The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

Released in 2004, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers is, of course, a biopic about the actor Peter Sellers and stars Geoffrey Rush in the lead role. 

There's a lot to like about this one, but it isn't without it's flaws.

It's a bit of an uneven and oddly paced movie, spending a lot of time on Sellers' troubled marriages while breezing past whole sections of his film career in a matter of seconds. I understand the film is  really supposed to be about the man behind all of those iconic characters, but I still would've liked to see more of a balance between the troubled personal life and the career in front of the camera. Also, for a film called "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" his actual death, and the circumstances around it, are only told to us via a brief few sentences of text at the end of the film.

On the plus side, this is a film about an interesting, complex, egotistical person so it's not hard to get into. In addition to that, the cast surrounding Geoffrey Rush consists of Emily Watson, Charlize Theron, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Stephen Fry, all of whom are good in their roles.

Overall, while I was pretty entertained throughout, I'm not going to give this one a real strong recommend because it's not a "must-see".

3 out of 5.

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A Look Back At “The Return of the Pink Panther” (1975)

This one is actually the fourth film in the Pink Panther series and it’s one of my personal favorites. Peter Sellers reprises the role of the bumbling, Inspector Clouseau in this 1975 comedy after having not been in the previous film, 1968’s Inspector Clouseau.

 

As for the plot, the film starts off simple enough, with a mysterious thief stealing the famous Pink Panther diamond. With the diamond now missing, Inspector Clouseau (Sellers) is called in because he had been the one who recovered the diamond the last time it was stolen. When he arrives at the museum, Clouseau examines the crime scene (and destroys several antiquities) before reaching the conclusion that the thief must be none other than Sir Charles Lytton a.k.a. “The Phantom” (played by Christopher Plummer).  However, Sir Charles reads about the theft in the newspaper and realizes that he has been framed. So, Clouseau is out to catch “The Phantom” and Sir Charles is trying to find the real thief in order to clear his name. 

Right from the get-go, this film is a fun ride. It offers up a ton of laughs, driven by some funny writing and a terrific performance by Peter Sellers. 

If you’ve never seen it, then I definitely recommend checking it out.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

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