful Chief Inspector, Dreyfus, decides to appoint the maladroit investigator, Jacques Clouseau, to this difficult and mysterious case, knowing that the eccentric gendarme is way out of his depth. Does Dreyfus have a hidden agenda? Can France's clueless and most bumbling officer of the law piece together the scarce leads to pull off a surprising success?

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Plot Keywords:

soccer | pink panther | diamond | france | investigation | 

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Taglines:

He wasn't born to greatness... but he just might stumble across it.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Family | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for occasional crude and suggestive humor and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jackie Chan was considered for the part of Clouseau's Chinese assistant, Cato Fong. But the filmmakers decided they didn't want to use a politically incorrect character, and replaced Cato with the Frenchman Ponton.

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Goofs

The stunt double who falls through the floor and lands on the hotel registration counter is clearly larger than Steve Martin, and appears to be bald.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Chief Inspector Dreyfus: Ah, Clouseau. Yes, well, the first time I ever heard that name, uh, Clouseau was just a little, um... nobody, a police officer in some little village far outside of Paris.
Chief Inspector Dreyfus: He was the village idiot as far as I could tell.
[Dreyfus chuckles]

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Crazy Credits

The MGM logo is slammed open (with Leo the Lion in mid-roar) by the animated Inspector Clouseau, who takes a look around and then walks off. The Pink Panther appears and closes the logo, leaving Leo unconscious.

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Alternate Versions

An alternate opening sequence, made in CGI.

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Connections

Featured in Charlie Rose: Episode dated 2 August 2010 (2010)

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Soundtracks

The Pink Panther Theme (Perfecto Allstarz Remix)
Written and Performed by Henry Mancini
Mixed by Paul Oakenfold
Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Music Inc.
Under license from Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.

User Reviews

Enjoyable, but not fantastic.

This movie unfolds slowly & tentatively, but picks up speed as it progresses...or maybe I was just too concerned with Steve Martin's interpretation of Inspector Clouseau, and I finally relaxed about halfway through the film. Well, when you're used to seeing Peter Sellers as Clouseau, it's just difficult to view anyone else in that role. But, true to the character, Steve Martin does make it his own, and actually pulls it off pretty effectively. He has always been good with physical humor, and this film is no exception.

Similarly, its difficult to adjust to seeing Kevin Kline as Inspector Dreyfus. Since this movie is a prequel, I can assume that Clouseau has yet to get completely under his skin. It was typical Kevin Kline ... dry, with a weak french accent. I was mildly disappointed because I really enjoyed his french character & accent in French Kiss several years ago.

The first few gags were very short-sided and fell flat, but once Clouseau starts looking for clues the slapstick works a little better & the film gets more enjoyable. Many of the gags are predictable (as is the plot), but what really makes them work is Martin's reactions (which I really think was the key to Peter Seller's portrayal as well).

This film was very tame, with only subtle innuendoes that most youngsters aren't likely to grasp. The audience appeared to laugh at least as much as I did. If you don't expect too much, this movie will be fun; if you expect too much, you're likely to be disappointed.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA Czech Republic

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 February 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Mask of the Pink Panther

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,220,412, 12 February 2006

Gross USA:

$82,226,474

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$164,115,897

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Columbia Pictures, Robert Simonds Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1