ClueWho knew a dead body could be such a laugh riot? Adapted from the Parker Brothers' board game, Clue is a whodunit and a black comedy, with colorful characters (literally, they're named after colors) and with wit and slapstick both. As butler Wadsworth (Tim Curry) arranges for the convening of the varied guests of the evening, the nature of the conference is soon revealed to be due to their mutual blackmail at the hands of one Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving). And with an ominous name like that, his fate as the victim is assured, and the survivors are left to deduce who killed him, where, and with what. Let the game begin.
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It is little coincidence that Clue resembles a play--a murder mystery, but with stage-like theatrics here and there--as the board game was originally titled "Cluedo" in its home of the United Kingdom; the name is derived from "clue" and "ludo", which is Latin for "I play". In essence, every character is playing a part, all of them bearing pseudonyms to conceal their real identities, as the nature of their respective secrets warrants it at Wadsworth's suggestion. Clue is also set in 1954, a time when the "Red Scare" was in full swing, and fear of being "exposed" as a communist was on the lips of those operating in a government monitored by the likes of J. Edgar Hoover and Senator Joseph McCarthy; a broadcast of him can be seen on the television early on. And with aliases comes the sense that one can portray a "version" of themselves, a persona for the stage of their interaction under dubious circumstances. There is the impatient Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull), a former soldier from World War II; the non-practicing psychiatrist working for the United Nations, Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd), who has a thing for the ladies; the mild-mannered Mr. Green (Michael McKean), who claims he does not have a thing for the ladies; the licentious vixen, Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren); the black widow with difficulty conjugating sentences when stressed, Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn); and Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan), whose nervousness at silence in conversation leads her to reveal more than she might have wished. Every single one of them holds a secret (or more), which allows Mr. Boddy to blackmail them, and they all have some type of government connection. In short, secrets are the currency of this world, bought and sold by the shadowy brokers lurking in the dark. In 1954, the big baddies were the communists; but as is often repeated, "communism was just a red herring", as the real entertainment of Clue has little to no bearing on political intrigue, but the series of increasingly absurd murders and the overly complicated deduction of the crimes. And the characters and their varied interactions with one another are the real enjoyment, their individual idiosyncrasies clashing with one another. It's like taking a batch of neurotics, put'em in a jar, and shake them up; "shake, rattle, and roll", indeed...just need a tumbler.
Much like the board game, Clue introduces us to the various rooms in the mansion, and we revisit them often--they become increasingly familiar, just as it would be to players of the game. Secret passageways--the likes of which one might expect from an old mansion--also call back to the game, and make for some entertaining resolutions in the story. In addition to the aforementioned guests, there is also the buxom Yvette (Colleen Camp)--with a spurious French accent and a questionable French maid outfit to boot--as well as the surly cook, Mrs. Ho (Kellye Nakahara), whose attitude might be justified because she gets but one line in the film. Their presence in the story is a bit more variable, leaving viewers to try to guess just what their inevitable contributions to the mystery will be, since they aren't "traditional" pieces in the game. Of course, Clue is about guessing who killed the victim, and so on. Mr. Boddy's plan was to provoke his fellow guests into killing Wadsworth, who exposes himself to be the conductor of this congress of fellow victims; but Mr. Boddy's plan clearly backfires following his varied gifts to the six other guests in black boxes tied with purple ribbon; each weapon received, it could be said, also suggests something about the recipient's personality. Each box contains a weapon, and the implications are that whomever kills Wadsworth would also feed Boddy further ammo with which he could blackmail him or her by virtue of the cause of death. And ironically, this turns out to be the same means by which the remaining guests attempt to discern who killed Mr. Boddy, alongside various conjecture about motive, testimonies, and assorted evidence. One of the most distinguishing features of Clue is in its multiple endings, all of which could be possible (although I prefer the last one). Clue playfully exploits the mystery genre's predilection for the big reveal with giddy enthusiasm here, in a process which encompasses a third of the whole film. While it is also meant to highlight the fluidity of different characters potentially being the killer in the board game, it also could be regarded as a commentary for the basis of determining guilt in a murder case. All three endings come following Wadsworth's deductions, and also his assertions based on limited evidence who killed who, even though if you tilt the view just a little more, someone else could have been just as likely of a killer, meaning that determining guilt is almost inexorably bound to circumstantial evidence when based on testimony and motive. This is also an homage to the "suggestions" that players can employ to manipulate the outcome of the game, but makes one wonder about its parallels in an age when the fear of "communist witch hunts" were a very real thing.
