IslandGuru
Who payed the critics
GurlyIamBeach
Instant Favorite.
Matialth
Good concept, poorly executed.
Amy Adler
Pogue (Dana Carvey) wakes up one morning in Venice, California and doesn't remember a darn thing about his life. Suffering from daily short term memory loss, way before Drew Barrymore did, Pogue listens to a tape he made the day before. It states he is a private detective and that he has been called upon to testify against a gangster (Michael Gambon) who blew up an automobile containing Pogue's lovely girlfriend, Sara (Valeria Golino). Yet, Sara appears on his doorstep and asks for his help. How can this be? She directs him to follow her to a fashion show, where she will tell him more. In the meantime, Pogue is "arrested" by police officers, who take him to a surprise birthday party, where he is the guest of honor. It seems Pogue used to be a policeman and had contact with a D.A. (James Earl Jones), an assistant D.A. (Kevin Pollack) and others. But, Pogue fails to recognize anything that will jog his memory, not even with a doctor's help (Michael Murphy). Will Pogue and his darling canine, Baby, be able to dodge the bullets of those out to prevent him from testifying, without knowing exactly what is going down? This is a nice little film with a very fine cast. Jones is always welcome and Pollack is acidly funny most of the time, too. Golino is very lovely and Gambon is quite amusing as the designated gangster. As for Carvey, he has such great comic skills that it is a shame that he never gets to attain his usual "go for broke" humor, but he is still funny and a very attractive performer in his own right. Kudos to the little dog in the movie, too, as he is highly entertaining. As for the costumes, sets, and production values, they are quite adequate, and the script and direction show decided originality and zest. In short, if you love Carvey, you will like this film, even though his humor has been toned down. But, truly, anyone who loves off-the-beaten-path comedy films will embrace this one with zeal.
wishkah7
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!
ajdagreat
Dana Carvey, one of the most talented SNL alumni ever, shows that not all of his movies suck in this hilarious movie. Dana Carvey is outstandingly funny, and the whole situation is so bizarre that it's quite amusing. Why do the critics hate this movie so much? This movie is definitely worth watching.
JerBear-2
But he's been stinking up the movie theater's for years and it is a relief to see him in something that actually has some laughs. There are a lot of talented people who are box office poison or just can't find the right vehicle to showcase their talent, and sure, the writing can be blamed for probably the majority of the problem....but why then, as in Dana's case, do they agree to be in such awful films? This one is passable. I've watched it three times now, which is probably one time too many.
