The Pink Panther (2006)

22% of critics liked it
(140 reviews)
59% of users liked it
(494,891 ratings)

The world's most inept detective returns to the screen in this modern slapstick comedy. France's come-from-behind victory in the World Cup soccer championships turns tragic when the team's coach, Yves Gulant (Jason Statham), is murdered during a post-game celebration. Gulant's girlfriend, pop star… More The world's most inept detective returns to the screen in this modern slapstick comedy. France's come-from-behind victory in the World Cup soccer championships turns tragic when the team's coach, Yves Gulant (Jason Statham), is murdered during a post-game celebration. Gulant's girlfriend, pop star Xania (Beyoncé Knowles), was standing by his side as he was felled by a poisoned dart, and in the chaos that followed a diamond ring he gave her was stolen, which held one of the world's largest and most valuable jewels, known as "the Pink Panther." The media and the public demand that the killer be found out and brought to justice, and Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline) of the Paris Police pledges to put his best man on the case. However, somehow the astoundingly clumsy but consistently lucky Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) gets the assignment instead, and with his assistant, Gendarme Gilbert Ponton (Jean Reno), in tow, Clouseau follows a dizzying trail of clues from Paris to New York City as he attempts to recover the rare diamond and find the villains who killed Gulant. An updated variant on the Inspector Clouseau comedies that helped make Peter Sellers a major star in the United States, The Pink Panther also stars Emily Mortimer, Kristin Chenoweth, Roger Rees, and William Abadie; leading man Steve Martin also wrote the film's screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 33 min.
Directed By: Shawn Levy
Written By: Len Blum, Steve Martin
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Comedy

In Theaters: Feb 10, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Jun 13, 2006
Studio: MGM/Columbia

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
What is the point?
Ben Kenigsberg, Village Voice
The most that can be said for this strenuously bland reconstitution is that Steve Martin was clearly alive during filming. But just how alive, unfortunately, is at issue.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
For those who recall Sellers and the role he made famous, 'travesty' seems to be the right descriptor.
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
As if the curse of the Pink Panther wasn't dire enough, Martin's Clouseau is haunted by more than the ghost of Peter Sellers. He's also being trailed by the old Steve Martin.
Dana Stevens, Slate
This movie leaves us with the stale whiff of fake nostalgia and something even more odoriferous: the smell of money.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
If The Pink Panther has any value at all, it's in the way its failure demonstrates the delicate nature of comedy, and the skill of other comedies by contrast.
Joshua Starnes, ComingSoon.net
The best that can be said about it is that Kevin Kline is note perfect as the smarmy, scheming Chief Inspector Dreyfus and his undisguised contempt for Clouseau.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
From the witty franchise that Peter Sellers and director Blake Edwards made famous comes a pale offshoot that lacks sufficient tempo, tone and supporting characters to make it satisfying.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
The Blu-ray version provides a bevy of extras to complement the movie in 1080p high definition and widescreen.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
I hope nobody misunderstands when I say: Steve Martin, you are no Peter Sellers. And while I'm at it; Shawn Levy, you are no Blake Edwards.
Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
This update to a comedy classic falls flat.
Kam Williams, Upstage Magazine
Without a whit of subtlety, this tired retread induces nary a laugh, only groans of disbelief that we're expected to find such a sorry string of dumb puns, infantile farts, awful accents and endless pratfalls funny.
Shirley Sealy, Film Journal International
All of [Martin's] hard work does pay off
Russ Breimeier, Christianity Today
Perhaps it's time to admit that The Pink Panther series is ready for permanent retirement.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...a slight yet sporadically hilarious update of the classic Peter Sellers/Blake Edwards film series.
Dan Jolin, Empire Magazine
With a better story, director and support cast, Martin could have made Clouseau his own.

