From the reviews of Pink Panther enthusiasts and the commentary of the people involved in its production, I figured this movie would be an embarrassing disaster. Having seen it, I have to wonder if the overly negative reaction is more due to the heresy of not having Peter Sellers in the titular role and Blake Edwards behind the camera. As a standalone movie, Inspector Clouseau could have been so much worse.
Don't get me wrong: this isn't a lost gem. It has a serviceable story that would not feel out of place on a Saturday morning cartoon and the jokes only land about 60% of the time. The romantic subplot is so tacked on it makes you wonder why it is there. It doesn't do the movie any favors that it was the follow-up to A Shot in the Dark, one of the funniest films ever made (in my humble opinion).
However, is it a cinematic crime along the lines of Adam Sandler's Jack and Jill? No. It's a single watch film, something diverting to wile away the time on a slow afternoon. Forgettable, but forgivable.
As Clouseau, Alan Arkin isn't bad. He's not Sellers. No one could be. And he's not in top comic form like he is in something more inspired like The In-Laws. However, he does get some laughs and carries the movie fine enough.
If this movie hadn't been connected with the PP franchise and was titled "The Adventures of Inspector Wacky" or something so generic, I think it wouldn't be as infamous as it stands.
Don't get me wrong: this isn't a lost gem. It has a serviceable story that would not feel out of place on a Saturday morning cartoon and the jokes only land about 60% of the time. The romantic subplot is so tacked on it makes you wonder why it is there. It doesn't do the movie any favors that it was the follow-up to A Shot in the Dark, one of the funniest films ever made (in my humble opinion).
However, is it a cinematic crime along the lines of Adam Sandler's Jack and Jill? No. It's a single watch film, something diverting to wile away the time on a slow afternoon. Forgettable, but forgivable.
As Clouseau, Alan Arkin isn't bad. He's not Sellers. No one could be. And he's not in top comic form like he is in something more inspired like The In-Laws. However, he does get some laughs and carries the movie fine enough.
If this movie hadn't been connected with the PP franchise and was titled "The Adventures of Inspector Wacky" or something so generic, I think it wouldn't be as infamous as it stands.