Who's Harry Crumb? (1989)
Directed by Paul Flaherty
Genres - Comedy, Mystery, Crime |
Sub-Genres - Comedy Thriller, Detective Film |
Release Date - Feb 3, 1989 (USA) |
Run Time - 95 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - PG13
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Synopsis by Clarke Fountain
John Candy's popularity from his appearances on the Canadian television series Second City TV did not translate into film success until he made the John Hughes comedy Uncle Buck. Who's Harry Crumb? was released just before the more well-known film, and some SCTV regulars make cameo appearances. In this farcical comedy, Candy plays bumbling Harry Crumb, scion of a family of great detectives, who works as a trainee in the agency his legendary grandparents founded. His slimey boss Eliot Draisen (Jeffrey Jones) assigns the inept young detective to find the kidnapped daughter of a multi-millionaire. The plot twist is that Draisen doesn't want the kidnappers found, for reasons of his own. While Crumb blithely bumbles along through various mishaps, Draisen tries to put the moves on the millionaire's wife (Annie Potts). Fans of Candy will probably enjoy this film, which he dominates with his comedic talents and (literally) large presence.
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Keywords
investigation, blunder, detective, disguise, heir, impersonation, ineptitude, investigator, kidnapping, mistaken-identity, private-detective, role-switching