X
- 1989
- PG-13
- TriStar Pictures
- 1 h 34 m
- 1989
- PG-13
- TriStar Pictures
- 1 h 34 m
Summary Harry Crumb is a bumbling and inept private investigator who is hired to solve the kidnapping of a young heiress which he's not expected to solve because his employer is the mastermind behind the kidnapping.
Directed By: Paul Flaherty
Written By: Bob Conte, Peter Wortmann
- 1989
- PG-13
- TriStar Pictures
- 1 h 34 m
- 1989
- PG-13
- TriStar Pictures
- 1 h 34 m
Who's Harry Crumb?
44
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
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Where to Watch
Summary Harry Crumb is a bumbling and inept private investigator who is hired to solve the kidnapping of a young heiress which he's not expected to solve because his employer is the mastermind behind the kidnapping.
Directed By: Paul Flaherty
Written By: Bob Conte, Peter Wortmann
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
44
20% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
50% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
30% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
44
20% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
50% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
30% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
In this pleasantly silly private-eye spoof, Crumb is a grand poseur, shamelessly self-important, slow on the uptake yet good of heart and not the complete fool he so often seems. Director Paul Flaherty brings to the film consistent good judgment and deftness.
Match your expectations to the level of the humor - measurable at about knee-high to a snake's belly - and you just might enjoy Who's Harry Crumb? I mean, we're talking low comedy here, boasting more pratfalls than another losing night at the Gardens. But there is a redeeming factor in this manic equation, a high-flying blimp by the name of John Candy. [08 Feb 1989]
This John Candy vehicle (he was even executive producer) has a wry appeal, but it leaves fingerprints on a lot of familiar schtick, and it's not the big laugh-getter he's aiming for. His performance is no match for his rich work in Planes, Trains and Automobiles. [03 Feb 1989, p.4D]
Who's Harry Crumb? might have worked as a 20-minute skit, but the script and the direction are both sadly undernourished, which is certainly not the case with Candy. He remains a jovial character actor, but asking him to carry any film on those broad shoulders is a bit too much. The laughs are few and far between, even with Candy resorting to occasional disguises, and the humor has a depressing sense of de'ja` ha-ha.
In Who's Harry Crumb? Mr. Candy has a varied role, a good supporting cast, a script full of comic setups and every imaginable opportunity to shine. But the result is little more than a weak comedy, one that suggests Mr. Candy is potentially a great deal better than his material.
Who's Harry Crumb? has a beginning bright enough to make you hope that John Candy might at last have his first good movie role since Splash. But no. Who's Harry Crumb? crumbles into yet another slack, witless misreading of what makes Candy an appealing performer. [03 Feb 1989, p.43]
Candy manages to squeeze a few laughs from the crude and cliche-ridden script, but Paul Flaherty directs broadly and obviously, with little feeling for comic pacing.
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Production Company
TriStar Pictures,
NBC Productions,
Arnon Milchan Productions,
Frostbacks
Release Date Feb 3, 1989
Duration 1 h 34 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline He's got a black belt in skids...and boots to match.
