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.

philworthington John Candy is hilarious with the right script and director, sadly this film has neither. Avoid it if you enjoy John Candy, as it taints his memory. This film is obvious, broad, stupid and assumes its audience has the humour and intelligence of an 8 year old. If that's you, you may enjoy this movie, although really your hour and a half would be more productively spent learning the definition of the word 'turgid.'Avoid this at all costs. I've already spent too many words on this, but IMDb has a minimum word limit.Offal. Dross.Garbage.

Electrified_Voltage "Who's Harry Crumb?" is a title I have now been familiar with for a few years, and I original came across that title simply due to John Candy's starring role in the film. I was only 7½ years old when that renowned comedian passed away, and I never heard his name until probably several years later. It wasn't until over a decade after his premature death when I finally discovered how talented he was by seeing episodes of "SCTV" and the 1987 John Hughes film, "Planes, Trains & Automobiles". However, I was obviously in no hurry to see "Who's Harry Crumb?" since it's been probably about five years since I first heard of it and I've finally just seen it for the first time. This is not one of Candy's more popular movies, and unsurprisingly not one that I like.Jennifer Downing is the daughter of a millionaire named P.J. Downing, and one day, during a mud massage at a health spa, she is kidnapped! When P.J. seeks help from the Crumb & Crumb detective agency, Eliot Draisen, the president of this agency, puts Harry Crumb on the case. Harry comes from a long family line of skilled detectives, but unfortunately, he hasn't inherited the skills of his predecessors. Although this man means well, he is actually a very clumsy and incompetent detective, and there's a good chance he will louse up this mission! He begins his investigation not knowing that the reason why Eliot put him on the case is because the president of Crumb & Crumb is secretly behind this kidnapping of the young heiress, so he actually wants the investigation to fail! Eliot is well aware of Harry's incompetence, and feels that with him on the case, there's no chance that the mission will be a successful one! In this 1989 crime comedy, John Candy plays a kind of character he was very well known to play, a clumsy but well-meaning and kind-hearted one. He sure was good at this role, but didn't always play it in good movies. This film is unfortunately one of the unfunny ones he starred in. Near the beginning, the part where Harry crashes through the window of an arguing couple made me laugh a little, and what is perhaps the funniest part takes place very shortly after that, when the incompetent detective accuses a woman named Mrs. MacIntyre of having an affair with her own husband! However, I don't think I laughed at all after that, apart from one scene much later in the film, and even that laugh was small. The vast majority of "Who's Harry Crumb?" didn't even make me smile. There's a lot of slapstick here, but it's generally cheap slapstick, and there are also some fairly poor quality lines, such as the really corny "cherry Coke" one. In addition to being unfunny, this movie is also usually quite boring."Planes, Trains & Automobiles" is an excellent comedy and definitely the best film I've ever seen John Candy in. "Uncle Buck" is another John Hughes film starring Candy, and I found that one to be pretty good when I saw it for the first time last year. "Who's Harry Crumb?" came out the same year as "Uncle Buck", but sadly, it's significantly weaker. Although Candy basically plays the same kind of character here as he does in the two Hughes comedies I've mentioned, and the late comedian's talent was a big help in both of those, he couldn't save this film. Even if you have found Candy hilarious in certain other works, which I would say I have, you could still easily be disappointed by this particular comedy which he starred in. Many viewers may disagree with my comments on this crime comedy, but I still think it's a mediocre effort, and don't think I will ever really care who Harry Crumb is.

hs_pa John Candy is hilarious but even his comedic talent wasn't enough to fix this slapstick mess. The physical comedy is over the top and the dialogue is full of adolescent nonsensical humor. The movie started off with a bang as a beautiful woman layed on her back naked in a mud pack completely oblivious to the fact that her masseuse was being Chloroformed directly in front of her. Open your eyes lady! Scream before the masseuse goes under and her attacker reloads the rag! She really did look funny, laying there nude and muddy, because I knew she was next and the thought of her being anesthetized in that mud pack was hilarious!And did she ever look goofy trying to pry the anesthetic pad from her mouth with just her middle finger as her lights went out! One thin finger taking on her attacker's entire iron hand while naked in a mud pack and "mmmmphing" into an anesthetic pad. Now that's funny!Too bad it all went downhill from there.