Without a Clue (1988)
Watson is the genius, and Holmes is an actor he hired.
Watson wrote the stories, so suppose he made Holmes up — and then had to hire someone to play him.
You know the canon well enough to enjoy it turned inside out, and you want to laugh.
What it keeps and what it changes
Keeps: Baker Street, Lestrade, Mrs Hudson and Moriarty, all slightly bent.
Changes: who is clever. Ben Kingsley’s Watson solves the cases and invented Holmes for his magazine stories; Michael Caine plays Reginald Kincaid, the out-of-work actor he hired to be Holmes in public.
Whose story is it?
Watson’s, finally getting the credit.
How much time does it ask?
One film, 1 hr 46 min, rated PG.
An Orion Pictures release, October 1988, directed by Thom Eberhardt; Jeffrey Jones plays Lestrade and Paul Freeman plays Moriarty.
Where to find it
Other ways to get it: DVD — Amazon · Find where it’s streaming — JustWatch
More versions: Sherlock Holmes, Granada Television (1984–1994) · Sherlock (BBC, 2010–2017) · Sherlock Holmes (2009) and A Game of Shadows (2011)