Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- breezy
- lazy sunday
- comedy night
What critics said
Critics generally found the role-reversal premise inventive but judged the execution uneven, broad, and only intermittently funny, with later reception becoming more favorable.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Michael Caine's Holmes is an actor hired by Watson, while the supposedly secondary doctor actually solves the cases.
Ben Kingsley's Watson is the cerebral investigator whose work is publicly credited to the incompetent Holmes persona.
The Holmes legend depends on Watson's writing and on an actor sustaining the detective's image before publishers and the public.
The London detective setting, drunken antics, imposture, and bungled investigations turn Holmesian conventions into slapstick parody.
Films like Without a Clue, and why
The Private Eyes
period detective comedy built around comic reversals of genre conventions and an eccentric investigator
The Great Muppet Caper
witty victorian mystery spoof combining crime plotting with broad character comedy
The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother
literary detective parody with theatrical performances, mistaken identities, and playful genre revision
Movie Details
- Director
- Thom Eberhardt
- Release Date
- 1988-05-05
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (271)
Cast
- Michael Caine
- Ben Kingsley
- Jeffrey Jones
- Lysette Anthony
- Nigel Davenport
- Peter Cook
- Gregor Fisher
- Paul Freeman
- George Sweeney
- John Tordoff
Where to watch in United States
- Buy
- Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Without a Clue about?
- A frustrated Dr. Watson hires a drunken actor to embody Sherlock Holmes while secretly doing the brilliant detective work himself.
- What is Without a Clue like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Without a Clue as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Without a Clue violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Without a Clue as mild.
- What did critics think of Without a Clue?
- Critics generally found the role-reversal premise inventive but judged the execution uneven, broad, and only intermittently funny, with later reception becoming more favorable.
- Which films are like Without a Clue?
- Films with a similar feel include The Private Eyes, The Great Muppet Caper, and The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother.
- How long is Without a Clue?
- Without a Clue runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch Without a Clue?
- In United States, Without a Clue is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store.
Browse Ember's collections
Movies like Without a Clue
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Hound of the Baskervilles - Part 21981
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes1939
- The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes1970
- The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother1975
- Curse of the Pink Panther1983
- Sherlock Holmes2009
- Young Sherlock Holmes1985
- Sherlock Holmes in the 20th Century1987
- The Spider Woman1943
- The Man Who Knew Too Little1997
