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Curse of the Pink Panther is a 1983 comedy film and the seventh installment in the Pink Panther series. The film follows Clouseau's attempts to find the missing Inspector Clouseau, who has disappeared. David Niven, Robert Wagner, and Herbert Lom reprise their roles as Sir Charles Litton, George Lytton, and Chief Inspector Dreyfus, respectively.

The plot begins with Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) attempting to find the missing Clouseau, who has disappeared without a trace. To prevent Clouseau from returning, Dreyfus decides to hire the world's worst detective, New York Detective Sergeant Clifton Sleigh (Ted Wass), to find him. Meanwhile, Sir Charles Litton (David Niven), also known as the Phantom, whose expertise is in stealing pink diamonds, is being hunted by George Lytton (Robert Wagner), who is posing as Sir Charles to nab him.

As Sleigh gets closer to finding Clouseau, he ends up destroying a lot of precious artifacts, causing Dreyfus to put a gag on him. Lytton, believing that Clouseau knew where the stolen diamond was, decides to impersonate the detective and infiltrate Dreyfus' investigation. However, things take a dramatic turn when they realize that there was never any diamond, and it was just a ploy by the original Phantom to get his rivals killed.

The film's comedy lies in Clouseau's absence, and Detective Sergeant Sleigh's incompetence in finding him. Although he is a terrible detective, Sleigh manages to find his way to France, where he comes across various suspects, including Litton and Lytton. The film also features appearances by actors such as Joanna Lumley, Capucine, Ted Wass, and Roger Moore, who plays a cameo as the Chief Inspector.

Curse of the Pink Panther is renowned for its humor, and it comes as no surprise given the director's pedigree. Blake Edwards, the mastermind behind the Pink Panther series, had already helmed highly successful comedies like Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Party. However, this would be his last Pink Panther film, as he would go on to direct other successful comedies such as A Fine Mess.

The film features a few callbacks to earlier Pink Panther films, such as the Phantom being a nod to Sir Charles Lytton, the original Phantom in the 1963 Pink Panther film. Additionally, famed character actor Harvey Korman makes a special appearance as Professor Auguste Balls, a character from the previous Pink Panther film, Trail of the Pink Panther.

While it may not be the strongest entry in the Pink Panther series, Curse of the Pink Panther does offer plenty of chuckles and a light-hearted storyline. The absence of Inspector Clouseau may be a drawback for some, but the film's humorous take on the inept Detective Sergeant Sleigh more than makes up for it. The denouement is a bit of a letdown, but thanks to some clever writing, the film never overstays its welcome.

Overall, Curse of the Pink Panther is a worthy addition to the Pink Panther series and a great popcorn flick for those looking for something funny and light-hearted.

Curse of the Pink Panther is a 1983 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 49 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 4.3 and a MetaScore of 31.