Synopsis
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.
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Cast
- John CandyHarry Crumb
- Jeffrey JonesEliot Draisen
- Annie PottsHelen Downing
- Tim ThomersonVince Barnes
- Barry CorbinP.J. Downing
- Shawnee SmithNikki Downing
- Valri BromfieldDetective Casey
- Doug StecklerDwayne
- Renée ColemanJennifer Downing
- Wesley MannTim
Recommendations
- 70
Variety
Foolishness in the right hands can be sublimely funny, and combo of star John Candy and director Paul Flaherty (former SCTV cohorts) puts the perfect spin on Who’s Harry Crumb?, a Naked Gun-style farce about a bumbling private eye who succeeds in spite of himself. - 70
Los Angeles Times
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. - 50
Time Out
Things plod to their inevitable conclusion, helped along by the script's assortment of stereotypical underdogs and manipulators, and with Candy hamming up the oppourtunity to get into lots of tight spots while wearing funny disguises. At their silliest, such moments actually provide light relief from an otherwise unremarkable comedy caper. - 50
USA Today
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] - 50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
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] - 40
The New York Times
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. - 40
Washington Post
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. - 38
Boston Globe
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]
