Clean Slate

Dana Carvey's performance as a private eye who forgets everything he learns by morning is truly exceptional. Clean Slate is an underrated movie that deserved a lot better recognition than it got! This movie was funnier than all the performances Dana did on Saturday Night Live combined. In this one, Dana Carvey plays Maurice Pogue, a private eye who must remember every little thing about a crime he is investigating. He teams up with a woman who helps him along the way.

Clean Slate is a roller coaster ride of a comedy. Every situation our hero gets into will keep you wanting for more. Another good thing about this movie is that it never seemed to run out of any sight gags like in some comedies of nowadays. It had an array of colorful characters, a well-written plot, surreal sight gags, and it's just plain fun for anyone who is a fan of Dana Carvey. Wayne and Garth? Who are they, anyway? Want to have some good clean fun? Then Clean Slate is the one! It's Dana Carvey at his best! I give it 5 stars!

Since it didn't affect the overall storyline, I'm rating it decently, though not as high as a 7 because of it. If the dog's blind in one eye, he would have a depth perception problem, not a problem of seeing an object off to the side of where it actually is. Other than that, I really like this one.

Interesting premise with many surprisingly funny moments. It's not Oscar Wild - but not low-brow either. The humour is unusually under-played at times - which makes a refreshing change. There are jokes here that you don't necessarily get the first time around - particularly liked the later explanation for the mural painters many attempts at Mona Lisa - + a nice tie in to the film title.

It could have been a little 'sick' - but the medical condition is used to tasteful effect (I thought) - without milking it dry. So clearly the inspiration for Mememto that I'm surprised there wasn't more comment at the time. The 'system' for remembering things, and the abuse made of the illness by those in the know.....all directly lifted by the later Mememto - albeit in a more serious genre.

Not sure how I missed this at the time - and much better than the current score of 5.5 suggests.

This is a hight quality movie, in that it's not like Austin Powers where it's just kind of silly, weird humor (and don't get me wrong on that, I LOVED Austin Powers). If you're looking for a movie with a good story line (and by the way there are some serious parts along the way that spices it up) and good quality humor, believe me, this is the one. It's hilarious and you will be laughing from your belly. It made ME crack up. There's only a select few movies that Dana's been in, but this one was one of his best. He really showed off his how funny he really is in this one, and, like I said, what's even more worthwhile about this movie is that it actually has a plot and it's a good one.

After an explosion, private detective Maurice Pogue wakes up every morning with amnesia. The night before, he has always made sure to record on tape everything he would need to remember the next day, such as what is wrong with him and why. One very important detail: he must not tell anyone what is wrong with him, because he must testify in the case against Cornell, the bad guy responsible for the explosion, and without his testimony there is no case. Obviously, if he can't remember the explosion, he has no credibility as a witness.

Sarah Novak, who was supposedly killed in the explosion, comes to Pogue for help, saying she can't go to the police. She may be in the Witness Protection Program as fashion model Beth Holly. Or perhaps Beth is pretending to be Sarah.

Pogue and Sarah/Beth must search for a coin worth millions. One gag involves this coin being put into a parking meter.

And Pogue is also the father of a baby. It would be a disaster if a baby was put in the care of someone in his situation.

Cornell would like Pogue to conveniently forget what he saw. Of course, he doesn't know that he has gotten his wish.

Rosenheim is the prosecutor in Cornell's case, but he is so dense that when given clues the blind street musician could see the significance of, he can't figure out what they mean. Dolby is Rosenheim's wheelchair-bound boss.

Speaking of the street musician, he is quite good. He plays the clarinet and people give him money. Next to him is an artist painting new versions of The Mona Lisa on the side of a building. I say "versions" because he is not good at accepting criticism.

I liked a lot of the music in this movie. Some of it was traditional jazz, and the movie used various styles of music from old-style detective movies.

The concept of a private detective with amnesia was the funniest thing. Pogue had to be a detective every morning just to figure out who he was. "Groundhog Day" in reverse.

Dana Carvey was okay as Pogue. He had several standout moments, such as the time Cornell came to his door just after Pogue reminded himself the landlord was demanding the rent or else! And there was the scene where, while watching an old detective movie (Bogart may have been in it, but I'm not entirely sure), Pogue figured out how to solve his problem. And of course Dolby's birthday party at the movie's start.

I thought Michael Gambon gave the best performance as the evil gangster Cornell. Not completely evil, but balanced and convincing.

Pogue's dog Baby (played by Barkley) added a lot, because he kept bumping into things because of his lack of depth perception. And of course the name means Pogue keeps searching for clues related to a baby.

It isn't great, but it is entertaining.