Where can you find the classic mystery comedyClue? Don’t bother looking in the conservatory, the billiards room, or the study — this month, it’s on Paramount+.Tim Curry,Michael McKean, andMadeline Kahnare only three members of a stellar comedy ensemble that keeps the laughs coming, even as bodies start piling up.
Based on the venerable board game of the same name,Cluewas directed byJonathan Lynn(My Cousin Vinny), who also co-wrote the film withJohn Landis. The rights to the game were acquired by longtimeJohn CarpentercollaboratorDebra Hill, who produced the film. The film had a unique promotional gimmick —Cluehad three different alternate endings, each with a different murderer, and all three were distributed randomly to theaters. Home video and streaming releases have all three endings, separated by title cards.
What Is ‘Clue’ About?
Set in the 1950s during the Red Scare,Clueopens with six strangers (or so it seems) being summoned to a remote mansion; civil servant Mr. Green (McKean), military man Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull), socialite Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan), academic Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd), madam Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren), and black widow Mrs. White (Kahn). There, butler Wadsworth (Curry) reveals that his employer, Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving), has been blackmailing all of them. In short order, Boddy arrives, hands the guests six different weapons, and orders them to kill Wadsworth. In short order, the power goes out, and someone kills Mr. Boddy — but who? It’s up to the guests, Wadsworth, and maid Yvette (Colleen Camp) to find the murderer — but whoever they are, they aren’t stopping with Mr. Boddy. What happens next varies from ending to ending, but suffice it to say, several of the guests and victims are not who they appear to be.
Possibly owing to itsalternate-ending gimmick,Cluewas a financial disappointment, making $14.6 million on a $15 million budget; it also received middling reviews. However, with all three endings stitched together on its home video release, it found a new audience on VHS and has become a beloved cult classic. It was homaged on “100 Clues,” an episode ofPsych, which featured guest appearances from Mull, Warren, and Lloyd, and even had multiple alternate endings.
Clueis now available to watch on Paramount+. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
