Wednesday Review: Clue

What’s that you say? You’re reviewing a board game this week? What is this madness?! Well allow me to fill you in. The popular board game Clue was so popular that in 1985 Parker Brothers decided to let Paramount Pictures make a movie about it! Now, how will this be an entertaining movie you ask? Well let me show you a few cast members. Eileen Brennan, Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, Michael McKean, and none other than Tim Curry, among others. The film is a comedy murder mystery, with three different endings (kinda like how the board game always has multiple endings). Anyway, the film is hilarious so let’s get on with the review!

Clue title card.

End credits cards.

Review after the break. 

The opening scene is that of a old fashioned car driving up to a large mansion on top of a hill. Classic murder setting. The driver, revealed to be Tim Curry, opens the gate and drives up to the house where two guard dogs wait. He throws them some meat and then steps in a pile of their feces. He enters the house and a caption appears telling us this is set in New England 1954. Tim Curry then addresses the maid and the cook about the evening’s events. It appears to us that Tim Curry is hosting a party for the other characters. Colonel Mustard shows up and it’s revealed to the audience that the characters are using aliases and that their names aren’t actually colours. The rest of the suspects turn up one by one.

The classic creepy mansion accompanied by
the classic lighting and storm.

And cue the ominous music when Mrs White and Yvette the maid are introduced to each other. Apparently they know each other, according to Wadsworth (Curry) anyway.

Of course there’s a thunderstorm while all this is happening. The clichés continue!

Interesting, in the board game each character wears the colour they’re named after. In the film they do not, however, the car they drive does reflect their colour.

From the start of the film we know that there are several things hidden about the characters, besides their names. Mr Green seems to know an awful lot more than he’s letting on.

A letter to Wadsworth.

“This is one of my favourite recipes.”

“I know, madam.”

Remember that. It’s key.

“Anyone here not earn their living from the government, one way or another?” Another key line. Remember it.

Everyone is being blackmailed, this is why everyone has been gathered to this mansion. Now the events of Clue make some sense.

“I didn’t do it!”

Yvette screams. Everyone runs to check on her. One person is missing during that timeframe. Who? You need to ask these questions when solving mysteries.

Well I’m glad the maid just flashed her panties at us. No seriously, I’m glad. She’s pretty hot.

They all rush to the kitchen to find the cook. Once again someone is missing. Who? Why? Ask the right questions, and solve the mystery, you should.

The cop and Mr. Green.

“To make a long story short.”

“Too late.”

Recurring dialogue exchange. Never gets old.

Backstory is revealed. Why would Miss Scarlett ask Yvette if she wanted to see Colonel Mustard’s negatives? All three are connected. Think about it.

Despite the fact that this film is a comedy, I’m really digging into the mystery aspect of this film. What can I say? I enjoy a good mystery.

We split up and search for clues! Clue just became Scooby-Doo.

There’s a scene where we see a pair of gloved hands disposing of the evidence and opening the locked cabinet door to collect the weapons. This is the one scene that doesn’t add up with all three endings.

Ah yes, the secret passageways from the game. Do mansions and castles actually have secret passageways? Or is that just something that the media has hyped up like so many other things?

He dead.

The cop shows up. Amidst a series of shots another character goes missing. Have you been paying attention? Have you begun to draw connections yet?

Yeah ... just leave her body on the front porch. That won’t draw any suspicion at all. And what happened to those guard dogs?

Wadsworth walking through the events at the end of the film really helps to make clear some things that were confusing for the mystery. Especially when there are three different endings and it all needs to be explained three times.

“I did it, in the hall, with the revolver.”

There are a lot of inconsistencies with the plot but that’s expected for a film with multiple endings. Some scenes are fit for certain endings, whereas others are just there and are attempted to fit into certain endings. Had the film only had one ending I’m sure the plot could’ve been fixed up a bit. The shots used in the film were Hollywood standard, nothing spectacular. The acting was excellent; the characters were hilarious and believable. The score for the film was pretty cliché of a murder film, and various elements of the plot were also cliché, however due to the fact that the film was a comedy the clichéness only added to the hilarity. Overall the film was enjoyable, and if you don’t try to dissect the mystery than it’s a good mystery film as well.

7/10 Now I’m going home to sleep with my wife.

The suspects.