Today’s Prayer Focus

MOVIE REVIEW

The Pink Panther

MPA Rating: PG-Rating (MPA)

for occasional crude and suggestive humor and language.

Reviewed by: Evan D. Baltz
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating:	Average
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience:	Adults Teens
Genre:	Comedy Crime Action Mystery
Length:	1 hr. 33 min.
Year of Release:	2006
USA Release:	February 10, 2006 (wide)

Relevant Issues

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Featuring	Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Beyoncé Knowles, Kevin Kline, William Abatie
Director	Shawn Levy
Producer	Joe Medjuck, Tom Pollock, Tracey Trench
Distributor	Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures

“The Pink Panther diamond is missing… And the world’s greatest detective is solving the case one mistake at a time.”

When I was a kid, I loved watching the Saturday morning cartoon version of “The Pink Panther”. I also liked watching the original series of “The Pink Panther” movies starring Peter Sellers. I wish I could say the same thing for this newest version of the pastel cat. The tagline for the movie is “Get a clue.” Ironic. Seems more like what movie goers will be saying about the movie: Get a clue, get a joke, get a plot, get a something to make it watchable. But hey, not everything was bad… the theme music by Henry Mancini was as good as ever. When you have to grasp at straws for something to say good about a movie, you can pretty much tell it’s something not worth your time or money.

This prequel to the original series stars the usually funny Steve Martin and Kevin Kline. It also adds pop diva Beyonc (apparently pronounced bounce-cee, based on how she moves in this film) Knowles. The film seems like just another vehicle for her to sell more albums. She performs a song during the movie and sings one during the closing credits. And, is it just me, or has Steve Martin kind of lost his comedic edge? Two “Cheaper by the Dozens” and a “Shop Girl” aren’t exactly edgy comedy or Oscar worthy.

Martin begins as a bumbling local gendarme, until a very public murder brings him to Paris under the direction of Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline), who anoints Inspector Jacques Clouseau the lead investigator on the case. Why? Because Clouseau will get nowhere near the truth and will allow Kline’s character to win a medal of honor when he moves in and solves the case behind Clouseau’s back. This plan will backfire, of course, as Clouseau stumbles his way into the solution.

From almost the very beginning of the movie you could tell the jokes were going to be very low brow, slapstick and cheesy, as Martin hams up the fake French accent for intended laughs. I, however, did not laugh once during the entire film. I smiled lightly on a couple of occasions, but was checking my watch most of the rest of the time. I think the intended audience may have been 10 year olds, since the girl of that age seated behind me found most of the slapstick groin kicks quite amusing.

The movie is rated PG, and only contains two minor swear words (“hell” used twice). The Lord’s name is not taken in vain, and there is no nudity or sexuality in the film, so on that level it is quite family-friendly. There are a few mildly crude or suggestive jokes, but again it all played pretty funny for a 10 year old. There really wasn’t a deeper level at all, for say, thinking adults to enjoy. Even the cartoon version of “The Pink Panther” at least had multiple levels of comedy.

If you really want to see a good Pink Panther, rent one of the original Peter Seller’s movies or checkout the cartoon on TV Land. This pink cat was more of a dog that had me feeling blue. Advice for your next theatre experience? Save your greens and don’t think pink.

Violence: Minor / Profanity: Minor / Sex/Nudity: Minor

See: “The Pink Panther 2” (2009) review

Positive
Neutral
Negative
Young people
Critics

Positive

Positive—Of course, no one could replace Peter Sellers, but I thought this movie was just as good if not better than the one from the 70s. This story was not a remake, since the story was not a repeat of any of those. If anything, sexual innuendos were certainly not any more present in this film than in the Peter Sellers movies. I think Steve Martin and the others did a good job. I might still say that waiting to the DVD on this one would save some money, but you’d certainly be entertained even at home with the DVD.
My Ratings: Average / 3

Bob C, age 42

Positive—Well, I think that this review is a little bit harsh. I mean, the movie is obviously meant for a young audience, and so, of course, it won’t be extremely entertaining to adults. Just like a 10 year old usually won’t find much interest in watching the McNeil/Lehrer Report. Other than that, this movie does not use much foul language (only a few words) and does not take the Lord’s name in vain. I recommend taking kids this movie, however, if you are a mature adult, you probably won’t find much interest in it itself.
My Ratings: Good / 4

Nathan Rose, age 24

Positive—…I watched it twice and laughed the whole way through. It’s very funny and really very clean. There are some mild problems with it, but overall I think it’s fine for almost everybody!!! VERY FUNNY!!!
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4

