The Pink Panther Movie

"A" and I went and saw the new Steve Martin movie at a matinee today. I'm on "winter vacation" though I still have the Shack at nights. So I actually have like 36 hrs off (from closing Sunday to 5pm Tuesday).

Anyway being a big PP fan from the Sellar years, I was at first excited then worried about a new PP franchise. The plot is pretty good, and Kevin Kline is really great as Ispector Dreyfus. It seems to me that Martin's performance puts the physical comedy in the forefront of the acting, whereas Sellars was slightly more subtle.

What Martin excels in however is the vocal talents. I still cannot pronounce Hamburger the way he does. He is just brilliant in this movie, though the movie itself is not brilliant. The script does bring out a new part of Clouseau, a cetain pathos when he realizes he has been set up as a dupe.

Beyonce Knowles is practically useless in this movie, though she is quite the eye candy, and enjoys flaunting her front. The surprise actress in this movie is Clousou's secretary played by Emily Mortimer. She is cute and funny and it's surprising that she has not had more roles. (click her name to see the IMDB listing.

So overall the new Pink Panther is pretty funny. I will admit to laughing less than the audience, and that is unusual. This is an indication of the sophistication of the humor, which is nearly 100% slapstick.