The Pink Panther
Sony Pictures Releasing | Release Date: February 10, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
38
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
15
Negative:
14
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
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. Read full review
75
USA TodayMike Clark
Transforming Clouseau's perennial nemesis into a more urbane smoothie, Kevin Kline delivers like a pro. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
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. Read full review
75
PremiereJohn Migliore
This one will make you laugh early and often, and send you out of the theater in a cheerful mood. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
The best thing about the replica is how wholeheartedly Martin throws himself into the physical comedy, which is uniformly hilarious. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
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. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
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.
58
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
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. Read full review
50
VarietyBrian Lowry
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. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Martin's gift for physical and vocal comedy is as deft as ever. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
An occasionally amusing but wrongheaded remake that arrives more than four decades after the original blazed across the screen. Read full review
50
New York PostKyle Smith
Occasionally works and has a handful of great moments. Read full review
50
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Even the cartoon Pink Panther in the credits seems off - at once too glitzy and too fey, more Peter Allen than Pink Panther. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy Burr
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. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
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. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
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. Read full review
40
The New York TimesStephen Holden
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. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyChristopher Orr
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. Read full review
40
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
Steve Martin can be a delightfully spasmodic clown, but his Clouseau makes no sense. Read full review
40
Village VoiceBen Kenigsberg
The lack of energy suggests the film might as well have been constructed from outtakes. Read full review
40
EmpireDan Jolin
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. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
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. Read full review
38
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Martin, who plays Clouseau and wrote the script with Len Blum, has completely mishandled the character. Read full review
38
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Sacre bleu! Bumbling French police inspector Jacques Clouseau is back, and he's never been less funny. Read full review
30
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
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. Read full review
30
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
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. Read full review
30
SlateDana Stevens
This movie leaves us with the stale whiff of fake nostalgia and something even more odoriferous: the smell of money. Read full review
25
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
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. Read full review
25
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Alas, this joyless affair doesn't have a clou. Read full review
25
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
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. Read full review
25
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
The Pink Panther is supposed to use humor to uplift. Instead, I departed this movie feeling depressed. Read full review
16
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
It's pathetic. Read full review
0
Austin ChronicleSteve Davis
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. Read full review
0
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A graceless, embarrassing effort. Read full review
0
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
Sellers' comic mastery is completely fumbled by Martin and director Shawn Levy. Read full review
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