"Based on the board game from Parker Brothers!" Clue's cover-art/poster exclaims, taking pride in its origins, and with good cause. Plenty of movies have inspired boardgames, but rarely does it go vice-versa. Clue is the exception, and it is exceptional. Everyone knows the story, whether they actually know how to play the game or not. Six strangers -- Prof. Plum (Christopher Lloyd), Col. Mustard (Martin Mull, of TV's Sabrina...), Mr. Green (Spinal Tap's Mike McKean), and the rest of the usual suspects -- are called to the hill-top mansion of the strange and sinister Mr. Boddy.
Set against the treacherous backdrop of the Cold War, each of the six has some deep dark secret, and Mr. Boddy has the means to expose them all. But who is Mr. Boddy, and what does he want? There isn't long to ponder such things, as before too long, one of the guests has killed Mr. Boddy and put a stop to his deadly blackmail scheme. But who? Led through it all by Mr. Boddy's faithful butler Wadsworth (Tim Curry), the group must uncover the murderer's identity before the police arrive, and before they can strike again! Loaded to the brim with clichés, Clue is over-the-top fun. Director Jonathan Lynn (My Cousin Vinny, Sgt. Bilko) does a good job with a talented cast. But really, this is Tim Curry's movie and he is absolutely brilliant in it. While many films suffer from a poor endings, Clue has endings flying out the wazoo. It is the first (only?) movie to ever show a different ending depending on which theater you attended, and what night you saw it on. All three work well (though one is clearly best), and you can choose to watch each consecutively on the DVD.
OVERALL SCORE: 8.9/10 = A
Quotable and infectiously fun, you can't not have a good time watching this movie. Racing through the mansion as the film comes to its close, Curry is something to behold. A truly funny film.
Set against the treacherous backdrop of the Cold War, each of the six has some deep dark secret, and Mr. Boddy has the means to expose them all. But who is Mr. Boddy, and what does he want? There isn't long to ponder such things, as before too long, one of the guests has killed Mr. Boddy and put a stop to his deadly blackmail scheme. But who? Led through it all by Mr. Boddy's faithful butler Wadsworth (Tim Curry), the group must uncover the murderer's identity before the police arrive, and before they can strike again! Loaded to the brim with clichés, Clue is over-the-top fun. Director Jonathan Lynn (My Cousin Vinny, Sgt. Bilko) does a good job with a talented cast. But really, this is Tim Curry's movie and he is absolutely brilliant in it. While many films suffer from a poor endings, Clue has endings flying out the wazoo. It is the first (only?) movie to ever show a different ending depending on which theater you attended, and what night you saw it on. All three work well (though one is clearly best), and you can choose to watch each consecutively on the DVD.
OVERALL SCORE: 8.9/10 = A
Quotable and infectiously fun, you can't not have a good time watching this movie. Racing through the mansion as the film comes to its close, Curry is something to behold. A truly funny film.