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Most people I talk to haven’t seen or heard of Clue, the 1985 black comedy murder mystery based on the beloved board game. Set in 1954, the film’s plot revolves around the eclectic dinner party guests of a mysterious host named Mr. Boddy. When people start dying, the guests and the help must band together to uncover secrets and determine who the killer is. Clue was a box office flop upon its release but eventually transformed into a cult classic. I discovered the movie at twelve years old and have enjoyed it countless times in the past decade, even going so far as to declare it one of my favorite movies to this day.
What’s the appeal of such a film, you ask? As soon as I watched it, I saw that Clue had everything I never knew I wanted in a movie. It’s uniquely formatted to feature three different endings (mirroring the board game). It includes too many witty one-liners to list, and its cast consists of comedy legends Tim Curry Christopher Lloyd, and Madeline Kahn, among other all-star members. Clue is a special type of movie that can be watched repeatedly, as the viewer can see and hear new details during each viewing experience.
But why is Clue a fantastic movie to enjoy today? Because the film embraces multiple genres, it straddles the divide between dark and goofy comedy to become a movie that’s both semi-realistic in human expression and reaction as well as escapist in the absurd scenarios that make up its plot. Additionally, Clue provides the good old-fashioned appeal of a murder mystery, which grounds the plot and intrigues viewers.
Comedy For 2020
No one needs to be reminded that 2020 has been a nightmare. For many in the U.S., it feels like every day brings a new horror, or at the very least, a new problem. Due to these chaotic times, it’s been difficult to consume the same media that we enjoyed before COVID (and just 2020 in general). Dark or scary movies and shows no longer appeal to an audience that’s been bombarded with darkness for several months.
Clue is a black comedy, which, according to TV Tropes, is a film that treats serious topics and events “in a satirical manner,” while simultaneously portraying them “as the negative events that they are.” (( “Black Comedy.” TV Tropes. )) Because black comedies allow their characters to grapple with bad situations and find humor in them, this type of comedy may be more approachable than a purely positive comedy to an audience in 2020.
Clue addresses corruption, danger, and death with witty humor and upbeat rock-and-roll music from the 50s. Many of us have to confront negativity, stress, depression, anxiety, and much more on a daily basis; black comedies don’t erase these experiences and feelings; rather, they give an audience reason to find such negative events funny in different ways. Clue makes light of absurd darkness, showing the viewer that comedy can come from nearly anything.
But Clue isn’t only a black comedy. Many viewers consider it very goofy in its humor and how its jokes are presented. Not quite slapstick or dirty, Clue’s jokes tend to be fast and silly with content ranging from the butler’s quick-witted humor (often at a guest’s expense) to physical humor, including soup-slurping that varies awkwardly between guests.
Clue’s nature as a goofy comedy pushes genuine absurdity, which provides colorful escapism for its viewers. Those silly humor elements go a long way to make the movie’s many murders and suspenseful happenings into hilarious, and eventually tiresome, events. We all want to escape the times we’re living in, and Clue provides more than enough absurdity to make that dream a reality.
Clue’s Relatability And Absurdity
You wouldn’t think that Clue could be relatable to an audience member, especially given the absurd circumstances that make up the movie’s plot. Six guests, all unknown to each other, meeting at a dinner party hosted by a stranger, and being overwhelmed with mystery and murder does not sound like anyone’s normal Friday night. However, the situation’s strangeness contrasted with the extremely human reactions shown by the guests gives the characters an odd sort of relatability.
Clue begins on a dark, stormy night at an imposing New England mansion. This setting is already cliché and unrealistic. The circumstances surrounding the guests’ arrival at this mansion emphasizes the fantastical elements of the plot; all of the guests received anonymous letters requesting their presence at the mansion for a formal dinner party. These letters also make mandatory the use of color-based pseudonyms, resulting in such character names as Mrs. White and Professor Plum, the likes of which were featured in the original board game.
Nothing in this plot is normal or relatable. Yet, part of Clue’s humor involves the outstanding humanness of its characters who find themselves mired in the strangest of circumstances and must figure out a way to make do. They don’t know why they were asked to attend the dinner party, who asked them to attend it, why people are being killed, and who the murderer (or murderers) could be. Each character is just as bemused as the viewer.
Indeed, even when the situation gets out of control, the characters often resort to upper-class mannerisms, such as when the butler feels the need to “tidy up” the many dead bodies. Despite the absurdity of the plot, the characters place their humanness on full display throughout, making even the wildest of circumstances somewhat relatable to the audience.
Towards Clue’s end, Tim Curry, as Wadsworth, the butler, runs around the mansion (with the guests in tow) explaining how the murderer managed to kill people. The guests had been scared stiff too many times and had done too much mental gymnastics that night, so their exhaustion is prominently shown as they try to keep up with Wadsworth. By the time the movie wraps up, characters and audience members alike are completely spent, and the mystery is solved.
Clue’s relatability is an essential feature of the film, as it grounds the off-the-wall satirical plot. Too much escapism would likely make the movie feel completely alien to the viewer. Sure, the characters’ actions can be over the top, but the audience can understand their expressions of fear and exhaustion when it comes down to it.
The Appeal Of The Mystery
The mystery of Clue, no matter how important to the characters, tends to take a backseat in the movie as a whole. With Wadsworth’s breathless explanations in each ending of the movie and the fact that the film moves so quickly, it’s difficult to understand exactly how the loose ends are tied up. However, despite the movie adhering to the “whodunnit” nature of the board game, it’s the journey, rather than the destination, that provides the most comedy in Clue.
Indeed, the appeal of Clue’s mystery is essential to intrigue an audience, as it is the foundation of the plot. There’s nothing like a good mystery to make a viewer curious (we see this well enough in modern adaptations like Knives Out). Unfortunately, some mystery shows and movies are too dark for viewers living in 2020. Thus, it is unenjoyable; watching Clue is a perfect way to satisfy the mystery craving while avoiding feelings of dread and sadness that can accompany a serious film.
It’s Good Enough
Clue wouldn’t have won an Oscar, and it didn’t (and won’t) start some sort of cultural or social revolution. Clue won’t drastically change the world or be the answer to your prayers. But it just might make life a little funnier and more bearable, for a time. It could even be that movie you want to re-watch when you feel stressed or upset. After all, there’s nothing better to take your mind off your problems than a ludicrous amount of bodies piling up to a soundtrack of “Shake, Rattle And Roll” and “Sh-Boom (Life Could Be A Dream).”
