The Strange Case of Inspector Clouseau

The original Pink Panther is a classic British slapstick comedy movie starring the late comedic genius Peter Sellers. It's famous for the character of the French bumbling police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. It's also famous for the incredibly catchy theme song by Henry Mancini. Following Sellers death in 1980, the series is practically dead. There were several films made, but they were nowhere near as popular as the Sellers movies. Now, the series is being continued starring Steve Martin.

Peter Sellers' portrayal of Inspector Clouseau, is near and dear to many that was familiar with the original series, including revered movie critics James Berardinelli and Roger Ebert. In reviewing the remake, Berardinelli and Ebert particularly blasted Steve Martin's portrayal of Clouseau. Both feel that Sellers has become so identical with Clouseau, they see Martin's portrayal as a pale imitation of the original. Berardinelli even goes as far as calling the remake as a "travesty."

But how would someone who isn't too attached to the original series respond to the remake? I know of the original series' reputation, but only watched some parts of the first movie. Sellers' Clouseau is not ingrained in my brain like Berardinelli and Ebert. I watched the remake with a relatively clean slate.

Surprisingly, I find Steve Martin's Clouseau pretty amusing. His faux French accent is funny, although its usage in the hamburger pronounciation scene is overdone. His antics and his bumbling participation to the sight gags are hilarious; the first giant globe accident and the other one that happens much later are particulary funny. Martin is up to the task of supplying the slapstick. He's also capable of supplying the non-slapstick comedy with Clouseau's idiocy and tactless wit.

Martin is not perfect, of course. In fact, his major flaw is simply of him being Steve Martin, one of the most recognizable comic actors today. When you see his Clouseau, you know that it's really Steve Martin with a fake moustache. The genious of Peter Sellers is his knack for meshing in to his characters. Watch the cold war satire Dr. Strangelove to see how Sellers brilliantly plays three different characters, each with different comedic style, all believable as played by three different actors. Martin couldn't match Sellers' brilliance, but if you can get that out of the way, his portrayal of Clouseau is pretty good.

While Martin's Clouseau is enjoyable, the same can't be said about the rest of the film. The script is simply a mess. The mystery is resolved very, very weakly. The direction by Shawn Levy is forgettable. Of all the possible beautiful setting possible in Europe to shoot, the movie needlessly feature NYC's Times Square. The supporting actors are varying in quality: Emily Mortimer is charmingly funny, Kevin Kline is boringly bland, and Jean Reno is disappointingly wasted in a completely unimportant role. I don't even want to acknowledge whether Beyonce was acting at all in the movie. The gags, arguably the best part of the movie, even lose their initial momentum when they start misfiring in the middle of the movie.

In the end, despite Martin's good efforts, the movie as a whole fails. Clouseau's antics and sight gags couldn't save the lack of story, the illogical plot, and the bland directing. It's disappointing since this is really Steve Martin's funniest performance since his heyday in the eighties and early nineties. It won't stand up against the original series, but it's worth to check out for Martin's Inspector Clouseau.