Highly Overrated But Still Good

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Harry is the latest generation of the Crumbs, who are famous and extremely talented detectives. Talent seems to have skipped a generation and Harry is reduced to work at a remote branch of the Crumb detective agency. Back at headquarters, Crumb executive Elliot Draison hatches an evil plan which requires the inclusion of an incompetent detective. With Harry on the case, Draison thinks everything will run fine for him. Despite his best efforts Crumb actually makes some headway in the case...Before Candy made it big with a certain member of a family called Buck, he went all out with this little film, which is basically a hybrid of Fletch and The Naked Gun.Its one of those reliable movies from the eighties that you will enjoy, because your a fan of the star. Films you couldn't imagine to be any good if it starred anyone else, such as Funny Farm, Moving, or even The Golden Child.While it won't win any awards for originality, its still good fun, in a Sunday afternoon sort of way. Candy is fine, and is aided by Smith, sort of preparing her for her future Saw roles.Jones was the posh villain of choice in the eighties, and here he plays the same character as he did in Ferris Buellers and Howard The Duck.Its predictable, and some costumes Candy wears are borderline xenophobic, but its harmless in a way only the eighties could be.Plus its the best film ever where Janine from Ghostbusters is amazingly hot.

"Who's Harry Crumb?" is a title I have now been familiar with for a few years, and I original came across that title simply due to John Candy's starring role in the film. I was only 7½ years old when that renowned comedian passed away, and I never heard his name until probably several years later. It wasn't until over a decade after his premature death when I finally discovered how talented he was by seeing episodes of "SCTV" and the 1987 John Hughes film, "Planes, Trains & Automobiles". However, I was obviously in no hurry to see "Who's Harry Crumb?" since it's been probably about five years since I first heard of it and I've finally just seen it for the first time. This is not one of Candy's more popular movies, and unsurprisingly not one that I like.Jennifer Downing is the daughter of a millionaire named P.J. Downing, and one day, during a mud massage at a health spa, she is kidnapped! When P.J. seeks help from the Crumb & Crumb detective agency, Eliot Draisen, the president of this agency, puts Harry Crumb on the case. Harry comes from a long family line of skilled detectives, but unfortunately, he hasn't inherited the skills of his predecessors. Although this man means well, he is actually a very clumsy and incompetent detective, and there's a good chance he will louse up this mission! He begins his investigation not knowing that the reason why Eliot put him on the case is because the president of Crumb & Crumb is secretly behind this kidnapping of the young heiress, so he actually wants the investigation to fail! Eliot is well aware of Harry's incompetence, and feels that with him on the case, there's no chance that the mission will be a successful one! In this 1989 crime comedy, John Candy plays a kind of character he was very well known to play, a clumsy but well-meaning and kind-hearted one. He sure was good at this role, but didn't always play it in good movies. This film is unfortunately one of the unfunny ones he starred in. Near the beginning, the part where Harry crashes through the window of an arguing couple made me laugh a little, and what is perhaps the funniest part takes place very shortly after that, when the incompetent detective accuses a woman named Mrs. MacIntyre of having an affair with her own husband! However, I don't think I laughed at all after that, apart from one scene much later in the film, and even that laugh was small. The vast majority of "Who's Harry Crumb?" didn't even make me smile. There's a lot of slapstick here, but it's generally cheap slapstick, and there are also some fairly poor quality lines, such as the really corny "cherry Coke" one. In addition to being unfunny, this movie is also usually quite boring."Planes, Trains & Automobiles" is an excellent comedy and definitely the best film I've ever seen John Candy in. "Uncle Buck" is another John Hughes film starring Candy, and I found that one to be pretty good when I saw it for the first time last year. "Who's Harry Crumb?" came out the same year as "Uncle Buck", but sadly, it's significantly weaker. Although Candy basically plays the same kind of character here as he does in the two Hughes comedies I've mentioned, and the late comedian's talent was a big help in both of those, he couldn't save this film. Even if you have found Candy hilarious in certain other works, which I would say I have, you could still easily be disappointed by this particular comedy which he starred in. Many viewers may disagree with my comments on this crime comedy, but I still think it's a mediocre effort, and don't think I will ever really care who Harry Crumb is.

Throughout most of his career, John Candy starred in innocuously silly movies like "Who's Harry Crumb?". The whole thing seems like an excuse to just be goofy, with Candy as a bumbling detective hired to solve the kidnapping of an heiress. The shenanigans in which the family and its associates are engaging seem like they could be the plot on their own. But anyway, this is nice, brainless humor at its finest, especially the scene in the vent. Too bad that John Candy died so young. Pretty funny movie.Also starring Jeffrey Jones, Annie Potts (Janine in "Ghostbusters"), Tim Thomerson (of "Trancers"), Barry Corbin and Shawnee Smith (of the "Saw" movies).

The thing about this movie is that it is silly in a quality manner, it must be taken to account that it was made in the 80's. You really get the feel that it was made to entertain, not just to milk money. A great combination of acting, steady and not overdoing it, making it even funnier without awkwardness and well done, original "accident" scenes. It's a movie that makes you laugh out loud and have a great time. John Candy deserves the title legend, no one else could have done this part better. A great cast that keeps the spirit up. The fact that it's a forgotten gem makes it even more special... and that's why it's one of my all-time favorites.