Clue despite being released to mixed reviews, critically, it has a huge cult following and is without a doubt one of the funniest films of the 1980s. Based on the popular board game Cluedo, the film is a murder mystery comedy featuring some of the funniest actors of the time. When six people are invited to dinner at a mansion in New England by a mysterious man known only as Mr. Body. The guests along with Body’s butler Wadsworth and housekeeper Yvette, find themselves in the middle of a who-done-it after Mr. Body is murdered. Was it Miss Scarlet with the lead pipe; Colonel Mustard with the revolver; or Mrs. White with the candlestick? The eight murder suspects embark on a journey to discover who the killer is before they strike again and hilarity ensues. In what some consider to be a gimmicky premise, Clue was released with three different endings in various theaters, despite some assessing that there was only one viable ending. With so many top tier comedic performances, we couldn’t help but wonder which one was the funniest? You’re invited to find out.
8 Lesley Ann Warren (Miss Scarlet)
Having started her acting career in the early ’60s, Lesley Ann Warren does a phenomenal job as Miss Scarlet in Clue, but it is her straight portrayal of the character in the film that lands he in the eighth spot.That is not to say that Miss Scarlet doesn’t have her share of funny moments; they are just simply delivered in a more dry comedic tone by Warren than some of the more bombastic characters in the film.
7 Colleen Camp (Yvette)
Not being one of the featured characters in the board game, Colleen Camp plays Yvette, the maid at Mr. Body’s mansion. Yvette is the attractive French maid who draws the eyes of all the main male characters, Mr. Green aside. Camp plays the aloof maid, oblivious to the effect she has on men, to perfection.
6 Christopher Lloyd (Professor Plum)
One of the most recognizable names in Clue is most certainly Christopher Lloyd. Coming out just a few months after his iconic role in Back to the Future, his performance in Clue is much more subdued than Doc Brown. As the seemingly womanizing Professor Plum, Lloyd delivers a dry comedic take on the classic boardgame character and what many consider to be one of the best movies of his career.
5 Martin Mull (Colonel Mustard)
Playing the role of Colonel Mustard is Martin Mull. Known for his future performances on Roseanne, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Arrested Development, Clue marked one of Mull’s first costarring roles and one of his funniest. Whether he is venturing around the mansion working his “charm” on Miss Scarlet, or getting knocked in the head by unexpected ironing boards in the kitchen, Mull keeps the laughs coming as the authoritative and somewhat dimwitted Colonel.
4 Michael McKean (Mr. Green)
Paramount Pictures
Coming on the heels of his iconic performance in one of the best mockumentaries, This Is Spinal Tap, Michael McKean brings the somewhat reserved and dorky Mr. Green to life in Clue. In an outdated premise by today’s standards, Mr. Green is being blackmailed for being a homosexual, a secret that could cost him his job. While many of the jokes throughout the film are about his aversion to the likes of Miss Scarlet and Yvette the maid, McKean nevertheless makes his part hilarious, with the script he is given.
3 Eileen Brennan (Mrs. Peacock)
Looking ridiculously like an actual peacock herself, Eileen Brennan’s performance as Mrs. Peacock is one of the funniest in the film. While at first a reserved dinner guest, Mrs. Peacock quickly turns into a franticly funny character as the plot develops. Breenan’s at time over-the-top performance makes Mrs. Peacock the memorable character of Clue that she became.
2 Tim Curry (Wadsworth)
Before he traumatized an entire generation of children as Pennywise the Clown, Tim Curry delighted as Wadsworth the butler in Clue. Another character not from the board game, Curry’s Wadsworth is one of the standout characters in the film, and it is thanks to his manic portrayal of the butler. Essentially acting as the “main character” throughout the film, Wadsworth is the man to introduce the characters to one another and lead the eventual hunt for the murderer. The highlight of his hilarious performance comes at the three endings to the film, as he recounts the evenings events through a fast-paced retelling leading to the exposing of the murderer… or murderers. Tim Curry has been a standout comedic actor for decades, with Clue being one of his best movies.
1 Madeline Kahn (Mrs. White)
Here we are. It was Madeline Kahn, in Clue, with comedy! A usual mainstay in some of Mel Brook’s funniest movies, where she gives some of the best performances, Kahn delights in Clue. There are many types of comedic performances ranging from over-the-top physical humor, to subdued dry humor. What makes Kahn’s performance as Mrs. White in Clue the funniest of the movie is her ability to deliver hilarious lines with a face as straight as an arrow. A quiet and reserved character, Mrs. White is a character that clearly comes from a traumatic and mysterious background and Kahn plays this role to perfection, making every outrageous word that comes out of Mrs. White seem hilariously real. Even at her most frantic when being accused of killing a character, Kahn delivers an ad-libbed line describing her anger in such a way that “it-it- the f - it -flam - flames. Flames, on the side of my face, breathing-breathl- heaving breaths. Heaving breaths… Heathing..” with laughter.
