Without a Clue
1988 Directed by Thom Eberhardt
Synopsis
The flip side of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is as dashing as ever, but with a little secret: Dr. Watson is the brains behind the operation. When Reginald Kincaid, the actor he has hired to play Holmes becomes insufferable, Watson fires him and tries to go out on his own, but finds that he has done too good a job building Holmes up in the public's mind.
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Without a Clue features stellar teamwork by Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley, who are at their best here. Kingsley is Dr. Watson who actually is the genius at deduction. He has written his adventures as stories with a fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes, so as to not hurt his chances at being named to a prestigious board. When the stories got so popular that people wanted to meet Holmes he hired actor, Reginald Kincaid to act the part. The problem: Kincaid is a two-bit, drunken, skirt-chasing actor (Caine) which causes no end of trouble and comic delight whenever "Holmes" tries to improvise his way through a case. It is a real delight to watch these two great actors throw themselves into…
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Two brilliant actors lead a silly and fun film which is hindered by a lack of direction and too fast transitions between scenes. Potential is definitely here, but still funny as it is.
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A decent idea is squandered by a lacklustre script and weak direction. Some nice comic performances from it's two leads and a moustache twirling Paul Freeman only liven this film a little in what is just another decent concept ruined by weak execution.
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Decemberists #39
Michael Caine is pretty funny.
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Despite going completely off of the canon, this is one of the best Holmes films. The spirit is lovingly whimsical like Wilder's Private Life but the comedy never once upsets the narrative, which for this kind of film is essential. Kingsley and Caine have a ball.
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"I was once a figment of your imagination, but now Sherlock Holmes belongs to the whole world." - Reginald Kincaid
A ham actor (Michael Caine) is chosen to play the part of Sherlock Holmes, who is really the fictional creation of Dr Watson (Ben Kingsley).
Here we have a tongue-in-cheek telling of the famous detective residing at 221b Baker St. It could almost be called 'Carry on Sherlock Holmes' which should give you a good indication of the type of film experience to expect. Do not despair though as the two stars give great performances and they are backed up by a fantastic ensemble of british acting talent in the subsiduary roles.
Holmes is in reality a Bumbling idiot and…
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Given the proliferation of Sherlock Holmes recently, Without a Clue is a fun take on the classic characters, where Holmes is an idiot and Watson is the genius behind the duo. It's a ton of fun and they don't take it seriously and actually present it as a farse, but with such well trained actors the piece comes alive. It's a ton of fun and as long as you can take your Holmes slightly irreverent, a great watch.