You Can Now See This Cult Comedy Classic on the Big Screen the Way It Was Originally Intended


Clueis a true comedy cult classic; a flop at the box office in 1985, it gained popularity on cable and home video, with many people now considering it a must-see entry in Tim Curry‘s career. Outside of being an underappreciated farce at the time,Cluehad an unusual release method that harkened back to the William Castle days of “gimmick” movies. Depending on which theater you went to, you would see one of three different endings to the movie. It’s a cool idea in theory, but contemporary audiences and critics were baffled, leading to more backlash against the movie. Now, however, the multiple-endings concept is considered part of Clue‘s quirky charm, and to the delight of fans everywhere, from August 24-26, they can experience the film in theaters the way it was originally intended.

Movie Theaters Are Recreating the Original Gimmick of ‘Clue’ for Its 40th Anniversary

If you think it’s odd to base a movie on a board game, well, you’re right. In Clue, Tim Curry is iconic as Wadsworth the butler, of course, but it’s really an ensemble movie with a ton of other comedy legends, too, from long-time Mel Brooks collaborator Madeline Kahn to Back to the FuturelegendChristopher Lloyd. Ostensibly, it’s a murder-mystery set in the 1950s, with each character representing one of the player pieces from the Parker Brothers board game of the title, plus a few extra characters unique to the movie. But with a cast like that, it’s clearly the witty dialogue and classic slapstick that’s the center of attention. If you’re going into Clue for the “whodunnit” angle, you might have misunderstood the assignment.

In addition to its odd inspiration and screwball-style comedy, Clue also had an unusual gimmick for its theatrical release. Three different endings were filmed, and viewers would get one of three depending on their theater or showing. In the showtime listings, the endings were denoted by the letter A, B, or C, but no other indication of what would happen at the end was given. Unfortunately, critics at the time weren’t on board with the slapstick, screwball-style comedy, and they and the average moviegoer found the gimmick to be more of a hassle than a draw. But time has been on Clue’s side, and regardless of whether the ending gimmick helped or hindered the movie, it’s an indelible part of its history. That’s why it’s so exciting that the 40th anniversary re-release is keeping the original concept of a random ending at each showing. This time around, each ending is indicated by the numbers 1, 2, or 3, but just like before, there is no other indication of which night’s showing will have which ending.

The Multiple Endings of ‘Clue’ Originally Overshadowed the Movie’s Screwball Genius

As novel as the multiple-endings gimmick is, it ended up backfiring, it seems. It wasn’t only critics that found the randomness baffling, but audiencesapparently also didn’t feel like driving across town to see a different ending after all. Roger Ebert wasn’t impressed, claiming that the endings didn’t matterbecause “none of [the plot] events have the slightest significance.” Frankly, it’s an ice-cold take for two reasons: first, the movie does take care to have its endings make sense with the rest of the movie (mostly), and second, it seems Ebert and other critics were disappointed that the murder-mystery aspect wasn’t more fulfilling. Sure, if the comedy doesn’t land for you, that’s fair, but Ebert goes out of his way to compare it to a contemporary murder-mystery rather than another comedy, as if the humor was meant to be an afterthought instead of the main draw. And if you are more interested in the answer to “whodunnit?” coming together, repeat viewings actually show that certain characters do behave the way Wadsworth describes in each of the endings.

Thankfully,Clue’s witty banter and clever storytelling have gotten more appreciation over the years, and it’s now cemented as an underrated comedy gem. It’s exciting for new and old fans alike to get to experience the unique choose-your-own-adventure vibe of Clue’s multiple endings, making this 40th anniversary celebration a real theatrical event that can’t be missed.