Okay, let's do it. It's Looch with a review post in this thread.
So... this is the first one I have seen before, but it's been probably about 20 years or so. Still this is a fantastic and very entertaining movie, but I also think it's hitting a whole other level when you have been in some "wars" playing Cluedo/Clue before. I get that feeling that when you never played the game, you will look at it as a simple, silly murder mystery comedy that just flies by in no time and that goes hard as a parody for the classic "Whodunnit?" stereotypes, while those who have played it, see so much more in it. At least I did. From the very obvious references to the game to the small, very subtle ones... this movie really made me feel, that I was watching a board game come to live. The running around of the cast in the last third of the movie, for example, really made me think back to some rounds I've played that felt exactly like that.
Also for example, this shot from within the first 5 minutes:
If you know, how the board of Cluedo (usually) looks like, then you'll probably know exactly what I mean. Such a subtle, but genius nod to the game. (I at least hope it was intended... maybe it was just to foreshadow what's gonna happen to that chandelier and Colonel Mustard, but I just love to think the choice of that floor pattern was delibirately chosen.)
The cast is, of course, phenomenal. (Duh) Tim Curry as the driving force to keep the story moving is such a perfect casting choice and I love that surge of energy he gives that final stretch. It's like he just can't stop himself from going a hundred miles an hour and I fuckin' love it. Michael McKean is another highlight for me, for all that physicality he brings to the table and Madeline Kahn is outstanding in her delivery. Speaking of the cast, again it's the small, subtle things that really made all of these performances something special. You can just tell that you're seeing an all-star cast at work and not a single one of them doesn't deliver.
I don't want to go into the story that much, to be honest, because for me it's not even that important with this one. There are so many twists and turns thrown in with the backgrounds of each character and story overall and I just don't think it weighs in that much, when it comes to rating the movie. Obviously, if the overall story would've been extremely terribly handled or whatever, it would be different, but that's not the case here. For me, in this one, it's all about the performances, the humor and how the story is driven forward. The only other thing that I want to add about the story is that I do like that idea of getting a triple ending, that basically comes out of nowhere.
Now, the last thing I want to add, besides my final score, is that I'm a huge, HUGE fan of Murder by Death. I have seen that movie at least once per year, since I was 12 or 13 and when it comes to comedy murder mystery ensemble movies, it is highly unlikely that there will ever be a movie that I would love more than that one, but Clue comes very close to it. Watching this one definitely had me having Murder by Death in the back of my mind the whole time and I don't know if Landis and Lynn also took at least a bit of inspiration from that movie, but I like to think they did. Also... special shoutout to Eileen Brennan, who is the one definite link between those two movies, as she performed in both.
My final rating is a
9 outta 10.
