I wrote a review of this some time ago for IMDB, which remains one of my highest rated reviews. Of course, that review doesn't actually explore how fantastic the movie is.
The plot is incidental, and it only exists to motivate the characters and give them something to do. There's no mystery for the audience to try to figure out. We aren't given enough information to reach any conclusions. Honestly, if we were supposed to try to solve the mystery, it would distract from the quality of the movie, and turn it into the sort of movie like The Sixth Sense - where you can watch it - at best - twice.
Clue is a comedy, and it's campy and fun, but it's not wildly witty. Most of the jokes are predictable, and sort of dumb. But that isn't a bad thing. Everything in this movie works because of the cast, which is spectacular beyond belief.
If this movie were cast differently, there's no chance it would be nearly as good as it is. The only cast members that don't shine are the secondary characters, who exist only to provide a body count - the cook, the policeman, the motorist, the singing telegram. Even the more important secondary characters - the maid, and Mr. Boddy, are both ably cast.
But everyone else delivers every line with gusto, and they turn every line into a memorable affair. The pacing is really fast, and it feels even faster when we get to see everyone breathlessly running around the house during the last quarter.
I burned out on this movie a bit when I was younger, but I still have a lot of affection for it. And I've come to appreciate many of the performances even more than I did before. This time through, Michael McKean's performance is brilliant.
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