Reviews (32)

The bestest movie in the whole wide world!
This is definitely the most underated movie of the 1990's. No matter how many times I watch this movie, I laugh so incredibly hard. My favorite part is when Uncle Martin is talking to Clifford at the breakfast table and he looks at Stefan and takes it away and says "Why can't you just act like a human boy? What the h&!! is wrong with you?!" and Clifford tries to look at him like a 'normal human boy.' It's hilarious. The other great part is when he plays his recorder. Also the scene where he has been 'tied up' by the motorcycle gang when Uncle Martin comes home. When describing the motorcyclists stories that they told him, Clifford says, "Some of them were fun but some of them were scary." All I know is that this is just a movie that you have got to see for yourself. It's guaranteed to make you laugh my captain!! :)

WARNING: MGM DVD BUTCHERS CLIFFORD !!!
I don't ever write DVD reviews on here, but I feel I have to as a WARNING to true fans of this movie. I wish I could give this DVD 5 stars, I really do, but MGM for reasons I can't figure, have butchered this movie beyond belief !!! "Clifford" is one of my favorite movies, one of the bestest in the whole wide world. I was very excited when I read it was to be released on DVD. But some of the funniest scenes in the film have been cut out completely. I'm talking whole scenes. Why ?! What the hell is MGM thinking ?! I am continuously amazed and disgusted by how film companies seem to edit movies re-released on DVD, for no apparent reason. Columbia is famous for editing their release of Three Stooges shorts on DVD, editing out scenes as well. Why ?! I am highly disappointed, and if you are a fan of the original movie, as shown in theaters and on cable, this DVD will leave you disappointed and angry ... So what scenes are cut out on DVD ?

* The scene in the airport where Clifford is outed by a woman who knows sign language, when he poses as a deaf child, to collect money.

* When "Clifford's" dog "Sneakers" runs away, one of the funniest scenes. "Not my Sneakers ! Not the bestest dog in the whole wide world !"

* When Uncle Martin Pushes Clifford's Face into his bowl of cereal. "Oh, honey, be careful how you eat your cereal. Use a napkin. This Boy and His Cereal !"

* Among Others. Some of what I believe, the funniest scenes, GONE !!!

Butchered !!! Watching this DVD, for someone who knows the original, is a painful frustrating experience more than an enjoyable one. I got this DVD for under 10 dollars, but still ... I'm wishing I had just bought a used VHS. I may return it, if possible. When I bought this MGM DVD yesterday, I assumed I was promised the same movie I knew and love. My closing words to MGM, "Breaking a little boy's promise would be a terrible terrible thing. I would imagine the little boy wouldn't be responsible for anything he was gonna do next."

loven it
This is the best movie ... I love all of Martin Short's movies

DVD Contains FULL Movie - Same As VHS !!!
The idiot who claimed the DVD version was edited, needs to lay off the funny stuff !!! Ok, So I was the irate poster of "WARNING: MGM DVD BUTCHERS CLIFFORD !!!" I am writing this to retract that previous post. After purchasing a used copy of "Clifford" on VHS, I was baffled to find the same exact version as that on my DVD version, missing the same exact scenes I had complained about being "deleted" from the DVD release. After doing research on the internet, and searching Yahoo, using "Clifford" and the exact lines I had remembered seeing in "Clifford", as televised on Comedy Central, I came upon this info at IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109447/alternateversions

The hysterical scenes I had seen (and loved) are only available in the televised version of "Clifford". These were excluded from the final print in the original Theatre release, and all following home video releases. I had only ever seen "Clifford" on Comedy Central, but watched it at least ten times on TV over the years. The scenes that were cut are stil gems, and flow with the story perfectly. (For example ... The scene where Clifford's Father asks Clifford where he got his walkman from at the airport ... "You Stole It Didn't You !? My God, Is There No End To Your Madness !?" ... proceeding that, was the scene where Clifford, on the televised version, had posed as a Deaf Child, with a sign around his neck, to collect money ... after being outed by a woman who speaks sign language, Clifford is seen in a store purchasing the Walkman in question with the money he had collected ... "No, a kindly old priest gave it to me, Da.") I wish the producers of this movie hadn't edited them. They were great. Oh well. Check out the above link I have provided if you are interested. So the blame is no longer on MGM DVD. For Those familiar with Clifford only from the Theater and Video Rentals .... BUY AWAY !!! It's the same movie you know and love ... and still one of the bestest movies in the whole wide world. So disregard my previous post. To quote Clifford:

"I don't like those men, Miss Sarah. They're Liars. And everybody knows that liars eventually get caught ..."

