![]() Indeed, while some have dismissed the movie due to the slapstick nature of most of the gags, it is how Candy handles himself in these moments rather than the physical humour itself which generates the most laughs. A large number of gags are admittedly foreshadowed too heavily in advance for full effect, such as Candy landing in a sitting position in a living room sofa and Candy crashing into a glass cabinet, however, they are still funny thanks to Candy's near nonchalance towards his buffoonery, carrying on in almost all cases as if nothing has even happened. Above all else though, 'Who's Harry Crumb?' is a laugh-out-loud affair with such zaniness as a footsies scene in which three characters at a table each think that someone else is playing with them. ![]() Candy is thoroughly likable throughout with his heart (if not his mind) always in the right place and there is a lot to like in how he benevolently takes the victim's neglected teenage sister under his wing without any trite romantic sparks igniting between them. Donning several different disguises (thanks to some stellar makeup work) as he goes about solving the case, Candy's performance has brought about comparisons to Chevy Chase in 'Fletch', however, with Candy's utter incompetence, this is actually a very different sort of film. Responsible for kidnapping his latest client's daughter, the head of a private detective agency hires his least competent employee to work this case, only to be baffled when the man's incompetence helps him make headway in this lively comedy starring John Candy. His facial expressions, ad always, are priceless. The formula for many of these Candy comedies has him enduring slapsticky pratfalls and incidents that would embarrass most. Joe Flaherty, Candy's old pal from the SCTV days, directs this film and has a great cameo as a hotel proprietor who is surprised to find Candy flying at him out of ventilation shaft. Thomerson steals his scenes as someone about as airheaded as Candy. Plots for his comedies were average at best, but the cast for this one excels when opposite Candy. Candy made the most of these kinds of films, knowing exactly how to attack scenes where he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, while other times his uncanny memory and stumbling into the truth rescue him from total disaster. Remember fondly a poster of this film on a rental store window when I was young. The ceiling fan, his problems with Corbin's fish and lures (and a dartboard mishap), incident involving mud bath and fake hair from his chest to face, trying to fit into a jockey phone booth, dinner table crotch footsies, pictures taken of folks in uncompromising situations that he fails to inspect, among other comedic goodies give Candy fans what they expect. Candy has good chemistry with Shawnee, and how he drives Jones crazy (pictures taken with him and Potts while in a ventilation shaft, and the incidents involving dinosaur bones, including pterodactyl egg) gets plenty of laughs. Candy gets to disguise himself in various characters in order to fish out the truth, including Indian air conditioning repairman, fried-spikey haired window washer, and bald European spa health inspector. Valri Bromfield is Candy's rival, an experienced cop who considers him out of his depth.their one-upsmanship, insults towards each other, and snarling glances make for fun moments. Tim Thomerson is dimbulb tennis pro lover of Potts, helping her plot to kill Corbin. Shawnee Smith is Corbin's younger daughter, a wise young woman (she's gorgeous) who knows Potts is cheating on her dad, assisting Candy during the investigation. ![]() Jones wants Barry Corbin's gold-digger wife, Annie Potts (in rare sexpot role), and kidnaps the millionaire's model daughter for a hefty ransom. ![]() He's a clueless (for the most part), bumbling private dick called on by kidnapping mastermind Jeffrey Jones who operates as boss of private investigation agency (Candy's ancestors started it but his Harry was working out of a modest Tulsa office with few clients) because he's considered so moronic he couldn't possibly solve the case. While maybe not as funny as it once was for me when I was a kid, but Candy's dandy in this 80s star vehicle, overshadowed by Uncle Buck in the same year. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |