Stir Crazy (1980)
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67% of critics liked it
(15 reviews) -
75% of users liked it
(19,531 ratings)
After the excellent audience response to their teaming in Silver Streak, Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor reunited for this zany comedy. Wilder and Pryor play a couple of out-of-work numbskulls who take a promotional job that requires them to dress up like gigantic woodpeckers. Unfortunately, a pair of… More After the excellent audience response to their teaming in Silver Streak, Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor reunited for this zany comedy. Wilder and Pryor play a couple of out-of-work numbskulls who take a promotional job that requires them to dress up like gigantic woodpeckers. Unfortunately, a pair of thieves, likewise decked out in woodpecker suits, pull off a bank job not long after Wilder and Pryor make their first public appearance. The boys are arrested and sentenced to 120 years each (at this point, we know we're not dealing with real life). After a concerted (and hilarious) effort to make the best of things "in stir," Wilder and Pryor break out of jail, hoping to track down the genuine thieves. The mess never really works itself out, suggesting that perhaps the stars had a Stir Crazy II lurking in the recesses of their minds. Written by Bruce Jay Friedman and directed by Sidney Poitier, it never did spawn a sequel, though a TV series spin-off, starring Larry Riley and Joseph Guzaldo, briefly surfaced in 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Sidney Poitier
- Written By
- Bruce Jay Friedman
- Genres
- Comedy
- In Theaters
- Dec 12, 1980 Wide
- On DVD
- Aug 28, 2001
- Studio
- Columbia Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Unfunny script.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...one can't help but wish that director Sidney Poitier had just let Wilder and Pryor do their thing.
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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Stir Crazy is a funny comedy starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor.
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Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum
22 years later, and I'm still not laughing.
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Luke Y. Thompson, New Times
A comedy classic -- see for yourself.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Cast
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Gene Wilder
as Skip Donahoe
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Richard Pryor
as Harry Monroe
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JoBeth Williams
as Meredith
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Georg Stanford Brown
as Rory Schultebrand
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Craig T. Nelson
as Deputy Ward Wilson
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Miguel Ángel Suárez
as Jesus Ramirez
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Barry Corbin
as Warden Walter Beatty
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Charles Weldon
as Blade
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Nicolas Coster
as Warden Henry Sampson
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Joel Brooks
as Len Garber
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Jonathan Banks
as Jack Graham
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Erland van Lidth
as Grossberger
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Lewis Van Bergen
as Guard
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Lee Purcell
as Susan
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Franklyn Ajaye
as Young Man in Hospital
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Herb Armstrong
as County Jail Guard
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Madison Arnold
as Guard #3
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Luis Avalos
as Chico
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Bill Bailey
as Announcer
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Billy Beck
as Flycatching Prisoner
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Donna Kei Benz
as Nancy
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Grand L. Bush
as Big Mean's Sidekick
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Don Circle
as Bank Teller
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Claudia Cron
as Joy
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Cedrick Hardman
as Big Mean
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Doug Johnson
as Guard #2
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Mickey Jones
as Guard #8
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Henry Kingi
as Ramon
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Peter Looney
as Kicker #1
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Rod McCary
as Minister
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Karmin Murcelo
as Theresa Ramirez
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Estelle Omens
as Mrs. R.H. Broache
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Pamela Poitier
as Cook's Helper
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Herman Poppe
as Alex
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Essex Smith
as Blade's Friend
- Lynn Stalmaster
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Esther Sutherland
as Sissie
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Gwen Van Dam
as Mrs. Beatty
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Danna Hansen
as Mrs. Sampson
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Alvin Ing
as Korean Doctor
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Herbert Hirschman
as Man at Dinner Party
- Toni Howard
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James Oscar Lee
as Kicker #2
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Thomas Moore
as Judge