Dana, age 20

Neutral

Neutral—Well, it definitely was not the original, but it was okay. There was a lot of adult, sexual humor. My 6 yr. did not understand it and did not like the movie at all, but my 12 did understand some of it and thought it was rude. I do not recommend seeing this with young children and would think twice about seeing it with children under the age of 16.
My Ratings: Offensive / 3

Julia Blaylock, age 31

Negative

Negative—Lovely performances by all involved. Apparently none of them (including Columbia Pictures) understands the adage: 'If it ain’t broke—don’t fix it.' The original was plenty fine enough and certainly did not need a remake. Save your money, or spend it taking your children to see “Nanny McPhee”.
My Ratings: Average / 3

Tara, age 43

Negative—As a fan of Steve Martin, I went to see this movie thinking that his comedic talant would make this a memoral one. Sorry to say, I was less than impressed, this movie STUNK. I found myself laughing very little throught the movie, if at all. A good plot, but whomever was responsible for the directing/writing, I’m not sure who to blame, it came out just dull. The one good piece of acting came from Jean Reno. There were some sexual jokes/innuendo, but other than that, I can’t remember any other objectionable content. Don’t waste you’re money.
My Ratings: Average / 2

Andrew, age 24

Negative—It’s just not very well done. We thought with Steve Martin in the film, that at least the quality of the film would be good, but alas, it isn’t. If you liked the original Pink Panther movies, then you’ll probably dislike this one. Much of the humor is sophomoric. It reminds me of the Police Academy movies, a bunch of short (somewhat funny) skits strung together with little or no plot. There are several offensive scenes, but it’s very typical of a PG movie. At least the language was not brazenly offensive.
My Ratings: Average / 2

Dan Clark, age 55

Negative—I was so disappointed in this film. I was really looking forward to it, and so was my boyfriend. We went to see it together, and we both ended up leaving the theater before the movie finished, due to all the sexual references. The film was littered with them. I honestly don’t know how they acheived a PG rating. Although nothing was specifically mentioned, the use of sexual innuendoes was everywhere. Although there were a few clean, funny moments they were far outweighed by the suggestive ones. As I said, we were both extremely disappointed and had to leave. I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anyone. I’d advise you to go see “Hoodwinked” instead.
My Ratings: Offensive / 3

Dana, age 20

Negative—As for quality, this film is fine for a few laughs. But, as a Christian, I found it unacceptable. Sexual inuendos that are supposed to be humorous appear every 5 minutes or so. It was just plain dirty—nothing pure or wholesome about it. Plus, lot’s of half-displayed breasts, a scene with Viagra, two guys in bed talking about “it’s hard,” etc. etc. etc. …
My Ratings: Offensive / 2

Dallas McKinley, age 33

Negative—I was irritated by this movie. For PG it was offensive. I couldn’t believe some of the cuss words they used, especially the “illigetimate son” cuss word. It should have been a PG-13—per most of the kids who saw it.

I didn’t find it very funny as it was too silly. My children found it funny, but even my ten year old son thought the language was bad and made a comment to me during the movie. It wasn’t worth going to the movies to see and would have been better as a rental with the use of some type of language blocker. Personally, I’m getting tired of cuss words in kid’s movies—which this one definitely is. I wish parents would start saying something more about this issue. I did write Sony, but I don’t expect any response.
My Ratings: Offensive / 2

Kenna, age 43

Comments from young people

Negative—I went to see this with some teenage Christian friends, and we were all very disappointed. I loved the old Pink Panther films, and this was nothing like them. Not only was the quality of the film lower, I found the sexual innuendos very offensive. It was definitely not a PG film! I was very glad my younger siblings weren’t with me. Most of the humor was in very low taste. I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anyone.
My Ratings: Very Offensive / 3

Emily, age 15

Neutral—Ok, we only saw this movie because it was the only thing running at the time we were at the theater that looked any good. I didn’t expect much and got pretty much what I expected. There were about three things in this movie that made me laugh. The rest of the jokes were the kind that you shake your head at wondering who made that one up. The only suggestive things in the movie were implied not really spoken out. Watch this movie if you’re bored; don’t leave the house to just see it.
My Ratings: Average / 2

Nick Riportella, age 15

Positive—This movie was pretty good. It wasn’t as good as I thought it would be though. The positives are it had some hilarious lines and scenes, great acting, and great entertaining story line. It’s great for all ages! The negatives are they said God’s name in vain a few times, at least three curse words, and some of the scenes were too funny. I think they could have done a better job with this movie if it didn’t have so much slap stick humor, curse words, and saying God’s name in vain. Why can’t movies keep that stuff out? But overall it was a good movie.
My Ratings: Good / 4

