Metascore
38 out of 100

Generally unfavorable - based on 35 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 35
  2. Negative: 14 out of 35
  1. The staging of the physical comedy in The Pink Panther is not always adept - director Shawn Levy is no Blake Edwards - but Martin, who co-wrote the screenplay, keeps spinning in his own orbit anyway. And what an orbit it is.
  2. Reviewed by: Mike Clark
    75
    Transforming Clouseau's perennial nemesis into a more urbane smoothie, Kevin Kline delivers like a pro.
  3. Reviewed by: John Migliore
    75
    This one will make you laugh early and often, and send you out of the theater in a cheerful mood.
  4. Martin, who hasn't really clicked in a movie in years, hits the target this time with an Inspector Clouseau who is even more relentlessly annoying (and strangely endearing) than Sellers managed to be in his last several outings.
  5. The best thing about the replica is how wholeheartedly Martin throws himself into the physical comedy, which is uniformly hilarious.
  6. This Pink Panther really doesn't have to achieve the heights of the original; it just has to be funny on its own terms. But it pales there too. Kline, a master of comic hypocrisy, deserves more screen time, Emily Mortimer is wasted as Clouseau's adoring assistant Nicole and Knowles is over indulged as Xania.
  7. This slapdash farce, arriving three decades after Sellers last inhabited the role, sustains a baseline of good will that often spikes into delight at Mr. Martin's beguiling nonsense.
  8. 58
    Martin makes a fine Clouseau, re-energizing musty old physical gags involving chandeliers and priceless vases, and rolling his tongue around a zesty form of pidgin French. If he ever finds his Blake Edwards, there may be hope for this franchise yet.
  9. Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    50
    Occasionally works and has a handful of great moments.
  10. Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    50
    Suffice to say that Shawn Levy, director of the "Cheaper by the Dozen" movies, is no Blake Edwards; for every finely tuned slapstick fillip, there's a ton of messy, family-friendly buffoonery.
  11. The best sequence is a five-minute set-piece where Clouseau struggles with an accent coach to learn how to order a hamburger like an American.
  12. Martin's gift for physical and vocal comedy is as deft as ever.
  13. 50
    Even the cartoon Pink Panther in the credits seems off - at once too glitzy and too fey, more Peter Allen than Pink Panther.
  14. 50
    An occasionally amusing but wrongheaded remake that arrives more than four decades after the original blazed across the screen.
  15. Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    50
    Neither the disaster one might have suspected nor a fully realized madcap farce; rather, Steve Martin's foray as Inspector Clouseau exhibits bursts of wild-and-craziness, but hardly enough to sustain even its relatively brief running time.
  16. Even with the inspired choice of Steve Martin in the Clouseau role, this "Panther" picture is more bumbling and fumbling than the blissfully oblivious, accident-prone Inspector.
  17. Reviewed by: Dan Jolin
    40
    With a better story, director and support cast, Martin could have made Clouseau his own. Still, it's not as bad as the one with Roberto Benigni.
  18. Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    40
    Steve Martin can be a delightfully spasmodic clown, but his Clouseau makes no sense.
  19. Reviewed by: Christopher Orr
    40
    With the exception of one scene with an accent coach, his (Martin) Clouseau is flabby and obvious, like your dad doing an impression at the dinner table.
  20. 40
    The lack of energy suggests the film might as well have been constructed from outtakes.
  21. Mr. Levy's cold, streamlined direction gives the movie the feel of a mechanical contraption manipulated by remote control with a nervous finger on the fast-forward button. Many of the jokes barely have time to register before we're on to the next stunt.
  22. 38
    At every moment in the movie, I was aware that Peter Sellers was Clouseau, and Steve Martin was not. I hadn't realized how thoroughly Sellers and Edwards had colonized my memory.
  23. Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    38
    Sacre bleu! Bumbling French police inspector Jacques Clouseau is back, and he's never been less funny.
  24. Martin, who plays Clouseau and wrote the script with Len Blum, has completely mishandled the character.
  25. Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    30
    This movie leaves us with the stale whiff of fake nostalgia and something even more odoriferous: the smell of money.
  26. 30
    Most of the humor in The Pink Panther derives from Martin's silly French accent, especially when he tries to pronounce the word "hamburger." But zat joke, she ees not funny. And The Pink Panther ees, how you say, ze real dog.
  27. The mirthlessly sadistic gags tend to target people in wheelchairs or hospital beds and betray a mild if all-encompassing disgust for the source material and the audience.
  28. 25
    After a while, hearing Martin say ''Zee area eez zecure!'' doesn't cut it any longer, and that's pretty much all The Pink Panther has to offer.
  29. This, the 10th and worst-written entry in the series, would have been better if it had followed Dreyfuss instead of Clouseau, or if Kline had been cast as Clouseau instead of Martin.
  30. Alas, this joyless affair doesn't have a clou.
  31. 25
    The Pink Panther is supposed to use humor to uplift. Instead, I departed this movie feeling depressed.
  32. A graceless, embarrassing effort.
  33. 0
    Sellers' comic mastery is completely fumbled by Martin and director Shawn Levy.
  34. 0
    Ultimately, one has to chalk up The Pink Panther to the good old traditions of Hollywood greed and chutzpah. Nothing this slapdash and badly executed is done for the love of movies.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 64 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 30
  2. Negative: 10 out of 30
  1. Daniel
    9
    I went into this movie expecting not much based on disapproval from critics. But I was highly entertained from the very start. Hilarious right through. Despite low numbers, the cinema still erupted with laughter like a live comedy show. Steve Martin certainly lives up to Peter Seller's Clueso and is one of his best performances to date. Pink Panther is meant to be silly, humerous and fun... This movie does it very well, don't get too tied up comparing the old with the new and enjoy yourself. Two thumbs up .. BEST comedy so far of 2006. Full Review »
  2. Comedies these days have become far too predictable with gross outs and other modern techniques, but Steve Martin with vast years of experience and talent, really knows the genre of comedy. From slapstick, melodrama, parody, satire to the most subtle of facial cues , Steve can do it all. A comedy that can appeal to a wide range of age groups and people needs a good mix of comedy types, and Steve delivers on all levels. A great film for sheer talent. A tribute to Sellers. Full Review »
  3. Very few movies have me laughing as much as this one did, one of Steve Martin's best, my only complaint with this movie is the topic of sex being brought up, which may make some parents not want to show there younger kids this movie, but for older audiences (teens to adults) it's a HILARIOUS movie I recommend. Full Review »