Clue (1986) starring Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd …
Clue is a comedy/murder mystery based on the famous board game. A so-so comedy, wasting a lot of good comedic talent.
Review of Clue
The good news is, there are funny moments in Clue. And, the entire cast are talented comedy actors. The bad news is, much of it is wasted. Screaming and running isn’t a substitute for comedy. Neither is Yvette threatening to pop out of her French maid costume. And there’s far too much of both.
One large problem with Clue, as a murder mystery, is that there are literally three different endings. Frankly, when a murder mystery is so “flexible” that anything could have happened, it’s a poorly written mystery.
In short, Clue fails as a comedy, and fails as a murder mystery. Murder by Death is a much better example of a comedy murder mystery.
Editorial review of Clue courtesy of Amazon.com
Undoubtedly the first movie in history to have played in theaters with three different endings (depending on which theater you attended), Clue is a silly whodunit based on the familiar board game featuring Colonel Mustard, Mrs. Peacock, and all the other usual suspects. A broadly comic cast play the sundry suspects gathered in a mansion to solve a murder, knowing that one of their numbers is the culprit. Michael McKean, Eileen Brennan, and Tim Curry are the best of the bunch, and the film is as lightweight an experience as a round of the game itself. Directed by Jonathan Lynn (My Cousin Vinny). The video release contains all three endings. –Tom Keogh
Cast of character
- Eileen Brennan (Murder by Death) … Mrs. Peacock
- Tim Curry (It! TV series, Muppet Treasure Island) … Wadsworth
- Madeline Kahn (A Bug’s Life) … Mrs. White
- Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) … Professor Plum
- Michael McKean (Laverne & Shirley, Coneheads) … Mr. Green
- Martin Mull (Jingle All the Way, Danny Phantom) … Colonel Mustard
- Lesley Ann Warren (Cinderella 1965) … Miss Scarlet
- Colleen Camp (Battle for the Planet of the Apes) … Yvette
- Lee Ving (Flashdance) … Mr. Boddy
- Bill Henderson (City Slickers) … The Cop
- Jane Wiedlin (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure) … The Singing Telegram Girl
- Jeffrey Kramer (Jaws) … The Motorist
- Kellye Nakahara (M*A*S*H TV) … The Cook
