Movies-TV

One of Candy's best

If you're a fan of the late John Candy (as I am) you will most likely love this movie. Candy stars as Harry Crumb, a bumbling detective who comes from a line of great detectives. In his investigations, he uses a great many disguises (much like Chevy Chase in "Fletch"). Crumb is totally clueless, and Candy really takes a funny script and makes it even more funny. The movie doesn't take itself too seriously, and neither should the viewer. I give this a 9 out of 10 because it kept me laughing the whole way through.

Candy is a legend!

'Who's Harry Crumb' is a very underrated comedy.Although some of the acting is weak and the plot is simple, Candy is hilarious! His acting alone makes the film very funny.Crumb is a more subtle, much more amusing character than many of Candy's more famous roles, such as Uncle Buck. His cool confidence, his technique and his brilliant one-liners are creations of genius!Eliot Draisen is a good contrast to Crumb's mixture of arrogance and stupidity, and their conversations together are sure to make you laugh.True, the film has some fairly unfunny, unnecessary moments, but it more than makes up for this with some side-splitting dialogue. Crumb's meeting with Mrs. Mackintyre is a good example.See this film! It should not get such bad reviews. This, is classic Candy.

I Love Candy!

This is one of John Candy's greatest film. It is full of the subtle humor and physical sight gags that make John Candy one of the greatest comedians of his time. A must see!

Too silly

John Candy is hilarious but even his comedic talent wasn't enough to fix this slapstick mess. The physical comedy is over the top and the dialogue is full of adolescent nonsensical humor. The movie started off with a bang as a beautiful woman layed on her back naked in a mud pack completely oblivious to the fact that her masseuse was being Chloroformed directly in front of her. Open your eyes lady! Scream before the masseuse goes under and her attacker reloads the rag! She really did look funny, laying there nude and muddy, because I knew she was next and the thought of her being anesthetized in that mud pack was hilarious!And did she ever look goofy trying to pry the anesthetic pad from her mouth with just her middle finger as her lights went out! One thin finger taking on her attacker's entire iron hand while naked in a mud pack and "mmmmphing" into an anesthetic pad. Now that's funny!Too bad it all went downhill from there.

Who's Harry Crumb? Who cares?!

This is an absolute piece of junk. No doubt it was the WORST John Candy flick the late actor made. Even 'Uncle Buck', made the same year, was an improvement on this idiotic waste. This movie just isn't funny at all. Although it wasn't meant to be taken seriously (it is, after all, a comedy) the laughs are few and far between, and most definitely NOT original. Unfortunately this was made on the downhill slope that Candy's career became, after 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles'. It was simply NOT funny and a major disappointment considering Candy's performance in movies like 'Stripes'.Someone who wants a good John Candy movie should try 'Only the Lonely' or 'Stripes'. Avoid this piece of crap at all costs.

Good John Candy movie

This movie is really good and The funny man John Candy stars in this movie and he has been in heaps of movies way better then this one like Cool Runnings,Planes Trains And Automobiles,The Great OutDoors and his best movie he has ever done has to be Uncle Buck.And in the movie there is a girl called Nikki Downing and throughout the movie i was trying to figure out what movie or TV show i have seen her in and then i went onto this web site and i found out that her name is Shawnee Smith and she is in the good TV show Becker.Over all this movie is good and there are some funny scenes and my rating is 6 out of 10.

John Candy took another step back

This awful film, has no story, originality, or interesting characters. The only part I liked of this film, was the date that watched it with me, my future wife. That was better than the time I saw Planes Trains, and automobiles when someones date was talking to me and her guy was getting angry. Well, I better not get too off topic, but there is not much to mention about this film except it total sucks, and is forgetable. Forgetable is the best discription for this stinker. 4/10

Harry is a Crumb but the comedy isn't.

