A drunken Sherlock Holmes is really just a cover for the real detective, Dr. Watson.
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Title: Without a Clue (1988)
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1 win & 1 nomination.
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Michael Caine | ... | Reginald Kincaid / Sherlock Holmes | |
| Ben Kingsley | ... | Dr. Watson | |
| Jeffrey Jones | ... | Inspector Lestrade | |
| Lysette Anthony | ... | Leslie Giles | |
| Paul Freeman | ... | Prof. James Moriarty | |
| Nigel Davenport | ... | Lord Smithwick | |
 |
Pat Keen | ... | Mrs. Hudson |
| Peter Cook | ... | Greenhough | |
|
|
Tim Killick | ... | Sebastian |
|
|
Matthew Savage | ... | Wiggins |
|
|
John Warner | ... | Peter Giles |
| Matthew Sim | ... | Real Lesley | |
| Harold Innocent | ... | Mayor Johnson | |
| George Sweeney | ... | John Clay | |
|
|
Murray Ewan | ... | Archie |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (32) »
Storyline
This is a Sherlock Holmes story with a difference. Here, Dr. Watson is the ace detective and has been using an actor to play the part Holmes. Holmes is a drunken actor and gets on Watson's nerves. When Watson tries to go it alone, he doesn't have much success, so he is forced to let Holmes take all the credit once more. Written by Rob Hartill
Plot Keywords:
spoof | private detective | drunkenness | knocked unconscious | attempted suicide |Taglines:
"Watson...there's an evil mastermind on the loose!" . . . . . "...And my dear Holmes, there's an idiot on his trail!". See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
21 October 1988 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Sherlock and Me See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$1,246,772, 23 October 1988Gross USA:
$8,539,181Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$8,539,181Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1
Edit
Inspector Lestrade: Of course!
Holmes: Hold my coat, it's hot in here.
See more »
(uncredited)
Written by Joseph J. Sullivan
Performed by Sarah Parr-Byrne
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was not billed in the credits for characters for this movie, but he did receive a joke apology in the closing titles. See more »Goofs
When "Holmes" returns home after Watson's apparent death, the shadow of the house number on the inside wall, and other shadows, indicate strong sunlight from a certain angle. He then goes outside and the doorway is not lit that way at all. Also, the width of the panes around the house number doesn't match the shadow. See more »Quotes
Holmes: As a matter of fact, Lestrade, You can be some help.Inspector Lestrade: Of course!
Holmes: Hold my coat, it's hot in here.
See more »
Crazy Credits
With apologies to the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson See more »Connections
Featured in At the Movies: Things Change/Bat*21/Without a Clue/Mystic Pizza/Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988) See more »Soundtracks
Where Did You Get that Hat?(uncredited)
Written by Joseph J. Sullivan
Performed by Sarah Parr-Byrne
See more »
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WITHOUT A CLUE
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Sound format: Dolby Stereo
'Sherlock Holmes' turns out to be a ham actor (Michael Caine), hired by brilliant detective Dr. John Watson (Ben Kingsley) to play a character whose adventures are dramatized by Watson and published in a popular weekly magazine. But the two men are forced to set aside their differences when Prof. Moriarty (Paul Freeman) hatches a fiendish plot to destabilize the British Empire.
An unexpected gem. Thom Eberhardt's clever revision of Holmesian lore foregoes puns and sight gags for character-based comedy, and a wonderful cast of experienced British thesps plays it with just the right degree of reverence and mockery (Caine and Kingsley, in particular, make a formidable comic team). However, the script - by Gary Murphy and Larry Strawther - is entirely faithful to the spirit of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous creation: Despite Holmes' incompetence and Watson's escalating outrage, the central mystery is genuinely skillful and engrossing, the clues are delightfully outlandish, and the Victorian atmosphere is conveyed with elegant simplicity, thanks to stylish art direction (by Brian Ackland-Snow) and costume design (by Judy Moorcroft). However, the writers aren't afraid to poke gentle fun at the established conventions, particularly Holmes'/Watson's uncanny ability to draw conclusions from even the most obscure scraps of evidence, and the climax manages to combine warm-hearted comedy and genuine thrills during a final showdown with Moriarty in an abandoned theatre. Highly recommended.