Guilty As Charged !

Clifford the VHS version
This movie is hilarious. I know a lot of people who think it's awful. After talking to them I realize what they don't get that Clifford is just a really rotten kid, rotten to the core.

I say just enjoy Martin Short playing a horrible child. He's truly hilarious. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

George Burns final starring role...
George Burns was 92 years old when this movie was released. It would be the last time he appeared on the big screen in a leading role.

There were a bunch of similar movies released in a short period of time, where the older man and the younger guy switch bodies. This was one of the best; it still holds up as a funny film. Touching, too, as the love between Grandfather (Burns) and Grandson (Charlie Schlatter) is handled very realistically.

Burns, as Jack Watson, doesn't have nearly as much screen-time as Charlie Schlatter, who plays Jack's grandson David. The body switching occurs during a car accident that lands Burns unconscious in the hospital for the middle section of the film. Burns expresses his thoughts through voice-over narration while experiencing life in his grandson's body.

As much as this is George Burns's movie through and through, much credit must be given to Charlie Schlatter. Schlatter very convincingly emulates Burns as a young man. Red Buttons portrays Burns best friend, and Pauly Shore portrays Schlatter's best friend.

The DVD is pretty much bare bones. We are given a widescreen presentation along with the film's original theatrical trailer. For the budget price, Burn's fans can't go wrong. Special note to parents: be aware that despite the PG rating, the film contains a fair amount of mild profanity and some brief nudity.

A top performance by Charlie Schlatter with George Burns
Just when I felt the old "body-switching" ploy had run it course, along comes superb Charlie Schlatter as the 18 yr. old grandson of George Burns (playing 81 yr. old swinger, Jack). Jack has everything in the world except youth, and after blowing out his birthday candles he breaks into a Burns-only song "I Wish I Was 18 Again".

A serious injury causes Jack to suddenly realize he is walking around in the healthy, youthful and handsome body of his 18 yr. grandson, David. David is unconscious, hooked up to life support in the fast-lane-living, worn out, aged body of his grandfather, Jack.

While David is by nature introverted and socially inept, Jack is outgoing and flamboyant. In David's body, he suggests and helps plan a lavish, swinging Roaring Twenties party at David's school. The dance scene between Charlie Schlatter and his girlfriend shows incredible talent and style. The circa 1920's dance is probably the highlight of the party and definately is the apex of the movie.

While switched to David's body, Jack hears and sees what his friends really think of him. Red Buttons plays an old friend, Charlie. When Jack learns the hospital is preparing to pull the plug on his grandson, frantic action begins. The comedy is worthwhile and the acting superb.

This movie is replete with comparisons between youth and old age, and diverse personalities in switched bodies. It contains a fair amount of comedy with plenty of story line, topped with excellent acting. Charlie Schlatter's talent as two diverse persons is probably the highlight and makes for enjoyable repeated viewing. ... Read more

Description

When Billy Crystal starts hearing voices in his backyard..."If you go there...take a jacket" - it's a psychic invitation for him to revisit his Russian roots. So Billy goes back for a live stand-up performance at Moscow's Pushkin Theater - preceded by a hilarious tour of Russia and it people - in an evening that he calls "Jokenost". ... Read more

Reviews (1)

what if Billy Crystal were to grow up in Odessa?
I think we would all miss out on an excellent comidian.If for some reason Billy's grandmather would not leave Odessa on that train to Moscow? This is indead the most halerous performance of Billy not in US but reather in former Soviet Union's prestigeous concert hall. The peformance it self is the most artistic and keenly created act of Bily Crystal. Depicting the key elements of Russian culture and custom. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

