"The Pink Panther" is a 2006 comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and starring Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, and Beyoncé Knowles.
It is a reboot of the original "Pink Panther" film series, which began in 1963 with Peter Sellers in the role of the bumbling French detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau.
In this installment, Steve Martin portrays Clouseau, a clumsy and inept police detective who is assigned to solve the murder of a famous soccer coach and recover the stolen Pink Panther diamond. Despite his incompetence and penchant for causing chaos, Clouseau is determined to prove himself as a competent detective.
As Clouseau investigates the case, he crosses paths with Chief Inspector Dreyfus (played by Kevin Kline), who despises him and seeks to undermine his efforts. Clouseau's antics lead to a series of comedic mishaps and misunderstandings, while he also becomes romantically involved with a pop star named Xania (played by Beyoncé Knowles), who may have ties to the case.
"The Pink Panther" combines slapstick humor with elements of mystery and action, paying homage to the classic character created by director Blake Edwards and actor Peter Sellers. Steve Martin brings his own interpretation to the role of Clouseau, infusing the character with his trademark comedic style.
While the film received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising Martin's performance and the film's humor, others criticized it for failing to capture the charm of the original series. Despite this, "The Pink Panther" was a commercial success, grossing over $158 million worldwide.
The film spawned a sequel, "The Pink Panther 2," released in 2009, which continued Clouseau's misadventures as he investigates a series of thefts involving famous artifacts. Though the reboot series did not achieve the same level of acclaim as the original films, it introduced Inspector Clouseau to a new generation of audiences and provided plenty of laughs along the way.