I just saw this film on local TV Sunday Night,June 17th. I had heard of this film for a long time but never had the chance to see it. Being a late 1980s comedy,I was sure it would be crummy.The movie started out kind of slow for me,I felt it took too long to demonstrate that the bolts of Harry's brain are missing a nut or two. A few of the gags didn't work for me as well but then,thankfully the ball got rolling and so did I! Those having seen this know that Harry's has been hired to fail in the solving of a kidnapped young heiress case,because of his incompetence. Those behind it are the very people who did hire him. I think the first really funny thing Harry said that let me know this would be good after all was,"If we can find the crazy typewriter that made this ransom note,we'll have our man!" Referring to the pieced together note from magazine letters. Talk about a cuckoo lose in your clockwork!Harry also manages to get his tie caught in a paper shredder,go flying through his employer's office on a runaway exercise bike,goes flying through an air vent system of a hotel dressed as an Arabic air-conditioner repairman.He's assisted by the sister of the heiress,played by then teen Shawnee Smith,who went on to play Linda the receptionist,on Ted Danson's CBS comedy "Becker". She likes Harry but knows he really doesn't have a real idea of what he's doing. She doesn't hurt him by saying so,despite how he talks like a man whose watched to many TV detective shows. She doesn't want to see him fail and look more foolish than he does.Annie Potts is great as the mother of the heiress,who could care less if her daughter lives or dies and is a wonderful villainous "B". (If you get my meaning. The male players are nit-wits also but only because they foul things up for themselves by both being attracted to Potts. (She looks fantastic in this by the way).In his own befuddled way,Harry comes out victorious in solving the case,rent-borrow or buy he movie and find out how all the little crumbs lead Harry to bread. 8 out of 10,two off for the slow start and jokes that didn't work. Otherwise,"Harry" was hilarious. (END)

John Candy?

It's a shame that he chose to waste his comedic gifts on cheap movies like this. He hits the few goods jokes squarely and trudges through the bad ones like the professional that he is. Jeffrey Jones does the same and plays well off of Candy while Annie Potts is decent as the money seeking wife. Barry Corbin, Tim Thomerson, and Shawnee Smith round out the serviceable cast. It's the script that is the disappointment. One of it's "gems" has Crumb trying to take pictures of a cheating husband for his wife, but ends up taking pictures of the couple together. His response? He says he found the mistress, her. Ha, huh? Whatever. My favorite has to be that Jones' character thinks that the women who personally tried to kill her husband and betrayed the lover she told to do it could ever be trusted. Just because the main character is supposed to be oblivious doesn't mean that entire movie has to be.

What "Master of Disguise" failed to achieve

This was Candy's attempt in the Peter Sellers venue. Had this movie hit, there would, no doubt, have been a movie franchise involving the bumbling master of disguises. Unfortunately, in comparison to "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" of 1984, "Uncle Buck" of the same year as this one (1989) and "The Great Outdoors" (1988), this movie was considered to be far below par.However, in retrospect (which does not in any way help Mr. Candy at this time), his attempt was an honest one. I laugh every time I watch this movie. I can say that about very few films.Annie Potts is beautifully cast as the money-hungry, sex-crazed nymphomaniac; Tim Thomerson of "Cherry 2000" was great as the idiot you love to take advantage of; and Jeffrey Jones of "Howard the Duck" was beautiful as the conniving, hard-hearted megalomaniac; but it was Shawnee Smith who stole the show. She's done other films such as Stephen King's "The Shining," (TV version), "The Stand," "Armageddon" and about 25 more, or so. She was excellently cast, and her performance was completely endearing.This movie is about 1,000 times better than the recently ill-fated "Master of Disguise," but it just did not rise to Peter Sellers's caliber. Sorry John. But it didn't.Gods, I miss Candy's talent. I wish he could have lived to be 100.This movie rates a 7.3/10 from...the Fiend :.

Damn good film!

I have seen this movie over twenty times and i just want to say I love it. If you have or haven't seen it buy it! You wont be dissapointed. Another good film By John F. Candy is, well ya can't pick one because all his films are great,especially The Great Outdoors.

Best John Candy film seen yet.

I haven't seen every John Candy film, but of the several good films I have seen, this one is still my favorite. His portrayal of a bumbling detective is better than Peter Sellers' Clouseau.

Not the best Candy, but a fun treat nonetheless...

John Candy turns in an amusing performance as the bumbling detective Harry Crumb who is called in to solve the case of a wealthy socialite's kidnapped daughter. From the very beginning, Crumb's lack of tact, talent, and detective skills is obvious. He photographs the wrong person on a stake-out, gets stuck in an air conditioning duct, has his tie eaten by a paper shredder, and constantly misuses the words on his word-a-day calendar. While this may not be Candy's funniest performance, it does provide several stellar comic moments.

The supporting cast of this movie is sensational. Superb performances are turned in from Annie Potts, Barry Corbin, Shawnee Smith, and Wesley Mann as the lethargic butler. The finest performance of the movie is accomplished by Jeffrey Jones, who plays the President of Crumb's detective agency. The interractions he has with the befuddled Harry are outrageous and hilarious.

If you are looking for the best of John Candy, I would suggest movies such as "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" or "Uncle Buck" instead of this film. "Who's Harry Crumb?" does have its share of over-the-top moments and comedy that borders on the edge of campy or cheesy. However, more than a few moments of pure hilarity make this film an excellent addition to any movie collection.

Candy, in the most Best Shape and form.