Read all 16 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Jeff "

The Pink Panther is an awful and unnecessary remake of a classic comedy. Steve Martin is awful Clouseau. The film is terrible with bad acting and a bad attempt at comedy, this film fails at delivering anything clever to the screen. The Pink Panther is yet another remake that fails to… More
The Pink Panther is an awful and unnecessary remake of a classic comedy. Steve Martin is awful Clouseau. The film is terrible with bad acting and a bad attempt at comedy, this film fails at delivering anything clever to the screen. The Pink Panther is yet another remake that fails to hit the mark. I don't know what studio executives were thinking, but this film is a waste of time. Steve Martin is wasted here, and usually he's pretty funny, but not here. In this film, he is painfully annoying. The comedy doesn't work have the time, and the jokes feel lazy and uninspired. Steve Martin should've passed on this role, but he didn't. The Pink Panther is a horrible remake of a great classic. The jokes are childish and unfunny, and the film is forgettable. I hated this film because it offered nothing original and it was just a very bad rehash of the original. This film should've never been made, and this is a poor attempt at creating comedy. The Pink Panther falls flat in terms of bringing good, effective laughs. This is a film that you should avoid at all costs. There is absolutely nothing going on that will appeal to the fans of the original. I disliked this film, and is one of the worst comedy films that I had the misfortune to watch. An awful film with no direction, bad jokes and bad acting. This remake shouldn't have been made.
Manu G

The Pink Panther diamond is missing.... And the world's greatest detective is solving the case one mistake at a time. Saw it again! Very funny movie! Beyonce was very sexy in this film. When the coach of the France soccer team is killed by a poisoned dart in the stadium in the… More
The Pink Panther diamond is missing.... And the world's greatest detective is solving the case one mistake at a time. Saw it again! Very funny movie! Beyonce was very sexy in this film. When the coach of the France soccer team is killed by a poisoned dart in the stadium in the end of a game, and his expensive and huge ring with the diamond Pink Panther disappears, the ambitious Chief Insp. Dreyfus assigns the worst police inspector Jacques Clouseau to the case. His intention is to give a diversion to the press, while he uses his best men to chase the killer and thief. He assigns Gendarme Gilbert Ponton to work with Closeau and inform each step of the investigation. When Clouseau is nominated with honor to the highest prize in France, Dreyfus decides to humiliate Clouseau and take him out of the case. However Clouseau has already solved the mystery.
Brad W

Really stupid, Steve Martin can do better than this.
Alexander D

Not the best remake, but let's just say I don't plan on seeing the second one.
Sanjay R

There is no point to this movie, no moral or story and critics are going to hate it. But it is just funny, funny for people of all ages. Yes their are fart jokes and slapstick but I am not holding any of it against this film. This is one that will make you laugh.
Bethany M

I thought it was ok!
Dead A

I love Pink Panther's cartoon. I used to watched that when I was young. Now about this movie, It was pretty hard for me to understand what Steve Martin was saying. What kind of accent was that? There were some funny scenes that was quite enjoyable and I think it would have been… More
I love Pink Panther's cartoon. I used to watched that when I was young. Now about this movie, It was pretty hard for me to understand what Steve Martin was saying. What kind of accent was that? There were some funny scenes that was quite enjoyable and I think it would have been more entertaining in the cinema hall rather than watching it at home all alone, sigh. But the movie itself does looked a bit lame... well here and there actually.
Richard C

this movie sucked, there was only one funny scene. D
KJ P

Not that good, although almost every scene is hard not to laugh at how stupid steve martin makes this unfunny film!
Wahida K

