Curse of the Pink Panther (1983)

It's been a year since Inspector Clouseau disappeared. The Surete is using its supercomputer to select the best detective to solve the case. Chief Insp. Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) does a deal with a criminal to rig the supercomputer and it selects the utterly incompetent NYPD officer Clifton Sleigh (Ted Wass).This attempt to continue the franchise without a reboot is probably the best of many bad ideas. A rebooting of the franchise with a new Clouseau would probably be unacceptable to the audience so quickly after Peter Sellers' death. Ted Wass hopelessly tries to replace the great man but the ghost haunts him throughout the movie. Even Cato attacking him doesn't bring a chuckle. I do like Clifton with Juleta but that's a very small section. Somebody should have insisted to Blake Edwards that this franchise needed to take a break.

The previous Pink Panther movie entry "Trail of the Pink Panther" already wasn't what you could call something successful but this movie, that was shot at the same time as this previously mentioned movie, is even worse comedy-wise, story-wise and whatever more wise.This movie was obviously intended as an attempt to put new life into the Pink Panther series, after the death of Peter Sellers in 1980. The movie picks a new main character but keeps the same cast and crew of the previous more successful and better Pink Panther movies. So basically it's made in the same way as those other successful earlier Pink Panther movies but never does this movie work out as good as any other Pink Panther movie and it also is definitely the worst out of the long running series of movies.Problem is that this movie really doesn't follow a script. Appereantly there is a main plot-line involving the Pink Panther again and Clouseau who is presumed missing. A New York cop is brought in to try and find Clouseau by picking up his trail he was on while investigation the disappearance of the Pink Panther. It basically starts off were "Trail of the Pink Panther" had ended, making this a direct sequel.Don't be fooled by this movie its cast list people. Basically everywhere Ted Wass is listed somewhere like the 10th actor but he really actually plays the main lead within this movie. Actors such as David Niven, Robert Wagner, Robert Loggia and Burt Kwouk who are all listed higher are in it for like 10 minutes maximum. The reason they must have put David Niven on top of the billing must be done for commercial reasons or perhaps they were just being kind for him, knowing already how terminally ill at the time of making this movie he was. They even had to dub his voice, since he wasn't able to speak up good enough anymore. This was also the last movie he appeared in before his death.So main lead is Ted Wass. Who? Exactly! He is one big nobody, without a real talent for acting or comedy. What was Blake Edwards when he casted him? Was he seriously thinking this would be the man that would be able to make us forget Peter Sellers? He is the type of actor that needs screaming and big surprised eyes to come across as being funny. He's too forced in his acting. Also his character is supposed to be like the American version of Clouseau but instead of being clumsy or stupid, he more comes across as a victim of unlikely circumstances. He never really gets himself into trouble because of his own stupidity like Clouseau always did.It just isn't a very funny or well made movie. It tries to follow a story but it just looks as if the movie simply doesn't bother sticking to it. Appereantly it's about the search for Clouseau but really, does he ever seriously attempt looking for him? He just randomly questions people and travels around the world.To me the movie gets still somewhat saved by the Roger Moore cameo. He actually shows that he has a great talent for comedy and actually would had been a worthy new Chief Insp. Jacques Clouseau for future movies in my opinion. Oh well, he probably was too expensive at the time to cast him for further Pink Panther, plus he of course at the time was still committed to playing James Bond, so no way they would had allowed him to play a different 'cop' in a different comedy movie series. Also the presence of Herbert Lom and Burt Kwouk and other Pink Panther regulars, as well as the immortal Henry Mancini musical score compensate somewhat for the movie its totally inapt to entertaining or be funny. 3/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

With "Trail of the Pink Panther", they portrayed Insp. Clouseau disappearing, and this time, they have a clumsy American detective (Ted Wass) look for him. Personally, I wish that they could have ended the series with "Revenge of...". After that, they butchered Peter Sellers's scenes, then replaced him, then replaced him again (Roberto Benigni probably wishes to downplay his role in "Son of..."). So, "Curse of the Pink Panther" might work once, but not after that. Just stick with the original movies. You'll be a much better person for sticking with the original movies.Did anything ever become of Ted Wass?

Uggh!!! This movie is a wonderful example of a movie and movie executives with no soul (or brains for that matter). Peter Sellers, the original Clouseau died and some nitwits decided this shouldn't stop them from doing another Pink Panther movie. This may not have been that bad a decision, but they also decided to have it feature Sellers as Clouseau!!! Now, the way around this was to take clips and outtakes from the previous films and intersperse them in a new and completely contrived plot.Why couldn't they just give it a rest and STOP making these movies?!?! The only positive thing about this film was that the film bombed, as the public was not about to be hoodwinked into paying to see this pile of crap!