Inspired by the nature of the board game, the film's initial release featured various different endings, with one of three possibilities sent to each theater. Home media releases include all three endings presented sequentially. The film initially received mixed reviews and did poorly at the box office, grossing $14.6 million in the United States against its budget of $15 million,[2] but later developed a considerable cult following.[3][4]
Plot
Six strangers are invited to a secluded New England mansion in 1954. Greeted by the butler Wadsworth and the maid Yvette, each guest receives a pseudonym to maintain confidentiality: "Colonel Mustard", "Mrs. White", "Mrs. Peacock", "Mr. Green", "Professor Plum", and "Miss Scarlet". During dinner, they are joined by Mr. Boddy, who has been blackmailing everyone for some time. Boddy threatens to expose everyone's secrets if he is arrested. He presents the six guests with weapons — a candlestick, rope, lead pipe, wrench, revolver, and dagger — and suggests someone kill Wadsworth to protect their secrets. After a gunshot rings out in the dark, Boddy is found on the floor, apparently dead.
As the guests investigate Boddy's death, Wadsworth explains how he became indentured as Boddy's butler. He summoned the guests to the house, hoping to force a confession from Boddy and turn him over to the police. The group find the cook fatally stabbed with the dagger. Amidst this, someone discovers Boddy alive before killing him with the candlestick. Wadsworth locks the weapons in a cupboard, but before he can throw away the key, a stranded motorist arrives and Wadsworth locks him in the lounge before throwing a key out the front door. After drawing lots to pair up, the group proceed to search the manor. Someone burns the blackmail evidence, unlocks the cupboard, and kills the motorist with the wrench. Discovering a secret passage, Mustard and Scarlet find themselves locked in the lounge with the motorist's corpse; they scream for help and Yvette shoots the door open with the revolver.
A cop investigating the motorist's abandoned car arrives to use the phone. The mansion receives a call from FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, which Wadsworth takes alone. After successfully distracting the cop and concealing the bodies, the group resume their search until someone turns off the electricity. In the darkness, Yvette, the cop, and an arriving singing telegram girl are murdered with the rope, pipe, and revolver, respectively. Wadsworth restores the power and gathers the group, having deduced what happened. Recreating the night's events, he explains how the other five victims were Boddy's informants who are each connected to one of the guests. An evangelist interrupts the moment, but Peacock turns him away. Wadsworth continues his explanation, which dovetails into each of three possible outcomes.
Ending A: 'How It Could Have Happened'
Yvette murdered the cook and Boddy under orders from Scarlet, who then killed her and the other victims. Intending to sell the guests' secrets, Scarlet prepares to use the revolver to kill Wadsworth, who argues that there are no bullets left before disarming her just as law enforcement raid the manor. Wadsworth reveals he is an undercover FBI agent before accidentally firing the last bullet in the revolver at a chandelier, which narrowly misses Mustard.
Ending B: 'How About This?'
Peacock killed all the victims to prevent her exposure for taking bribes from foreign powers. Peacock holds the others at gunpoint to make a getaway. To the others' confused relief, Wadsworth reveals he is an undercover FBI agent. Peacock is arrested outside before law enforcement raid the manor.
Ending C: 'Here's What Really Happened'
Each character, apart from Green, committed one murder. Wadsworth reveals he is the real Boddy, and announces his intent to continue blackmailing the guests. Green draws his own revolver and kills Wadsworth. As law enforcement raid the manor, Green reveals being an undercover FBI agent sent to investigate.