It'll work...
You gotta love John Candy, but no matter what actor you have in mind, they have something in common: most of them have been in bad movies at some time or another. This is probably the closest John Candy ever got, at least until I watch Summer Rental. It seems like a lot of Candy's movies were made in 1989. Can you really cram all those films into one year and have them all be smash hits? In the words of Macaulay Culkin, "I don't think so."
Sure, John Candy was funny. He was amusing physically, because of his height, size, and his appealing face. And usually he was able to use his acting talent to flesh out badly written roles. Such as this one, in which he plays an incompetent private investigator named Harry Crumb. Let me give you my take on this personally: I almost think they made a really good version of this movie, and then did a really bad one, and then melted them down and mixed them together. The result is a faltering, almost mutated comedy featuring some good actors and some bad, as well as some good jokes and some bad. Harry Crumb is a guy who goes around getting into new and wacky predicaments, yet waters them down constantly with his tired, redundant dialogue.
Another problem is that there's nothing going on in this movie with Candy that you haven't seen before, except for maybe the time he's standing on the ceiling fan in a beachside restaurant. Crumb is also distracting because of his terrible hair, dyed just a little too red and styled just a little too badly. I really found some of the other characters just as interesting. Jennifer Downing (a rich girl who gets kidnapped), P.J. Downing (her incredibly dense father), Helen Downing (his wife, who constantly sleeps around), Detective Casey (pessimistic cop lady), and Vince Barnes (a "two-bit country club Romeo" who is the focus of Helen's current affair) are all very good. However, Nikki Downing (Jennifer's sister), who hangs around with Crumb a good deal in the movie, could have spent a little more time in acting school. Most of the time her performance comes off as unconvincing, especially when compared with Candy's considerable skill. Also weird is the head of Crumb's department, Eliot Draisen, played by Jeffrey Jones. That's right! The creepy-looking guy who got busted for child computer porn! Maybe they wanted an element of horror in the movie or something.
But this is still a fairly funny comedy. If you like John Candy, you can probably survive this. It's definitely not one of his better movies, but even Candy's worst stuff is worth a look. How many actors are that good? Not many.

John Candy is hilarious, as always
Like many of the movies in this genre(slapstick comdedy), "Who's Harry Crumb" has an absurd story line. But all of this is pretty much inconsequential with a person like John Candy as the star. People who have seen his other performances, know that he can turn the smallest role in to comedic masterpieces(such as "Tom Tuttle from Tacoma Washington" on Volunteers). And naturally, when he has a starring role, he can elevate a movie from mediocre to great, as evidenced by this particular movie. Without John Candy, I would rate this movie as one of the 5 worst ever, but since John Candy is in it, it's in the top 25(which is a pretty exclusive list!).

All I can say is, if you still havn't watched this movie, even though it's been out for almost a dozen years, you're missing out on a hilarious movie. The first time I watched it, I couldn't stop laughing, it's that funny.

Great movie for the collection
I was about seven or eight years old when I first saw This movie, but it was instantly my favorite. The only thing is that it's most physical comedy. Now that I'm older I realize that it's not his best movie, but it's still a great comedy classic.

John Candy Classic
This is simply John Candy at his best. I loved this movie and I think you will too. John Candy was at his prime when this movie premiered one year before his death. It's a shame we don't have more of his work. I highly recommend this movie! It is hilarious!

Better than the critics say
Most critics gave this movie a bad review, but if you're a fan of John Candy, there's no reason not to like this movie. This is one of his better movies. It's about a kidnapping that John's charactor is hired to solve...or not. He's hired because his boss is actually the kidnapper (don't worry, there's no suprise twist or anything like that) so he hires Harry Crumb because apparently he doesn't expect him to solve the case. All fans of John Candy should get this movie. It has a decent supporting cast as well, such as Jeffrey Jones, Annie Potts, Shawnee Smith, Tim Thomerson, Joe Flahrety and a few no-names. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Billy Crystal Rules!!!!
This is a great Billy Crystal stand-up comedy routine done at Hofstra University on Long Island NY.You'll see him portraying his favorite characters such as Fernanado,Sammy Davis Jr.,Whoopi Goldberg etc.It's a must see!!

Billy Crystal funny funny guy
This is nothing more that good comedy. Billy not at his best but its good. better then live at Yankee stadium. Its funny also because he says things that we all think about but never but in to words to say. Bill crystal makes its fun to watch him I enjoyed watching him. you will too ... Read more