Saturday, August 23, 2014

Clue - 1985


Part of Synopsis From Back Cover:

Was it Colonel Mustard in the study with a gun? Miss Scarlet in the billiard room with the rope? Or was it Wadsworth the butler?  meet all the notorious suspects and discover all their foul play things.  

I could write a really short review.  All I would have to say is, frickin hilarious, and leave it at that.  I don't know how many of you have seen this movie, but I'd be willing to bet anything, that there isn't one of you, that doesn't think this is a frickin hilarious movie.  Between the over the top cast, the terrific writing, and the crazy endings, all three of them, there is so much greatness in this movie, it's hard to contain it all.

For those of you who have never seen it, it's a pretty simple premise.  Groups of strangers are invited to a spooky house in the middle of the country, and of course it's storming outside.  They are given code names; Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Miss Scarlet, Colonel Mustard, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, and after a dinner of monkey brains, they are all revealed to be the blackmail victims of Mr. Body.  Once that information is out, it's not soon after that Mr. Body, and a whole slew of victims start to hit the morgue.  By the end, Mr. Body is joined by 5 others, all of them his accomplices in blackmail.  The the big reveal happens, or does it.  If you saw this movie in the theater, you were treated to one of three completely different endings.  Luckily for us, the home version shows all three.  Just pick your favorite one, and go with it.


You can't talk about this movie without talking about the cast.  It's the actors that make the characters, and they are characters I love so much, I did a Favorite Fictional Character post about them.  Lesley Ann Warren is sexy and funny as Miss Scarlet.  She pulls off the vivacious madame vibe, and ramps up the campiness,  It's sheer perfection.  Martin Mull is perfect as the dimwitted, rather bullish Colonel Mustard.  Madeline Khan is Mrs. White.  And that about all you have to say about her.  Madeline Khan had perfect timing, and could do no wrong. She played the neurotic, slightly crazy role to a height, nobody else could have achieved. Michael McKean, who I normally don't like, embodies the prissy Mr. Green.  While the whole playing gay thing for laughs annoys me, for some reason I'm able to overlook it in this movie.  Maybe because they are all so over the top, it's hard to not find it funny. Tim Curry, can do no wrong in my eyes.  Well he can, The Three Musketeers, but he is stellar as Wadsworth, the butler.  Christopher Lloyd, another one I'm not normally a huge fan of, is great as Professor Plum.  He pulls off the slightly sleazy, intellectual type pretty well.  And that leaves us with the fabulous Eileen Brennan as Mrs. Peacock.  Along with Madeline Khan, I think she gives a performance to rival the others.  She is prudish, snobbish, neurotic, fussy, and just about every other adjective you can think of.  She is brilliant, and oh so funny here.

This is a movie that I have enjoyed countless times, couldn't even begin to guess at how many times I've seen it.  This is the type of movie that can get me to laugh, even when I'm in the crappiest of moods.  If you have never seen it, you are missing out of a true comedic gem.  Besides, how can you not love a movie based off one of the greatest board games know to man


6 comments:

TracyK said...

Sounds wonderful and I have never seen it. The cast sounds great. I will have to give it a try.

Unknown said...

Ah ... Tim Curry! To me he will always be the Transvestite from Transylvania. This sounds like a fun movie -- I may check it out.

Heidenkind said...

I freakin love this movie.

carol said...

I love this movie!!

Angela's Anxious Life said...

I love Clue so much. I love the game... I love all things Clue. I even just checked out their facebook page. So fun! I wish more people enjoyed this board game. I am always trying to make people play it and they just won't. Maybe because I smoke them every time!

Lisa said...

I think I like this movie better ever time I see it. I remember when it first came out and I couldn't believe anyone was stupid enough to think you could make a movie out of a board game. Turns out you can!