You know that movie? The one that haunts you as you sleep. The one who's lines you repeat to your friends as you sip a pint of guiness with them at your local pub. The one that makes you walk into a room and say that great line "By the cut of shoes and the shine of your suit, you must be Eliot Draison." You wouldn't believe how many times people gave out a chuckle as I did that. Corny, yes, forgive me. Buy this dvd. Keep it always. And other stuff. Yeah.

If you're a John Candy fan.......

You have to watch this flick. The story is actually only ok. But, John Candy brings the whole thing to life. He's a private investigator.... His various undercover personas go anywhere from a shiek to a hair dresser to a race horse jockey.

Truly funny. I've seen the film several times. Even now, when it's on regular TV, I can't stop myself from watching it.

If you like John Candy, this is a definite must see.

Pretty light John Candy Comedy

Candy stars a bumbling spy.

If this movie were a bomb it would blow up laughing!

Simply hilarious. I think the reviewers that gave this movie bad rankings were pretty sour old men. This was a great movie the first time you watch it. After that, it gets dry (as most movies do). But the first time is what counts. And the first time I watched it I was a little lad with a broken leg from skiing stuck on the coach since I couldn't get up and was switching around and ended up with the movie and I could not stop laughing!
I laughed so much I rebroke the bone, haha, no, not quite. But, I think you get the idea. John Candy is phenomenal. Though many of the comedy scenes are not entirely original they are done better than anyone else can do them by the late John Candy. Fun for the family ; ) Little kids won't understand alot of the dirty humor ; )

It'll work...

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, could have spent a little more time in acting school. Most of the time her performance comes off as unconvincing, especially when compared with Candy's considerable skill. Also weird is the head of Crumb's department, Eliot Draisen, played by Jeffrey Jones. That's right! The creepy-looking guy who got busted for child computer porn! Maybe they wanted an element of horror in the movie or something.
But this is still a fairly funny comedy. If you like John Candy, you can probably survive this. It's definitely not one of his better movies, but even Candy's worst stuff is worth a look. How many actors are that good? Not many.

WHO'S HARRY CRUMB? YOU WON'T BE SORRY YOU ASKED!

IN A NUTSHELL -- "WHO IS HARRY CRUMB?":

John Candy plays bumbling Harry Crumb, the last survivor of a family of great detectives. This Crumb works in the agency his legendary grandfather founded, but he's been exiled to their "Greater Tulsa" office. Eliot Draisen (Jeffrey Jones) who somehow has become the Director of "Crumb and Crumb" assigns the inept Harry Crumb to find the kidnapped daughter of a multi-millionaire (played by the affable Barry Corbin from TV's "Northern Exposure"). There is a catch, however ... Draisen doesn't want the kidnappers found, for reasons of his own. While Crumb bumbles along through various mishaps (aided by his able assistant, Shawnee Smith) which are articulated via a series of ridiculously funny comedy skits, the kidnappers feel completely secure. In the meantime, Elliot Draisen tries to have his way with the millionaire's wife (Annie Potts), but does that have anything to do with the plot?


OKAY IT SOUNDS KIND OF PAT -- BUT:

In "Who's Harry Crumb?", it's all in the execution. The series of vignettes that make up the heart of the film are John Candy at his best. He plays a series of "under-cover" impersonations that run the gamut from Middle Eastern Vice-President of operations to a blonde transvestite [in the epilogue]. The idea is that somehow, despite his penchant for being a complete idiot, he somehow catches the kidnappers, by accident. But -- not before breaking his boss's prize dinosaur eggs [literally] and everthing else that gets in his way. We can see what's happening, but it is the way that Crumb gets from point A to point B that makes this film entertaining and worth watching.

ABOUT THE DVD:

If being able to add English Subtitles and select scenes are features, then this DVD has features. It is, however, an excellent transfer in "Widescreen Format" and an obvious improvement over the VHS offering.

POST SCRIPT:

This is one of Candy's better efforts and he is largely a one-man band. His impersonations are all quite funny and truly ridiculous, especially the one where he plays Hungarian executive, DuJour Dioche. Here he goes from having excessive chest hair to having a beard in the wink of an eye. The skits alone make this a must-see for all and a must-have for any Candy fans.


This film was released in February of 1989 and grossed $11 million. He managed to make another 18 films before he died of a heart attack in his sleep on location of the film "Wagons East", in Durango, Mexico on March 4, 1994. He was 43.

Candy is Good, Comedy is Average

The plot seems quite believable at first: a kindapping for ransom. However, there is so much exaggeration and silliness going on as the movie progresses that this comedy begins to feel ludicrous rather than funny. John Candy turns in a very good performance, and the pace of the movie is good. So all in all, it is easy to watch, but it is not particularly funny.