Clue (1985)

You can turn pretty much anything into a movie. No matter how crazy the idea may be, it can be done. I know this because I've seen it happen. All we have to do is go back in time to the winter of 1985, when Paramount Pictures released a movie based on the classic Parker Brothers board game Clue. No, I am not making that up. A major film studio actually turned a board game into a feature-length motion picture. But believe it or not, the movie is actually really good. It's a tragically underrated flick that really should have a broader audience than what it has currently.

The Clue movie takes us to a foreboding mansion in the middle of nowhere, where six strangers have been invited to a dinner party. As they arrive, they are greeted by Wadsworth (Tim Curry), the butler of the house, who informs them that they have each been given pseudonyms for the sake of privacy. After dinner, Wadsworth reveals that they're all connected to each other through one common element: extortion. The mansion's owner, Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving), is blackmailing them, as he is aware of secrets that could destroy their lives if revealed...

• "Mrs. White" (Madeline Kahn) is alleged to have killed two of her husbands, one of whom was a nuclear physicist working on the next neutron bomb.
• "Professor Plum" (Christopher Lloyd) is a former psychiatrist who lost his license after having improper relations with a patient, something that potentially cost him his job at the World Health Organization.
• "Mrs. Peacock" (Eileen Brennan) takes bribes to ensure her United States Senator husband votes a certain way.
• "Miss Scarlet" (Lesley Ann Warren) runs an illegal bordello who has a rather high-profile clientele.
• "Mrs. Peacock" (Eileen Brennan) takes bribes to ensure her United States Senator husband votes a certain way.
• "Colonel Mustard" (Martin Mull) is a war profiteer who uses his connections within the Pentagon to acquire and sell stolen radio components on the black market.
• "Mr. Green" (Michael McKean) is a closeted homosexual who works for the State Department. There would be dire consequences for him if this were to become widely known, considering that the movie takes place in the less-tolerant 1950s.

Wadsworth has gathered them all together to confront Mr. Boddy and hand him over to the cops, whom he assures are on their way. But a wrench is thrown into the mix when Mr. Boddy is killed by persons unknown. As the night progresses, more people start turning up dead, and Wadsworth and the six guests frantically try to determine who the killer is before the police arrive

I know what you're thinking: "Who in their right mind would turn a board game into a movie?" I thought the same thing when I first heard of the Clue movie. But as I said in the introduction, the movie is surprisingly good. It's smart, funny, well-acted and directed. It's one of those movies that I simply cannot believe people wouldn't like. How can someone not watch this movie and not think it's great? But let's dig into the Clue movie and see why it's so good.

At the helm is Jonathan Lynn, making his directorial debut. He'd go on to make My Cousin Vinny, The Whole Nine Yards, and Sgt. Bilko, but we're here for Clue, so let's stick to that. Lynn approaches the movie with a sensibility resembling that of film noir, using the music, cinematography, and set design to make Clue an effective parody of the murder mystery genre. You don't really need a lot to make a comedy work, but Lynn goes all out in making sure his movie is especially good.

It helps that Lynn has other elements to work with as well. One of them is the script written by Lynn himself, from a story by he and John Landis. The script is not only incredibly funny, but very smart to boot. Clue was actually released with three endings, with each theater showing a different one. Lynn's script is so smart and well-written that all three are plausible conclusions. It also provides a boost to his direction, since Lynn had to film the movie in such a way to make the three endings work too.

But the best part of Clue has to be its ensemble cast. Everyone in the movie provides a great performance regardless of how minor or inconsequential their character is. Perhaps the most dominant member of the ensemble is Tim Curry, who I've always enjoyed even in the worst of movies. He's fun, charming, and downright entertaining here, and especially during the bit where he's running around explaining just how the murders were committed.

I also thought Christopher Lloyd and Michael McKean were fantastic in their roles, and I quite enjoyed the late Madeline Kahn as well. Her dry, almost deadpan delivery was a stark contrast to the overacting coming from her co-stars, and it made for an amusing watch. And while I'm thinking of it, did Colleen Camp's accent have to be so outrageous? Camp plays the mansion's resident French maid, and the accent she takes on is so over the top that there's no way it was meant to be anything but a joke. It's just too silly to take seriously.

That pretty much sums up the whole movie. It's too silly to be serious. And that's what's so great about it! You're making a movie about a board game, so why not go as goofy as possible? Clue's a movie that I wish had a wider audience, but the fact that it's merely a cult hit means that I get to have fun introducing it to people. Like you readers, for instance. This review probably hasn't done the movie justice, but I hope that you'll overlook the fact that it's based on a board game and check it out. It's definitely worth a watch. So on my scale, Clue gets four stars and a proud recommendation. Movies based on board games... what'll they think of next?

Final Rating: ****