Ringside Report Reviews CLUE: The Movie
[AdSense-A]
By Geoffrey Huchel
The 1985 movie CLUE, based on the popular board game, is in my personal opinion, an underrated gem. In a decade full of popular movies, this one seemed to slip through the cracks. It definitely didn’t get the recognition it deserves. Unfortunately, at the time of its release, the reviews were not well-received; but aside from all that, this movie has achieved cult classic status. I love this movie, so much. Even 33 years after its release I feel it deserves another look.
CLUE is set in 1950’s New England. The plot revolves around six strangers who are invited to a dinner party at the secluded mansion, known as Hill House. Upon their arrival, each is greeted by the butler, Wadsworth, and the maid, Yvette. Once all the guests arrived Wadsworth gives them each a pseudonym, with none knowing or being addressed by their real names.
After dinner, the guests are surprised by the arrival of a seventh guest, Mr. Boddy. Wadsworth reveals the real reason they are there: Mr. Boddy has been blackmailing the other guests. The group is there to confront him and turn him in to the police. Mr. Boddy reminds them that if he is arrested, their secrets for what he has been blackmailing them will be exposed.
Mr. Boddy proceeds to give each guest different weapons as a gift (a candlestick, a dagger, a lead pipe, a revolver, a rope and a wrench), suggesting that that one of them kill Wadsworth instead to avoid exposure and humiliation. What follows is a series of murders leading to a chain of events including mayhem, confusion and hijinks.
After a lot of finger pointing and banter, the guests are left with very few options in to how to deal with what has transpired: Option A: Piece together who killed who, with what and where and let those responsible pay for their crimes. Option B: They conspire together to cover-up the murders and leave quietly one-by-one before the police arrive. But as Wadsworth points out a few times: “Why should the police come? Nobody’s called them.” Hmmm….
The cast is an impressive collection of some of the greatest character actors from TV and film. Below is a character breakdown paired with the actor/actress who portrays each one:
The Guests:
Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull): a war profiteer implied to be a client of Miss Scarlet’s service.
Miss Scarlet (Lesley Anne Warren): a Washington, D.C. madam
Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd): a disgraced former psychiatrist working for the World Health Organization
Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan): the wife of a U.S. Senator who is accused of taking bribes
Mr. Green (Michael McKean): a State Department employee
Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn): the widow of a nuclear physicist who died under suspicious circumstances
The Hosts:
Wadsworth (Tim Curry): a butler who once worked for Mr. Boddy and is seeking justice for his wife(who committed suicide after Mr. Boddy blackmailed her for associating with socialists)
Yvette (Colleen Camp): a maid who had an affair with Mrs, White’s husband
Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving): has been blackmailing the six guests of Hill House and Wadsworth’s wife
Featured Roles:
The Cook (Kellye Kakahara): Mrs. Peacock’s former husband’s cook
The Motorist (Jeffrey Kramer): Colonel Mustard’s driver during World War II
The Cop (Bill Henderson): whom Miss Scarlet has been bribing
The Singing Telegram Girl (Jane Wiedlin): a former patient of Professor Plum with whom he had an affair
This movie pays a wonderful homage to the board game, cleverly including all the components into a well written story. It also has 3 different endings, which goes along with how the game is typically played, with more than one possible scenario.
Memorable Quotes:
Wadsworth: “Frankly, Scarlet, I don’t give a damn.”
Wadsworth: You see? Like the Mounties, we always get our man.”
Mr. Green: “Mrs. Peacock was a man?!”
Wadsworth: “The game’s up, Scarlet. There are no more bullets left in that gun.”
Miss Scarlet: “Oh, come on, you don’t think I’m gonna fall for that old trick?
Wadsworth: “It’s not a trick. There was one shot at Mr. Boddy in the Study; two for the chandelier; two at the Lounge door and one for the singing telegram.”
Miss Scarlet: “That’s not six.”
Wadsworth: “One plus two plus two plus one.”
Miss Scarlet: :Uh-uh, there was only one shot that got the chandelier. That’s one plus two plus *one* plus one
Wadsworth: “Even if you were right, that would be one plus one plus two plus one, not one plus *two* plus plus one.”
Miss Scarlet: “Okay, fine. One plus two plus one…Shut up! The point is, there is one bullet left in this gun and guess who’s gonna get it!”
Mr Green: “So it was you. I was going to expose you.”
Wadsworth: I know. So I choose to expose myself.”
Colonel Mustard: “Please, there are ladies present.”
Wadsworth: To make a long story short…”
All: (interrupting) “Too late.”
Colonel Mustard: “Just checking.”
Mrs. Peacock: “Everything all right?”
Colonel Mustard: “Yep, two corpses. Everything’s fine.”
Miss Scarlet: Well, to be perfectly frank, I run a specialized hotel and a telephone service which provides gentlemen with the company of a young lady, for a short while.”
Professor Plum: “Oh, yeah? (pulls out pen and a pad of paper) What’s the phone number?’
Mrs. White: “Oh, Wadsworth, I’ll make you sorry you ever started this. One day, when we’re alone together…”
Wadsworth: “Mrs. White, no man in his right mind will be alone together with you.”
Professor Plum: “What are you afraid of, a fate worse than death?”
Mrs. Peacock: “No, just death. Isn’t that enough?”
Mr. Green: “They all did it. But if you wanna know who killed Mr. Boddy, I did, in the hall, with the revolver. Okay, Chief, take ‘em away. I’m going home to sleep with my wife.”
[si-contact-form form=’2′]