Spring Break
Movie critic claims Pink Panther to be 'Clouseau' but no cigar
C.J. Tuor
Issue date: 2/16/06 Section: E-Zone
There have been thousands of movies about bumbling crime fighters and madcap adventures. Maxwell Smart, Austin Powers, Frank Drebrin are all example of classic comedy heroes. One of the first and greatest however was "The Pink Panther's" Jacques Clouseau.
I would like to start off by saying that this movie is not really a remake of the 1963 "The Pink Panther." It doesn't really have the same story, it's missing most of the characters, and it even has the working title "The Birth of the Pink Panther." So instead it should be considered as one of the original films many sequels and really it claims to be a prequel, even thought it has enough continuity errors between films to make George Lucas Blush (If you laughed at that you are a nerd).
You see, the movie tells the story of how Mr. Clouseau (Steve Martin) became Inspector Clouseau. It starts with a murder and grand theft. For those of you who don't know the pink panther is not just a cartoon character that dances around the opening credits and is a mascot for sweet and low. The Pink Panther, in the films, is a large diamond. About half of the films in the series are based around the theft/disappearance of the diamond.
In this film the theft leaves the victim dead and it happens in front of a stadium full of witnesses. Chief Inspector Dreyfuss (Kevin Kline) decides to assign the worst inspector possible to the case to buy time while he solves the case himself. We watch Closeau as he interviews witnesses, bumbles into clues, and, for no apparent reason, meets Beyonce…oh, I'm sorry I mean Xania.
I am serious though that Beyonce really doesn't seem to fit in this film. Her character is flat and uninteresting, she barely sings, and the other female lead (Emily Mortimeer as Clouseau's quiet secretary) is much more interesting. I think the only reason the character of Xania was written in was to trick teenagers into going to see this movie.
Teen: "Wait a minute…this isn't 'Dude where's my diamond'."
I would like to start off by saying that this movie is not really a remake of the 1963 "The Pink Panther." It doesn't really have the same story, it's missing most of the characters, and it even has the working title "The Birth of the Pink Panther." So instead it should be considered as one of the original films many sequels and really it claims to be a prequel, even thought it has enough continuity errors between films to make George Lucas Blush (If you laughed at that you are a nerd).
You see, the movie tells the story of how Mr. Clouseau (Steve Martin) became Inspector Clouseau. It starts with a murder and grand theft. For those of you who don't know the pink panther is not just a cartoon character that dances around the opening credits and is a mascot for sweet and low. The Pink Panther, in the films, is a large diamond. About half of the films in the series are based around the theft/disappearance of the diamond.
In this film the theft leaves the victim dead and it happens in front of a stadium full of witnesses. Chief Inspector Dreyfuss (Kevin Kline) decides to assign the worst inspector possible to the case to buy time while he solves the case himself. We watch Closeau as he interviews witnesses, bumbles into clues, and, for no apparent reason, meets Beyonce…oh, I'm sorry I mean Xania.
I am serious though that Beyonce really doesn't seem to fit in this film. Her character is flat and uninteresting, she barely sings, and the other female lead (Emily Mortimeer as Clouseau's quiet secretary) is much more interesting. I think the only reason the character of Xania was written in was to trick teenagers into going to see this movie.
Teen: "Wait a minute…this isn't 'Dude where's my diamond'."