"Clue" is the first movie inspired by a board game, created by Parker Brothers. This fun murder mystery takes all of the games essential characters and non-essential characters, the game's weapons and setting, locking them into a 96 minute movie with the decade's best comedic actors to perform it.

The plot for this project is, Wadsworth the butler, played by Tim Curry (Stephen King's IT), invites a handful of guests to Hill House, a big creepy mansion, where his employer Mr. Boddy will meet them. As characters are introduced, Wadsworth uncovers everyone invited is being blackmailed by Mr. Boddy, and once the lights go out, Mr. Boddy ends up dead. Everyone in the room had a weapon, motive and opportunity. Other employees and visitors turn up dead and the guests begin to search the house for another suspect beside himself or herself. The picture quickly becomes an investigation to uncover who did which murder, where and with what, like the game.

I am a big fan of the "Clue" board game and enjoyed many aspects of it worked keenly into the picture's storyline. For example, the discovery of two secret passageways, also found in the game's setting.

The picture resembles one of those dark Agatha Christie murder mysteries where someone ends up dead and the inspector discovers which guest/employee did it; the rain outside, the thundering, the suspenseful music and close shots of each character suspecting each other. So the aura of the film was priceless and fun.

However, it IS based on a board game, so why not make it a screwball comedy with the decade's top comedic talent? The humor in the picture is far from new. Most of the picture's laughs come from very physical sight gags, characters falling or running into each other, and of course, word play thrown back and forth. For the setting and period of the movie, the comedy of it works. I think if this was set in any other movie, I would have rolled my eyes at it.

Director Jonathan Lynn (My Cousin Vinny, The Whole Nine Yards) did very well to take the mystery of the story seriously, while allowing his well-experienced cast to sell the show's comedy. Lynn shows a strong grasp on when to keep a shot long or close depending on the next upcoming laugh, while maintaining the suspense of the plot. Screenplay was written by Lynn and none other than John Landis (Spies Like Us).

I particularly enjoyed the little clues you get in the film as to what is REALLY going on between Wadsworth and Mr. Boddy--I won't give away the final ending. However, one of the clues in the movie is, one can see a painted portrait of Mr. Boddy, behind his chair in one scene, and it depicts him in a butler's uniform. Fun stuff.

I also appreciated how Landis and Lynn took so much care in writing each character a solid backstory, which plays heavily into the second act as inner motives for murder begin to come out.

The ensemble cast is really what sells the picture. Led by Curry, who is top notch, the late Madeline Kahn (Blazing Saddles) plays Mrs. White, Michael McKean (A Mighty Wind) plays Mr. Green, Martin Mull (TV's Roseanne) as Col. Mustard, Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) as Prof. Plum, Eileen Brennan (Private Benjamin) as Mrs. Peacock and the very sexy Lesley Ann Warren (TV's Desperate Housewives) as Miss Scarlet all make for an unbeatable cast. Also making a cameo at the end of the picture is Howard Hessman (TV's WKRP), which was fun.

This is one of two unforgettable murder mystery comedies, the other being "Murder By Death," starring a ensemble of comedy stars from the 1960's/1970's and written by Neil Simon. I would almost go so far as to say "Murder By Death" was the inspiration for making this board game motion picture a screwball comedy, but I have no proof of that.

In case you couldn't tell already, I would suggest you look for "Clue" if you're in a screwball mood. You can't beat this one.