Clue (1985)

Director: Jonathan Lynn
Starring: Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn

Synopsis:
In this dramatization of the popular board game, the dinner guests caught up in a blackmail conspiracy have to work together to solve a murder.

Impressions:
"The best movie based on a board game" probably isn't the most ringing endorsement, but this movie demonstrates that with good writing and a good cast, you can make a good film about dang near anything. Now, the board game Clue at least has the makings of a murder mystery, but the film adaptation opted to take the premise and spin a comedy out of it using a selection of notable character actors. The cast all hams it up beautifully. They all deserve credit, but I'll give special mention to Tim Curry, particularly for the summation at the end. The dialog is snappy and witty and there's plenty of good slapstick and without revealing too much, I will say that there are multiple endings, which are all presented in sequence and pretty well hold up to the prior setup. If you have stringent standards when it comes to mystery fiction, you may balk at some of this, but remember that it's a comedy based on a board game and enjoy yourself. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Own It