Cast
Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren), Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull), Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn), Mr. Green (Michael McKean), Wadsworth (Tim Curry), Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd), and Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan)
Producer Debra Hill initially acquired the rights to adapt the game from Parker Brothers and intended to distribute through Universal Pictures.[5] As early as 1981 Hill mentioned plans to adapt the game into a movie, with P. D. James reported to be writing the screenplay with multiple endings.[6]
Screenplay
The multiple-endings were developed by John Landis, who had initially been set to direct, and who claimed in an interview to have invited playwright Tom Stoppard, writer and composer Stephen Sondheim, and actor Anthony Perkins to write the screenplay. The script was ultimately finished by Jonathan Lynn, who was invited to direct as a result.[3][5]
Scrapped ending
A fourth ending was filmed, but Lynn removed it because, he later said, "It really wasn't very good. I looked at it, and I thought, 'No, no, no, we've got to get rid of that.'"[7] In that ending, Wadsworth committed all the murders. He was motivated by his desire for perfection. Having failed to be either the perfect husband or the perfect butler, he decided to be the perfect murderer instead. Wadsworth reports that he poisoned the champagne the guests drank so they would soon die, leaving no witnesses. The police and the FBI arrive and Wadsworth is arrested. He breaks free and steals a police car, but his escape is thwarted when three police dogs lunge from the back seat. This ending is documented in Clue: The Storybook, a tie-in book released in conjunction with the film.[8]
Casting
Carrie Fisher was originally cast to portray Miss Scarlet, but withdrew to enter treatment for drug and alcohol addiction; she was replaced with Lesley Ann Warren.[9][10] Jonathan Lynn's first choice for Wadsworth was Leonard Rossiter, but he died before filming commenced.[11] The second choice was Rowan Atkinson, but it was decided that he was not sufficiently well known at the time, so Tim Curry was cast.[11] The entire cast was paid the same salary and billing, despite their different levels of notability at the time.[5]
Filming
Clue was filmed on sound stages 17 and 18 at the Paramount Pictures film studios in Hollywood.[12] The set design is credited to Les Gobruegge, Gene Nollmanwas, and William B. Majorand, with set decoration by Thomas L. Roysden.[13][better source needed] To decorate the interior sets, authentic 18th- and 19th-century furnishings were rented from private collectors, including the estate of Theodore Roosevelt.[14] After completion, the set was bought by the producers of Dynasty, who used it as the fictional hotel The Carlton.
All interior scenes were filmed at the Paramount lot, except the ballroom scene. The ballroom, as well two driveway exteriors, were filmed on location at a mansion in South Pasadena, California. This site was destroyed in a fire on October 5, 2005.[15] The driveway and fountain were recreated on the Paramount lot and used for most shots, including the guests' arrivals. Exterior shots of the Pasadena mansion were enhanced with matte paintings to make the house appear much larger; these were executed by matte artist Syd Dutton in consultation with Albert Whitlock.
Jonathan Lynn screened His Girl Friday for the cast as inspiration for how to deliver their lines.[5] Madeline Kahn improvised Mrs. White's famous "flames" speech.[3]
Release
The film was released theatrically on December 13, 1985. Each theater received one of the three endings, and some theaters announced which ending the viewer would see.[16]
Novelizations
The novelization is by Michael McDowell, based on the screenplay. Landis, Lynn, and Ann Matthews wrote a children's adaptation, Paramount Pictures Presents Clue: The Storybook. Both adaptations were published in 1985, and differ from the film in that they feature a fourth ending cut from the film.[17] In this ending, Wadsworth says that he killed Boddy as well as the other victims, and then reveals to the guests that he has poisoned them all so that there will be no witnesses and he will have committed the perfect crime. As he runs through the house to disable the phones and lock the doors, the chief of police – who had been posing as an evangelist – returns, followed by the police, who disarm Wadsworth. Wadsworth then repeats the confession he gave the guests, physically acting out each scene himself. When he arrives at the part about meeting Colonel Mustard at the door, he steps through the door, closes it, and locks it, leaving all the guests trapped inside. The police and guests escape through a window while Wadsworth attempts to make a getaway in a police car, only to hear the growling of a Dobermann from the back seat.[18][19]
On December 12, 2023, Shout! Factory released a 4K UHD Blu-ray collector's edition of Clue. It includes new interviews with director Jonathan Lynn and production manager Jeffrey Chernov.[23]
The home video, television broadcasts, and on-demand streaming by services such as Netflix include all three endings shown sequentially, with the first two characterized as possible endings but the third (Ending C) being the only true one. All Blu-ray and DVD versions offer viewers the option to watch the endings separately (chosen randomly by the player), as well as the "home entertainment version" ending with all three of them stitched together.[24]
Soundtrack
In February 2011, La-La Land Records released John Morris's score for the film as a limited-edition soundtrack CD.[25] In 2015, for the film's 30th anniversary, Mondo issued a limited-edition vinyl pressed on six different colored 180 Gram Vinyl colors for each of the suspects.[26]
