FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

sol- Responsible for kidnapping his latest client's daughter, the head of a private detective agency hires his least competent employee to work this case, only to be baffled when the man's incompetence helps him make headway in this lively comedy starring John Candy. Donning several different disguises (thanks to some stellar makeup work) as he goes about solving the case, Candy's performance has brought about comparisons to Chevy Chase in 'Fletch', however, with Candy's utter incompetence, this is actually a very different sort of film. Candy is thoroughly likable throughout with his heart (if not his mind) always in the right place and there is a lot to like in how he benevolently takes the victim's neglected teenage sister under his wing without any trite romantic sparks igniting between them. Above all else though, 'Who's Harry Crumb?' is a laugh-out-loud affair with such zaniness as a footsies scene in which three characters at a table each think that someone else is playing with them. A large number of gags are admittedly foreshadowed too heavily in advance for full effect, such as Candy landing in a sitting position in a living room sofa and Candy crashing into a glass cabinet, however, they are still funny thanks to Candy's near nonchalance towards his buffoonery, carrying on in almost all cases as if nothing has even happened. Indeed, while some have dismissed the movie due to the slapstick nature of most of the gags, it is how Candy handles himself in these moments rather than the physical humour itself which generates the most laughs.

jimbo-53-186511 Harry Crumb (John Candy) is a private investigator (albeit an inept one) who is employed by Crumb & Crumb which was founded by his grandfather. When a young heiress Jennifer Downing (Renee Coleman) is kidnapped, Crumb & Crumb Executive Eliot Draisen (Jeffrey Jones) hires Crumb to find out who is responsible for the kidnapping, but it turns out to be a case that he isn't meant to solve...John Candy made something of a name for himself playing the 'lovable loser' and in effect he is playing another variant of the same character - although you can add incompetence in this case. Therefore those of you who admire his craft will certainly get plenty of enjoyment from this picture. As Executive Producer of the film, Candy has clearly had the opportunity to more or less put his own stamp on his picture and really showcases his acting talent and comedic abilities. It would have been very easy for the filmmakers to make Candy funny because of what he does (meaning that the picture relies entirely on slapstick humour), but Crumb is given some great dialogue which actually shows that he is a bit of an idiot which makes it easier to identify with him as a character. It does have some slapstick elements and visual gags, but because Crumb is given some development it never feels as lazy as it could have been.The cast are another reason that this film works; Candy is the heart and soul of this picture and is definitely the best thing about it. He had a natural ability to make audiences fall in love with his characters and this is still the case in Who's Harry Crumb. He's an idiot, he's incompetent and his methods are ever so slightly questionable, but he's tenacious and likable and that's what effectively helps to win the audience over. A young Shawnee Smith is also excellent as his 'sidekick' and the likes of Jones, Corbin, Potts and Thomerson all offer terrific support.The only minor weaknesses with this film lie with the story which is weak and predictable (as is typically the case with films of this nature). It is a funny film, but it isn't consistently funny and never really has any 'hilarious' moments.However, minor moaning aside this is still something of an underrated forgotten gem with plenty of humour which also boasts a terrific central performance from the 'late great' John Candy.

nutolm Where are the comic element in this crime comedy? Usually the massive John Candy is very amusing, but in this movie he reel off a bunch of worn out one-liners which I didn't find funny at all. And the visual slapsticks had no dash of comedy, they're pretty amateurishly done. Admittedly there were some situations that produced some short laughs, but most of the movie was pretty dull. The one-liners and gags where lined up about to stomp each other to death, and the main story nearly disappeared.So I guess the screenwriters bet all their money on just being amusing, but it didn't word out - the plot became the secondary part of this production. The movie is probably for huge fans of John Candy only, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find it funny or entertaining. Candy just became annoying with his bad jokes, and even worse was his horrible disguises. - he became an idiotic copy of Fletch. This movie was a bore, and a waste of money!

gcd70 A very unintelligent comedy about a very unintelligent detective from director Paul Flaherty, "Harry Crumb" is a ridiculous, stupid comedy. The film borders on slapstick, parody and send-up, and is often very akin to "The Naked Gun". John Candy couldn't even save this film as the humour isn't even accidentally funny. Other stars including Jeffrey Jones, Annie Potts, Barry Corbin and Shawnee Smith are not able to help either.The plot from Robert Conte and Peter Martin Wortmann(derivative of "Ruthless People") is pathetic, as in fact is most of the movie. Don't waste your time.Wednesday, December 30, 1992 - Video