Harry Crumb is a Private Detective, an awful Private Detective who is easily confused and struggles to piece together even the simplest of cases bumbling through everything. He is hired to investigate the kidnapping of a young heiress but not expected to work it out considering his employer is behind it all.
Why did I watch this film you might be wondering? Well, one good reason and one reason only John Candy. I have been attempting to find and watch as many of his films in the past week or so, that brought this film up on Sky Cinema and I had not heard of it before I am sure not many people have heard of it either?
To be brutally honest straight away with this review the film really isn't worth watching at all. Even for the incredible John Candy. It is awful from the very start when he had a simple case of a wife wanting to catch out her cheating husband, I guess that sets the low and stupid tone that Harry Crumb is the worst private detective that you will ever see! I actually hated the moments where he was supposed to be in disguise as well as thought it was silly rather than funny as you could still tell who it was.
That is the problem with comedy though isn't it, that fine line between something being stupid and something be hilarious and actually laugh out loud funny. I didn't find myself laughing at anything in this one more cringing at the stupid nature behind everything, the awful performances to go along with it. I really wanted to love John Candy's role as well but it just wasn't made possible with the material he had to work with.
Considering the best detective work came from a teenager the sister of the kidnapped girl who ended up helping Harry Crumb out throughout the supposed investigation, something that was never going to work out properly. But when her stepmother was constantly having affairs with many different men she wanted to sort her out for good, again another part of the story that did not produce anything remotely amusing.
So if like myself you decide to search on Sky for John Candy films I can safely say do not waste your time with this one, just watch Planes, Trains and Automobiles again or Uncle Buck. Or well anything else other than this one as it really doesn't have anything positive going for it at all. I am putting this in the category of I watched it so you don't have to! Which may seem a bit crazy for a film from 1989 but when it is available for download on Sky Cinema you never know when someone might just think it is a great idea, I can tell you it really is not a good idea at all. You won't gain anything from watching this film, which is very unfortunate as come on its John Candy in the leading role!