Stage adaptations
The screenplay for the film was adapted for stage performances in 2017 by the original screenwriter Jonathan Lynn.[27][28] Sandy Rustin wrote a second adaptation that was first performed in 2020. Juan Ramirez described a performance of Rustin's adaptation as "a welcome throwback to an era of physical comedy".[29] The stage adaptations have been performed widely.[30]
Reception
Critical response
The film initially received mixed reviews. Janet Maslin of The New York Times panned it, writing that the beginning "is the only part of the film that is remotely engaging. After that, it begins to drag".[31] Similarly, Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, writing, "Clue offers a few big laughs early on followed by a lot of characters running around on a treadmill to nowhere."[32] Siskel particularly criticized the decision to release the film to theaters with three separate endings, calling it a "gimmick" that would distract audiences from the rest of the film, and concluding, "Clue is a movie that needs three different middles rather than three different endings."[32]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, writing that it has a "promising" cast but the "screenplay is so very, very thin that [the actors] spend most of their time looking frustrated, as if they'd just been cut off right before they were about to say something interesting."[16] On Siskel & Ebert & the Movies, both agreed that the "A" ending was the best while the "C" ending was the worst.[33]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 71% based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "A robust ensemble of game actors elevate Clue above its schematic source material, but this farce's reliance on novelty over organic wit makes its entertainment value a roll of the dice."[21] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[34]
Box office
Clue has grossed $14.6 million in North America, just short of its $15 million budget.[2]
Remake
Universal Studios announced in 2011 that a new film based on the game was being developed. The film was initially dropped,[35] then resumed as Hasbro teamed up with Gore Verbinski to produce and direct.[36]
In August 2016, The Tracking Board reported that Hasbro had landed at 20th Century Fox with Josh Feldman producing for Hasbro, Ryan Jones serving as the executive producer and Daria Cercek overseeing the project. The film was to be a "worldwide mystery" with action-adventure elements, potentially setting up a possible franchise that could play well internationally.[37] In January 2018, 20th Century Fox announced that Ryan Reynolds, who had established a three-year first-look deal with the studio, would star in the remake, with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick—writers for the Reynolds-led Deadpool, its sequel, and Life—as scriptwriters.[38] In September 2019, TheWrap reported that Jason Bateman was in talks to direct and star in the film, but was rejected shortly after.[39] In February 2020, Deadline Hollywood reported that James Bobin was in talks with 20th Century Studios to direct the film.[40] In August 2022, Oren Uziel was hired to rewrite the script.[41]
The 2011 Adventure Time episode "The Creeps" sees Finn and company as guests to a mysterious masquerade hosted by a homicidal ghost in a spoof of the film.
The 2012 CSI: NY episode "Clue: SI" makes several references to the film and game.
The 2013 Psych episode "100 Clues" features Clue stars Martin Mull, Christopher Lloyd, and Lesley Ann Warren as suspects in a series of murders at a mansion. The episode, in addition to many jokes and themes in homage to the film, includes multiple endings in which the audience (separately for East and West Coast viewership) decides who is the real killer. The episode was dedicated to the memory of Madeline Kahn.[42]
Writer-director Jonathan Lynn recorded a feature-length commentary for the film, independently produced by writer and devoted Clue fan Joshua Brandon. First released on episode 377 of the SModcast with Kevin Smith on June 17, 2017, the director's audio commentary has been distributed on multiple popular platforms.
Warren guest starred on a 2019 episode of Mull's sitcom The Cool Kids as a love interest for his character. Her role announcement in November 2018 was initially touted by the press as a Clue reunion, though only Mull and Warren appear.[43]
The retrospective tribute film Who Done It: The Clue Documentary debuted in November 2022, followed by an ETR Media Blu-ray release in February 2023, then streaming on Screambox in August 2023. The film details the making of Clue and its rise to cult status, based on interviews with surviving cast and crew.[44]
^Vary, Adam B. (September 2, 2013). "'Something Terrible Has Happened Here': The Crazy Story of How 'Clue' Went from Forgotten Flop to Cult Triumph". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2022. Landis recounts the time a class of eighth-graders reached out to him for permission to stage Clue as a play. "I advised them to do it and not ask Paramount for permission — just don't charge money," he says. "It was somewhere in the Midwest. And then I got a very cute home video of the production." When a semi-professional troupe based in Los Angeles made the same request, however, Landis told them to get in touch with Lynn and Paramount. Lynn dropped by the performance and was as astonished with what he was seeing offstage as on it.
^Siskel, Gene; Ebert, Roger (December 1985). "At the Movies with Siskel & Ebert". Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2018 – via YouTube. The best ending...is "A"...stay away from the worst which is "C".
^Smith, Jeff C. (October 13, 2018). "Who Done It: The Clue Documentary". IMDb. It Looks So Fake Productions. Archived from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