It was not bad for a Remake, I rather stuck on the Original one.
Justin Y

Shawn Levy's The Pink Panther, which is loosely based off of the original 1964 film with the same name, is a more than decent crime comedy.At just under 90 minutes, this picture will blast by because of the quick pace, with the exception of a brief… More
Shawn Levy's The Pink Panther, which is loosely based off of the original 1964 film with the same name, is a more than decent crime comedy.At just under 90 minutes, this picture will blast by because of the quick pace, with the exception of a brief dramatic drag in the second half. As for the story itself, it isn't complex and is extremely easy to follow, especially for an investigative movie. Therefore, this may be a letdown for those that are looking for a nice thinker.The comedy is hit or miss, with most of it coming in as hits. So yes, this film is funny. It isn't necessarily the over the top pranks that provide the laughs, but more the reactions and dialogue that Inspector Clouseau has while in conversations with other characters.Steve Martin puts on quite a performance as Inspector Clouseau. He comes across more funny than he does annoying. Kevin Kline, Jean Reno, and Emily Mortimer put on good performances, while Beyonce Knowles is just along for the ride. Clive Owen finds the time to drop in for a cameo as well.The Pink Panther can get a lot of people laughing and this is why this film isn't a waste of time. "It is lovely weather we are having"
Anthony L

Probably the worst film to be shown in cinemas in the last 20 years.
EightThirty .

I still think the old one is better.. this one was still cool though but Peter Sellers was more natural.. Steve is just being an Egg ^_^
Thomas B

not quite as bad as originally feared, steve martin manages to make it through the film without causing a travesty. emily mortimer is great and beyonce is stunning as usual
Phil H

The 'I want to buy an hamburger' scene is the best part in this film, Martin plays that with his trademark lunacy soooo well. The rest isn't too bad, I thought it would be dreadful but its ok, Reno is good in his leotard lol and the story is Panther through and through.… More
The 'I want to buy an hamburger' scene is the best part in this film, Martin plays that with his trademark lunacy soooo well. The rest isn't too bad, I thought it would be dreadful but its ok, Reno is good in his leotard lol and the story is Panther through and through. Martin actually makes this with his madcap style, originally I thought it was the worst casting ever.
Kyle F

Well put together, completely re-watchable, full of great jokes, and to top it off a spectacular Steve Martin performance, Pink panther can hang with the best comedies, or at least most fun.
Chris G

I'm going to throw out a bold statement. I know Steve Martin may be a funny guy, even though his career has tanked in the last decade. I have a ton of respect for Steve Martin. I like Steve Martin. But he's no Peter Sellers. That's the first problem with the Pink… More
I'm going to throw out a bold statement. I know Steve Martin may be a funny guy, even though his career has tanked in the last decade. I have a ton of respect for Steve Martin. I like Steve Martin. But he's no Peter Sellers. That's the first problem with the Pink Panther remake: Steve Martin is impersonating Seller's Clouseau. And it fails. Again and again and again. The film is a loose remake of the original film in which a soccer star is murdered and the Pink Panther diamond has been stolen of his person. Chief Inspector Dreyfuss (Kevin Kline) wants to bogart the glory and calls in the incompetent Clouseau to act as a red herring for the media. Of course Clouseau bumbles his way throughout the film, accidentally discovering clue after clue while followng the deceased fiance (Beyonce Knowles). Basic Panther-like story that fails because of execution. Ever wonder why there hasn't been a good Pink Panther film since Sellers was alive? That question answers itself. Martin tries, but Sellers took two decades to hone his Clouseau. And if your Clouseau is flat, then you might as well pack it up. There were some funny parts but the film is forgettable and doesn't leave much of an impression.
Jose Z

Pink Panther is a very funny movie maybe not as funny like the ones Peter Sellers used to make but it still works for me. The story has some interesting twists although a little predictable and it also has very funny moments throughout the movie. The cast is really good, Steve Martin… More
Pink Panther is a very funny movie maybe not as funny like the ones Peter Sellers used to make but it still works for me. The story has some interesting twists although a little predictable and it also has very funny moments throughout the movie. The cast is really good, Steve Martin with its peculiar style of humor gives a very hilarious performance, Kevin Kline is also excellent, very funny. Jean Reno with a different role than he use to do and Beyonce looking extremely beautiful and with a decent performance. In conclusion, The Pink Panther is an entertaining and enjoyable movie for people to spend a very good time.
Film C

loved it steve martin plays the part well
Jennifer X

only saw like 20 minutes of it but that was QUITE enough...