Carolyn, age 12

Positive—I loved this movie! I thought the acting was amazing by all involved. There was only one or two innuendoes, but they were very vague and not really said, but rather implied through facial expressions. The film was hilarious! Steve Martin did an amazing job with the accent. I recommend this movie to everyone, but I do suggest that younger children (parents will have to make the decision about the maturity of their child) should not see it until they are mature enough to handle some of the things said or implied. But overall FANTASTIC movie!!!
My Ratings: Better than Average / 5

Shannon, age 16

Positive—While I would not praise this movie on its great story line or moral quality, I would say that it is a decent film that many people might enjoy. My buddies and I needed something to do Friday so we decided to drive to the local movie theater and check out “The Pink Panther”. It was pretty funny for its genre, but not hilarious. The worst and best part was Steve Martin. His slapstick humor was great, but his French accent was so horrible that I wanted to send him to my French teacher for lessons. Many kids laughed hysterically at the groin kicking and falling in the film. All in all it wasn’t bad but I wouldn’t spend the over priced tickets on it. Get it at your local rental store.
My Ratings: Average / 3

Matt, age 16

Positive—I don’t think I have laughed so hard in a very long time. Indeed, the entire movie theater was in an uproar for the majority of the movie! Admittedly, some people though “The Pink Panther” was dumb, but such comments are normal for a comedy. Yes, the humor was slapsick, but if one intends on having a good time, then the “dumb” aspects of the movie can be overcome. I also entirely enjoyed the acting, especally the short-lived screentime of Cheri—the french secretary played by Kristin Chenoweth.Overall, this movie was lighthearted and extremely enjoyable.
My Ratings: Good / 4

Tiffany, age 17

Neutral—…nothing can top the original Pink Panther movies, and no one can do better than Peter Sellers, but the producers still did a pretty good job. It wasn’t as funny as the originals, but it’s still good for a few laughs. There were only a couple of swear words, and there was less sexuality in this movie than in the originals. Overall, a pretty good movie.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4

Kathleen, age 14

Positive—I for one, LOVED this movie… It was a funny comedy, and one of the best ones I ever saw. I recomend the Pink Panther to anyone who wants to have a good laugh, because I laughed long and hard during the movie. …
My Ratings: Excellent! / 4

Anonymous, age 12

Positive—I have never seen the old Pink Panther movies, but I thought this one was great. Steve Martin was extremely funny in this movie. If you like slap-stick humor, you will love this movie. I recomend this movie to everyone.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4

Warren, age 14

Neutral—This was a very entertaining movie for me, and my other older siblings. We laughed a lot, and it had a pretty good plot. The reasons I don’t give the movie thumbs up, is because of the humor. There was several parts that were embarassing to watch, and left us squirming in our seats. I wouldn’t recomend it to any one under my age.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4

Ruth, age 12

Positive—…I loved this movie. It was totally funny, and I loved most of it, especially when the so called “detective” kept falling. It was a really great movie, and I suggest 6-13 year olds should see it, just not really small kids.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4

Susan, age 11

Positive—I think it was a great movie; I’ve already seen it twice. The first time I went with my parents and one of my 12 year old friends and the second time just me and my dad. I think it was hilarious and I am still quoting some of the scenes like the “hamburger.” I suggest this movie for ages 10 and over because there is some un-modesty of one of the characters. Overall, it was a great movie.
My Ratings: Excellent! / 5

Rachel, age 12

Positive—This film was pretty funny, and even with a few 3rd grade comedy moments, it was decently humorous. It wasn’t at all objectional, the worst moment when Steve Martin becomes angered because he dropped his “Miracle pill for the middle aged man” down the sink. In short, if you have kids about or under the age of 10, this is a movie that they will most likely find funny, and has almost no objectionable moments.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 3

D.J., age 13

Positive—When I went to see the film I brought with me a very good friend who just happens to be from France, and we thought the movie was hilarious! First off, his accent sounds nothing like how they made sound in the movie. It was so ridiculous we were rolling. My friend has struggled with pronouncing words in the past (hamburger actually was one of those words) so, it was really funny for us because it gave us a chance to laugh at ourselves. Well, mostly at him, but it was still funny. It is true that some scenes may make a few people uncomfortable, but as a whole we really enjoyed the movie, because it was something we could both laugh at.
My Ratings: Average / 3

Michelle, age 17

Movie Critics

…Martin careens through a numbing marathon of comic set pieces that fall flat as a crepe…

Newsday, Jan Stuart

…A Worthy Successor… plenty of laugh-out-loud, amusing sequences… though some sexual innuendo requires a caution for older children…

Movieguide, Dr. Tom Snyder

…Despite a witty performance by Steve Martin, much of “The Pink Panther” feels like trying on old clothes that no longer fit…

The New York Times, Stephen Holden

…Steve Martin stumbles, and it’s not all that funny… The pink of this ‘Panther’ is for embarrassment. …

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Barry Paris