This week I watched the 1985 mystery/comedy Clue -- based on the board game of the same name. It reminded me quite a bit of 1976's Murder by Death. Both are highly-farcical mystery/comedies that parody the archetypal "murder in a country mansion" setting with ensemble casts each trying to figure out which one of them -- or the supporting characters -- killed the victim. Comparing the two, I would say that Clue had a much funnier & more satisfying ending (well, endings, rather -- the plural. In keeping with the spirit of the game it has multiple separate & contradictory endings. According to Wikipedia, when it was in theaters, different theaters were sent films with one of the several endings, so depending on where thou sawest it, the endings would be different. On Netflix & the home videos, all three endings are spliced together so thou canst see them all, but it is done in such a way that makes it even funnier than just the one, in my opinion. But I digress....) As I was saying, while they are both hilarious, I enjoyed the body -- pun intended -- of Murder by Death a more than Clue, though Clue had a better finish. I think if thou hast seen & enjoyed either one, thou wilt enjoy the other.
The plot is essentially the same as the game: six colour-coded people show up at a mansion, the owner -- Mr. Boddy -- gets murdered, they must figure out whodunit; but the movie adds several new & interesting elements, such as supporting characters & backstories. I am hardly the best judge of this sort of thing, but to me, the acting in this movie is excellent. Although a couple of the characters are different from the version of the game that I am familiar with, each of their personalities is perfectly captured, from Lesley Ann Warren's sultry Miss Scarlet to the excitable Professor Plum, played by Christopher Lloyd, better known for his role as another coloured man: Doc Brown from Back to the Future. Though some of the jokes are bit racy, all in all the cast really comes together to deliver a quintessential 80's cheesefest comedy, though the 1950's setting does make it feel more like a film from the 70's at times.
That is my recommendation: if thou likest that 70's/80's-style comedy, clever parodies, and/or mystery movies, thou wilt probably like this film. I placed it at #22 out of 98 on my Favourite Comedy Movies of All Time Seen Since November 21st, 2008, just below Megamind & just above the Mexican film Instructions Not Included. 10/11 Stars. (Murder by Death is five spots up at #17, in case thou art wondering.)
