Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Clue finds six colorful dinner guests gathered at the mansion of their host, Mr. Boddy -- who turns up dead after his secret is exposed: He was blackmailing all of them. With the killer among them, the guests and Boddy's chatty butler must suss out the culprit before the body count rises.
Clue (1985) is a genuinely singular film — a farcical murder mystery adapted from a board game that somehow became a cult classic through sheer wit and ensemble energy. The multiple-endings gimmick (different endings shown in different theaters) is a one-of-a-kind theatrical conceit that elevates its Novelty considerably. The acting is the film's crown jewel: Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, and the rest deliver perfectly calibrated comedic performances that remain endlessly quotable. The ending(s) — particularly the canonical 'Wadsworth did it' whirlwind explanation — is a tour-de-force of comedic pacing and pays off the mystery brilliantly. The plot is functional and clever but leans heavily on the board game structure, keeping it from being exceptional on its own merits. Cinematography is competent but unremarkable, serving the mostly stage-bound action without particular distinction.