Who's Harry Crumb?
Nerves of Steel. Body of Iron. Brain of Stone.
John Candy is bigger, better and more bumbling than ever as the hilarious Harry Crumb - a big-hearted, soft-headed private eye and mixed-up master of disguise. When Harry, the last of the great sleuthing Crumbs - and the last person in the firm to ever get an assignment - finally gets a shot at a frontpage kidnapping, it's only because his beady-eyed boss Eliot Drasen (Jeffery Jones) doesn't want the case solved. At stake is the gorgeous daughter of multi-millionare P.J. Downing, a $10 million ransom, and Eliots's hot-to-trot mistress (Annie Potts). Attired in a bizarre array of goofball disguises, from a Hungarian hairdresser to a hefty housewife - Harry is bound, gagged and determined to crack the case and prove that when it comes to crime, he's one Crumb that won't be swept under the carpet.
Member Reviews
who harry crum - sauffialala
You gotta love John Candy, but no matter what actor you have in mind, they have something in common: most of them have been in bad movies at some time or another. This is probably the closest John Candy ever got, at least until I watch Summer Rental. It seems like a lot of Candy's movies were made in 1989. Can you really cram all those films into one year and have them all be smash hits? In the words of Macaulay Culkin, "I don't think so."
Sure, John Candy was funny. He was amusing physically, because of his height, size, and his appealing face. And usually he was able to use his acting talent to flesh out badly written roles. Such as this one, in which he plays an incompetent private investigator named Harry Crumb. Let me give you my take on this personally: I almost think they made a really good version of this movie, and then did a really bad one, and then melted them down and mixed them together. The result is a faltering, almost mutated comedy featuring some good actors and some bad, as well as some good jokes and some bad. Harry Crumb is a guy who goes around getting into new and wacky predicaments, yet waters them down constantly with his tired, redundant dialogue.
Another problem is that there's nothing going on in this movie with Candy that you haven't seen before, except for maybe the time he's standing on the ceiling fan in a beachside restaurant. Crumb is also distracting because of his terrible hair, dyed just a little too red and styled just a little too badly. I really found some of the other characters just as interesting. Jennifer Downing (a rich girl who gets kidnapped), P.J. Downing (her incredibly dense father), Helen Downing (his wife, who constantly sleeps around), Detective Casey (pessimistic cop lady), and Vince Barnes (a "two-bit country club Romeo" who is the focus of Helen's current affair) are all very good. However, Nikki Downing (Jennifer's sister), who hangs around with Crumb a good deal in the movie, couldFew funny parts, but not enough - ShawnConnery
The title says it all. By watching the trailer, I thought this would be great. However, I found myself waiting for long intervals before laughing again. The funniest parts are in the trailer, anyway. The supporting actors aren't always the best, and there is a lot of sexual innuendos, humour, and situations. John Candy tries hard, but I just don't think he is as funny as others out there. He seems like somebody who would do a lot better in a drama or in a family movie, rather than an all-out comedy. Maybe I'd give it 2 and a half, at most.~ CANDY AS USUAL GREAT 'CANDY' , BUT FILM LETS HIM DOWN ~ Weak 3 Stars ~ - SqueakyChair
SNAPSHOT: Bumbling. Over-acted. Zaniest farcical Candy ever. Poorly scripted. Poorly directed. Poor supporting acting. But excellent squeamishly-embarrassing Candy performance as only he could have provided. No brains required. Great rainy day fare.
MORE THOUGHTS: Not his best film by far, and only squeaks past the doomed to mediocrity western [Wagons East! (1994) ] he did just before he died at a record weight from a massive heart attack. IT is a love of the great humanity that was John Candy that makes either of these two movie efforts worthy to watch.
Many forget his brilliant foray into sports. Do yourself a favour and rent this
from ZIP.ca
"Cool Runnings"
~~> http://www.zip.ca/Browse/title.aspx?f=titleId(102452)
And try his last hurrah:
" Wagons East! (1994) "
~~> http://www.zip.ca/Browse/title.aspx?f=titleId(112767)
FINAL WORD: ~ NOT PURE GOLD BUT WORTH A LAUGH ~ or SoSaysSqueakyChair
Member Reviews
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who harry crum - sauffialala
You gotta love John Candy, but no matter what actor you have in mind, they have something in common: most of them have been in bad movies at some time or another. This is probably the closest John Candy ever got, at least until I watch Summer Rental. It seems ...Few funny parts, but not enough - ShawnConnery
The title says it all. By watching the trailer, I thought this would be great. However, I found myself waiting for long intervals before laughing again. The funniest parts are in the trailer, anyway. The supporting actors aren't always the best, and there ...~ CANDY AS USUAL GREAT 'CANDY' , BUT FILM LETS HIM DOWN ~ Weak 3 Stars ~ - SqueakyChair
SNAPSHOT: Bumbling. Over-acted. Zaniest farcical Candy ever. Poorly scripted. Poorly directed. Poor supporting acting. But excellent squeamishly-embarrassing Candy performance as only he could have provided. No brains required. Great rainy day fare.
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