Without a Clue

Without a Clue (1988) is a British comedy from director Thom Eberhardt — watch it online on iFILM. The joke is right there in the premise: Dr. Watson, played by Ben Kingsley, is the actual detective. Sherlock Holmes is a fictional name he invented, now played by a hard-drinking, womanizing actor named Reginald Kincaid — Michael Caine at his most charmingly useless.

For nine years Watson solved every case and handed the credit to his imaginary creation. The problem is that London adores Holmes, and Watson can't simply retire the character. When Kincaid becomes too much to manage, Watson goes it alone — and finds out just how thoroughly he's trapped himself inside the myth he built.

Kingsley plays straight against Caine's bumbling, and the dynamic works better than it has any right to. For anyone tired of earnest Holmesian adaptations, this one comes as a relief — a comedy that actually understands why the original stories are funny. Stream Without a Clue (1988) on iFILM.