Clue

Author(s): Michael
Location: Oklahoma

“Clue"

Directed by Christopher Guest
Written by Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, and B.J. Novak

Principal Cast:

Christopher Guest- Wadsworth
Catherine O’Hara- Mrs. Peacock
Rachael Harris- Mrs. White
Ed Begley Jr. - Mr. Green
Parker Posey- Miss Scarlett
Eugene Levy- Colonel Mustard
Harry Shearer- Professor Plum
Jennifer Coolidge- Yvette (The Maid)
Michael Hitchcock- Mr. Boddy
Christopher Moynihan- The Motorist
Fred Willard- The Chief/ Evangelist
John Michael Higgins- The Cop
Carrie Aizley- The Singing Telegram Girl
Jane Lynch- The Cook

Tagline: "Communism is just a red herring!"

Comedy

Synopsis: We all know the game and everyone has their favorite character. We all know our favorite weapon, and we all know our favorite room. But, what most of us don’t know is the real story of these 6 individuals and that night at the Boddy mansion…

It’s 1950 and a certain Mr. Boddy has called together of all of the people he is blackmailing for a new “arrangement.” This brings together the wife of a senator (Mrs. Peacock), the runner of a call girl service (Miss Scarlett), and even a closeted homosexual working with the state department (Mr. Green). Some are suspected of killing their husbands (Mrs. White), selling radio parts during World War II (Colonel Mustard), and having taken advantage of their lady patients (Professor Plum). Upon arriving each guest is greeted by Wadsworth (The Butler) and taken to the library to have champagne. Once they have all arrived they are taken to the Dining Room to dine of course, and during that time they slowly get acquainted with one another. Soon they find out that some way or another they are linked through Washington D.C. and assume that that is why they are all there. Then, the doorbell rings and Mr. Boddy arrives at what is supposed to be his mansion. He sits down to the table and seems to be very friendly with the maid, Yvette. Disgusted at his relations with the maid and wondering what they are really doing there, all of the guests decide to adjourn to the Study for coffee and brandy.

Once in the study and all settled in, Wadsworth unveils that all of the guests are being blackmailed. Following that statement, he goes around the room and unveils the dirty secrets for which each of the guests, except Mr. Boddy, is being blackmailed for. All in confusion now, they then want to know why Mr. Boddy was left out. Wadsworth then informs them that he was the one blackmailing them. It is then that Mr. Boddy notifies the group that he has presents for all of them. The presents happen to be, a revolver, a lead pipe, a candlestick, a wrench, a rope, and a knife. Then, Mr. Boddy tells then that they should kill Wadsworth in order to get the key, unlock the front door, leave, and pretend it never happened. However, when Mr. Boddy turns off the lights so that whoever wants to can kill Wadsworth, a thud is heard, the gun is fired, and suddenly Mrs. Peacock turns the light back on to find, that Mr. Boddy is dead.

From that point on there will be 5 more murders at the Boddy Mansion that will occur during, hilarity, suspense, chaos, and the next 45 minutes until the police arrive. The problem is all 6 murders have to be solved before the police come.

What the press would say:

Nowadays in Hollywood, filmmakers are remaking films left and right simply because there is a lack of originality. So when I heard the news that the 1985 cult classic “Clue” was being remade, I was immediately disgruntled even after hearing that Christopher Guest and his usual crew would be making the film. However I came away from the film extremely happy that it was as good as it was. Christopher Guest shied away from the way he normally directs his movies, by actually giving the actors a script to work with. The film is still improvised a great deal, but you can’t really tell because the dialogue flows so well and is so witty. The film is very much in the spirit of the original film, but it really works because the ensemble does extremely well, but Guest’s directing still shines through. In many ways this film is very different from his other films because it has a lot darker of a tone especially with the Mr. Boddy scenes, but I really liked it because even then, that distinct Guest feeling still shined through. I hate to really claim that one performance was better than another because it truly is an ensemble piece of work that is cast perfectly. Catherine O’Hara is fantastic as Mrs. Peacock and gives an excellent comedic performance. Rachael Harris, who is extremely underrated, rises to the spotlight in this movie and really is the star. She has a great deadpan kind of humor in the film that is hilarious, if anyone in the cast deserves any sort of recognition it is her. Rachael does a unbelievable job and is just hilarious. Harry Shearer offers a lot of good zingers as well, and is really really good. Ed Begley Jr. does a great job and he may seem a bit old for the role, but he a truly great job. Parker Posey gives another juicy performance that is side-splitting humor, and Eugene Levy gave a fine performance as well. Christopher Guest really rose to the occasion and took over a role that was perfectly performed by Tim Curry and does a great job and made the character his own.

Overall, this film really is something to see, and should not be overlooked in any category in any kind of awards show. Hopefully, this incredible movie will reach a broader audience than the 1985 version. A truly great film that everyone needs to go see!

For Your Consideration:

Best Picture
Best Director- Christopher Guest
Best Supporting Actor- Eugene Levy
Best Supporting Actor- Ed Begley Jr.
Best Supporting Actor- Harry Shearer
Best Supporting Actor- Christopher Guest
Best Supporting Actress- Rachael Harris
Best Supporting Actress- Catherine O’Hara
Best Supporting Actress- Parker Posey
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Editing
Best Art Direction
Best Costume Design