ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, May 7, 1994                   TAG: 9405070041
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

`CLEAN SLATE' IS PURE FLUFF, BUT CARVEY MAKE IT FUNNY

Combine the offbeat humor of "Groundhog Day" with a Hitchcockian plot, then toss in a pinch of Raymond Chandler for seasoning and you've got "Clean Slate." It's a thoroughly enjoyable and sweet-natured comedy that makes the most of Dana Carvey's amiable screen persona.

He plays M.L. Pogue, a Venice Beach private detective who suffers from a curious form of amnesia. Every time he falls asleep, he forgets all he knows.

Why?

It has something to do with an explosion and an upcoming trial in which Pogue is to testify for the D.A. (James Earl Jones) against a nasty gangster (Michael Gambon). His doctor (Michael Murphy) helps him deal with his condition. But then a mystery woman (Valeria Golina), supposedly killed in the explosion, shows up in his office and claims that she loves him.

Yes, Robert King's script is just as frivolous as it can be, but Carvey handles the material with a light, graceful touch reminiscent of an older generation of leading men - Cary Grant, David Niven and the rest. And he gets able assistance from Barkley the dog.

Director Mick Jackson ("The Bodyguard," "L.A. Story") is a little flashy with the camera in a few places, but that's not a problem with such light material.

"Clean Slate" is pure Hollywood fluff at its most engaging and entertaining. Recommended.

Clean Slate ***

An MGM release playing at the Valley View Mall 6. 106 min. Rated PG-13 for a little sexual humor and comic violence. 


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