Clue
This is a movie about seven guests, a butler, and a maid, who are all involved in a series of murders. The guests all meet at Hill House, where you learn that Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd) works in Washington, D.C., where everyone else lives. Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull) is a client of Miss Scarlet (Lesley Anne Warren), who is the ex-employer of Yvette (Colleen Camp), the maid, who had an affair with the husband of Mrs. White (Madeline Khan), et cetera. Blackmailer Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving) gives each guest a weapon and tells him or her to kill butler Wadsworth (Tim Curry) to avoid being exposed. Add in Mrs. Peacock's (Eileen Brennan's) craziness and Mr. Green's (Michael McKean's) clumsiness, and meet a whole group tangled in a web of murder, lies, and hilarity.
The film underperformed commercially against its respectable budget of $15.0M, earning $14.6M globally (-2% loss).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Clue (1985) showcases strategically placed plot construction, characteristic of Jonathan Lynn's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 13-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 34 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.6, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Six strangers arrive separately at a remote New England mansion on a dark and stormy night, each given pseudonyms and mysterious invitations. The status quo shows people living double lives, hiding secrets.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Mr. Boddy, their blackmailer, arrives and reveals he has brought them together. He turns the tables: instead of paying him, they must kill Wadsworth (who he claims is the real threat), or he'll expose them all. He gives them weapons.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Wadsworth declares they must solve the murders themselves before police arrive, as they're all suspects. The group commits to investigating rather than fleeing - choosing to enter the dangerous world of uncovering the truth while trapped with a killer., moving from reaction to action.
At 46 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat The singing telegram girl arrives and is immediately shot dead at the door - the sixth victim. The stakes raise dramatically: the killer is escalating, anyone who comes to the house dies, and the police are approaching. No one is safe., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 70 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, All secrets are exposed, multiple bodies surround them, police are at the door, and no one knows who the killer is. The group faces complete exposure and ruin. Their reputations, careers, and lives are about to be destroyed - a social death., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 74 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Wadsworth recreates the entire evening at breakneck speed, revealing how each murder occurred, who had motive and opportunity. The finale races through the mansion showing the solution. The truth is dramatically revealed, synthesizing all clues and secrets., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Clue's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 13 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Clue against these established plot points, we can identify how Jonathan Lynn utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Clue within the comedy genre.
Jonathan Lynn's Structural Approach
Among the 7 Jonathan Lynn films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Clue takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Jonathan Lynn filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Jonathan Lynn analyses, see The Whole Nine Yards, Sgt. Bilko and The Fighting Temptations.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Six strangers arrive separately at a remote New England mansion on a dark and stormy night, each given pseudonyms and mysterious invitations. The status quo shows people living double lives, hiding secrets.
Theme
Wadsworth the butler states: "The game's afoot" and discusses how secrets and blackmail control people's lives. The theme: truth hidden beneath deception, and how exposure of secrets can liberate or destroy.
Worldbuilding
Guests arrive and gather in the study. Each is revealed to be a blackmail victim using pseudonyms (Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mrs. Peacock, Mr. Green, Professor Plum, Miss Scarlet). The mansion, weapons, and their interconnected secrets are established.
Disruption
Mr. Boddy, their blackmailer, arrives and reveals he has brought them together. He turns the tables: instead of paying him, they must kill Wadsworth (who he claims is the real threat), or he'll expose them all. He gives them weapons.
Resistance
The lights go out. Confusion and debate ensue. When lights return, Mr. Boddy is found dead. The guests panic and argue about what to do - call police, investigate themselves, or flee. More murders begin as the cook and motorist are killed.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Wadsworth declares they must solve the murders themselves before police arrive, as they're all suspects. The group commits to investigating rather than fleeing - choosing to enter the dangerous world of uncovering the truth while trapped with a killer.
Mirror World
Yvette the maid becomes a key figure representing the victims of the blackmail scheme. Her relationship to the guests and secrets mirrors the theme - she knows their secrets but is also victimized by the same system of deception.
Premise
The "fun and games" - the group splits up to search the mansion, discovering secret passages, more bodies, and clues. Comic chaos as they race through rooms, accusations fly, and the body count rises. The promise of a murder mystery comedy fully delivers.
Midpoint
The singing telegram girl arrives and is immediately shot dead at the door - the sixth victim. The stakes raise dramatically: the killer is escalating, anyone who comes to the house dies, and the police are approaching. No one is safe.
Opposition
Paranoia intensifies. The guests turn on each other with accusations. The evangelist and police officer arrive and complicate matters. Everyone's secrets are exposed one by one. The group fractures as trust dissolves and pressure mounts.
Collapse
All secrets are exposed, multiple bodies surround them, police are at the door, and no one knows who the killer is. The group faces complete exposure and ruin. Their reputations, careers, and lives are about to be destroyed - a social death.
Crisis
In the darkness before the final revelation, the guests process their fates. They sit in stunned silence, careers and lives ruined, waiting for the inevitable. Each contemplates how their secrets have led to this moment of judgment.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Wadsworth recreates the entire evening at breakneck speed, revealing how each murder occurred, who had motive and opportunity. The finale races through the mansion showing the solution. The truth is dramatically revealed, synthesizing all clues and secrets.