Basement exhibit goes deep into campus history
By Saurabh Muzumdar
Peter Sellers turned "The Pink Panther" into one of the most successful film franchises of the early '60s.
While he continued to star in the films into the '70s, the white-haired Steve Martin has revived the franchise in the new millenium.
This month's release of "The Pink Panther 2" marks the second time Martin has played the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau.
Martin has to be admired for his cool and clean brand of comedy, which has made him endearing to kids and adults alike.
His panache for self-deprecation has been compared to the Three Stooges, for there may not be a better word than stooge to describe him.
Seeing this film was a no-brainer, as I grew up watching the popular cartoon series.
Inspector Clouseau exemplifies the word idiot in an emphatic and complete manner. Everything about him is idiotic: his hat, his moustache, his borderline racist and sexist comments, his excuse for a French accent and his actions.
That said, the man is a deductive genius and France's best-known detective -- a matter of pride for himself, but a matter of sorrow for the rest of his nation.
His boss, Chief Inspector Dreyfus, bears the brunt of Clouseau's bone-headedness and loathes the sight of him.
This movie pairs Clouseau with the dream team of detectives consisting of an Italian, a Japanese and a British detective, played by Andy Garcia, Yuki Matsuzaki and Alfred Molina, respectively. They are aptly aided by Clouseau's extremely able sidekick Ponton, played by Jean Reno, his muse Nicole, played by Emily Mortimer and Sonia, played by Bollywood starlet Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
Their goal is to catch the thief, who goes by the name Tornado, who has recently stolen -- what else -- the Pink Panther Diamond.
In essence, this is a collection of seriously funny and not-so-funny gag reels that come at you thick and fast. Clouseau manages to get himself in a pickle more times than imaginable.
Some of his gags involve fouling up a flamenco dance by trampling on his partner's feet, burning down the same restaurant twice, mishandling a fire extinguisher and tipping over a wine cellar, which results in an exhibition of juggling to save the bottles.
So many of today's jokes rely on race, sex and controversial topics that it is refreshing to see Clouseau tickle your funny bone with a cleaner streak of mischief.
This movie isn't about sophistication and it certainly is no landmark in cinema, but its innocence is backed by its premise as an action-based comedy. The all-star cast has about four facial expressions to perfect, and they do so reasonably well.
The jokes are predictable, but they still make you smile. It does get a little monotonous in a sense, however, because you are waiting for the next routine to hit you in the face.
This limits the audience's attention span, which perhaps is a good thing because there isn't really anything to pay attention to apart from giggles.
In the end, Martin wins because he doesn't really take himself seriously -- in fact, he looks like he's having a ball out there and transfers his joy to the audience.
Clean, crisp and effective, the point of the movie is that there is no point.
Never has that been such a non-issue with a movie. Analogically, Clouseau is a clown. Welcome to his circus.
Grade: B-
Contact Saurabh Muzumdar at smuzumdar@scu.edu.