Review of Clue (1985) by Ben L — 02 Jun 2012

Who would have thought that a movie based on a board game would be a good idea? Yet not only was it a good idea, it was a great idea! Of course it helps that they selected a game that already has an interesting story. Murder mysteries are always exciting, and the added idea of the suspects being the ones trying to solve the crime is excellent. Still a lot of credit has to be given to the writers for coming up with such a brilliant script. They really embraced the basic idea and made it work perfectly. Amazingly they not only made it work once, but in 3 different ways.

Perhaps that is why this movie will go down in history. The unique idea of having multiple endings with movie-goers choosing which one they would go and see was intriguing. I'm not sure whether it got people to see the movie multiple times in order to watch all 3 of the final reels, but it is remarkable that they set up a film where the mystery could be solved 3 different ways. Of course it is best now that you can watch all the endings on one video. But the gimmick of the end would mean nothing without the remarkable cast that keeps the story rolling.

The cast is an absolutely star-studded list of comedic geniuses. Tim Curry puts in the best performance of his entire career as the guide for both viewers and the characters. Greats like Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, and so on just add to the already superb comedic script. Honestly I can't say enough good things about this film. The best testimony of the movie's brilliance is the fact that, after dozens of viewings, I still laugh at the same lines I've heard again and again. I, honestly, couldn't possibly ask for more from a movie. Clue is not only one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, but it's one of my favorite movies of all time.