They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants ~ In the wake of other recent successful updates of Sherlock Holmes; "Sherlock" and "Elementary" (don't forget to check out my review of "Elementary" at Biff Bam Pop! this week) placing him in present day and the cinematic version with Robert Downey Jr. Giving him a steampunk makeover, I thought it might be time to give They Might Be Giants from 1971 a second look.

The film, based on the play of the same name, is set in present day United States. George C. Scott plays Justin Playfair, a judge deluded into believing he's Sherlock Holmes after the loss of his wife. While Playfair demonstrates an unbelievable mastery and skill set as the Holmes identity, and remaining relatively harmless despite some paranoid delusions about his mythical enemy Moriarty, his brother tries to have him committed to gain his fortune.

Enter Doctor Mildred Watson, played by Joanne Woodward, originally signed on to commit Playfair, but is quickly drawn into his world by virtue of her name and an interest in the case. The two proceed on adventure after adventure as Playfair attempts to piece together ridiculous clues sent by his enemy Moriarty.

While an enjoyable farce with these two Oscar winning masters of the screen having good chemistry, this is so not their best work. I would single them both out for calling this one in. Still better than most performances of most actors, They Might Be Giants is only adequate for Scott and Woodward in my opinion. Not helping this is the fact they're surrounded by a who's who of 1970s and 60s sitcom actors who are nowhere in their league. Worth a watch, but don't hunt it down, you've seen this before.