…or, Never Eat Popcorn Wearing a Corduroy Shirt
So, Inspector Clousseau is at it again, this time in the incarnation of Steve Martin. The ingredients are all there – a classic comedy format and the talents of Martin, Kevin Kline as Chief Inspector Dryfuss, and Jean Russo as Clousseau’s partner. Rather than add to the canon, this movie is a loose remake of the original.
NPR gave The Pink Panther a so-so review, and the Greenville News reviewers panned it. NPR I might take more seriously, but the News reviewers seemed a bit young to really appreciate the original, or to understand the nature of slapstick comedy.
As for me, the movie was almost exactly as I expected. You could see the pratfalls coming miles away, but that’s half the fun. There were some unexpected twists to make things more interesting. Kline, who maintained a passable French accent in French Kiss, continually slipped between a sort-of English accent and the French. Laura claims this is intentional. I would hope so. Other than that it was quite entertaining, but not stellar. Still, a nice evening out.