I just saw The Pink Panther, starring Steve Martin, last night. Overall it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, although given another chance I would probably just Netflix it. There were a couple of really funny scenes, but the ending felt rushed and contrived.
One thing bugged me the entire time:
Steve Martin just seems too tall to play Inspector Clouseau! He has the accent nailed (his attempts at “hamburger” are hilarious), but he’s no Peter Sellers. I think Roger Ebert summed it up pretty nicely with his review:
The cameos are funny, though. And I’ve just discovered Emily Mortimer (rowr!). Oh, and it’s always fun to see the neighborhoods of Paris, especially the parts that you’ve been to.
Peter Sellers was god. Steve Martin hit his comedic peak early in the first Reagan administration. I have no desire to see it, fearing that it sucks harder than an Electrolux.
When I first heard about it, I thought “There is no way that anyone will be able to take that character from Peter Sellers, and anyone who tries will just look like they’re doing a bad imitation through the whole movie”. If there was ever a role completely owned by an actor, it’s Inspector Clouseau.
Gotta give Martin some props for having the balls to attempt it, though. That’s the kind of role that you could just embarass yourself doing. Looks like he didn’t quite embarass himself, which is probably the best you could hope for.
Balls maybe, but his presumed gallantry is somewhat reduced by the fact that he raked in a few mill for his troubles and isn’t exactly swamped these days with A-list comedy offers.
Said one reviewer: “We responded to Sellers’ Clouseau because his foolishness and fakery echoed something deeply human as well as hilarious. We respond to Martin mostly because he’s a funny guy in a silly mustache, cutting up and trying to make us laugh. But jokes aren’t everything. Maybe Martin should have forgotten Clouseau, called Dan Aykroyd and made a movie about the Wild and Crazy Guys instead.”