Clue is one of those films that seems to fit squarely into the realm of a "cult film", although it also seems to defy such easy classification. It is certainly a novelty being adapted from a board game and it is a mystery, also true. It could be very easy to see Clue also adapted for the stage, with its exaggerated yet distinct characters. The film is full of highly quotable lines, many of which get repeated as a running gag throughout the movie, and might encourage fans to act them out, which brings to mind another tale set in a mansion on a dark and stormy night, The Rocky Horror Picture Show; little surprise both films star Tim Curry. For that matter, the satirical take on a murder mystery also reminds me of another cult favorite (at least in my family), Murder by Death--which coincidentally also featured Eileen Brennan. The slapstick is like classic comedies from the golden age of cinema, or even the comedy stylings of The Three Stooges. Clue is bursting with countless memorable, hilarious scenes showing the chaotic aftermath of the murders. Even more quiet moments are pregnant with comedy, such as when the guests draw lots to search the house, matching matchsticks to pair up. Like any mystery, Clue is also one of those movies that is more rewarding on repeat viewings, affording the audience opportunities to observe subtle (and not so subtle) clues to guess (or identify) the killer (or killers) as the bodies start to fall. And if you are so inclined, as it was originally released in the theaters, you can view the home release with alternate endings (or all of them, which I recommend, as they play off of one another), so even repeat viewings can remain a bit of a mystery.
Recommended for: Fans of a sharp and fast-paced comedy wearing the suit of a murder mystery. It is full of a littering of clues (how appropriate), and a ton of humorous moments which will be sure to keep you laughing throughout the multiple endings and before.
Much like the board game, Clue introduces us to the various rooms in the mansion, and we revisit them often--they become increasingly familiar, just as it would be to players of the game. Secret passageways--the likes of which one might expect from an old mansion--also call back to the game, and make for some entertaining resolutions in the story. In addition to the aforementioned guests, there is also the buxom Yvette (Colleen Camp)--with a spurious French accent and a questionable French maid outfit to boot--as well as the surly cook, Mrs. Ho (Kellye Nakahara), whose attitude might be justified because she gets but one line in the film. Their presence in the story is a bit more variable, leaving viewers to try to guess just what their inevitable contributions to the mystery will be, since they aren't "traditional" pieces in the game. Of course, Clue is about guessing who killed the victim, and so on. Mr. Boddy's plan was to provoke his fellow guests into killing Wadsworth, who exposes himself to be the conductor of this congress of fellow victims; but Mr. Boddy's plan clearly backfires following his varied gifts to the six other guests in black boxes tied with purple ribbon; each weapon received, it could be said, also suggests something about the recipient's personality. Each box contains a weapon, and the implications are that whomever kills Wadsworth would also feed Boddy further ammo with which he could blackmail him or her by virtue of the cause of death. And ironically, this turns out to be the same means by which the remaining guests attempt to discern who killed Mr. Boddy, alongside various conjecture about motive, testimonies, and assorted evidence. One of the most distinguishing features of Clue is in its multiple endings, all of which could be possible (although I prefer the last one). Clue playfully exploits the mystery genre's predilection for the big reveal with giddy enthusiasm here, in a process which encompasses a third of the whole film. While it is also meant to highlight the fluidity of different characters potentially being the killer in the board game, it also could be regarded as a commentary for the basis of determining guilt in a murder case. All three endings come following Wadsworth's deductions, and also his assertions based on limited evidence who killed who, even though if you tilt the view just a little more, someone else could have been just as likely of a killer, meaning that determining guilt is almost inexorably bound to circumstantial evidence when based on testimony and motive. This is also an homage to the "suggestions" that players can employ to manipulate the outcome of the game, but makes one wonder about its parallels in an age when the fear of "communist witch hunts" were a very real thing.
Clue is one of those films that seems to fit squarely into the realm of a "cult film", although it also seems to defy such easy classification. It is certainly a novelty being adapted from a board game and it is a mystery, also true. It could be very easy to see Clue also adapted for the stage, with its exaggerated yet distinct characters. The film is full of highly quotable lines, many of which get repeated as a running gag throughout the movie, and might encourage fans to act them out, which brings to mind another tale set in a mansion on a dark and stormy night, The Rocky Horror Picture Show; little surprise both films star Tim Curry. For that matter, the satirical take on a murder mystery also reminds me of another cult favorite (at least in my family), Murder by Death--which coincidentally also featured Eileen Brennan. The slapstick is like classic comedies from the golden age of cinema, or even the comedy stylings of The Three Stooges. Clue is bursting with countless memorable, hilarious scenes showing the chaotic aftermath of the murders. Even more quiet moments are pregnant with comedy, such as when the guests draw lots to search the house, matching matchsticks to pair up. Like any mystery, Clue is also one of those movies that is more rewarding on repeat viewings, affording the audience opportunities to observe subtle (and not so subtle) clues to guess (or identify) the killer (or killers) as the bodies start to fall. And if you are so inclined, as it was originally released in the theaters, you can view the home release with alternate endings (or all of them, which I recommend, as they play off of one another), so even repeat viewings can remain a bit of a mystery.
Recommended for: Fans of a sharp and fast-paced comedy wearing the suit of a murder mystery. It is full of a littering of clues (how appropriate), and a ton of humorous moments which will be sure to keep you laughing throughout the multiple endings and before.