There are some movies which, for whatever reason, first appear as though they're horrible mistakes, and which tank at the box office only to find a second life amongst a small but devout following. As the years pass, said following tells anyone and everyone who will listen that the movie is in fact pure genius, a masterwork that is either ahead of its time or simply misunderstood or just about anything else that they can think of to convince people to watch the movie.
In that vein, may I present to you the 1985 film, Clue. Based on the board game, and directed by Jonathan Lynn from Lynn's screenplay and a story from Lynn and John Landis, Clue is nothing less than an hysterical period piece full of great performances, witty dialogue, and a none-too-bad mystery. In fact, it may be that only Neil Simon's Murder by Death stands as a better send-up of the genre.
How is that? Did I sell it well enough? Truth be told, Clue is great if you're the right sort of person and it may say more about the viewer than the film when it is judged. I do think that it is brilliantly funny, and while I would put A Shot in the Dark above it but below Murder by Death were I ranking such films, I watch Clue on a fairly regular basis and never think my time poorly spent.
First off, it has an absolutely great bunch of comedians at its core. Playing the board game characters, we have Eileen Brennan as Mrs. Peacock, Madeline Kahn (who also appeared in Murder by Death) as Mrs. White, Lesley Ann Warren as Miss Scarlet, Martin Mull as Colonel Mustard, Christopher Lloyd as Professor Plum, Michael McKean as Mr. Green, and Lee Ving as Mr. Boddy (he's not a playable character in the game, but he's totally there). Rounding out the main cast then are Tim Curry as Wadsworth the butler and Colleen Camp as Yvette the maid. Each one plays their role brilliantly, and despite the cast being large, each actor is given enough character and jokes to make them memorable. Curry in particular is wonderful in a role that feels tailor made for just his brand of weird.
.jpg?t=20130517094513)
Article comments