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Stir Crazy

Play trailer Poster for Stir Crazy R,  1980,  1h 51m,  Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 69% 16 Reviews Tomatometer 75% 10,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
69% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
With a jailbreak offering them their only way out, a despondent duo rack their brains to figure out a foolproof plan. Fortuitously, one of them discovers an unexpected talent as a rodeo rider, and an escape plan begins to take shape at the annual prisoners' rodeo.

Critics Reviews

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Joseph Gelmis Newsday Jun 16, 2022
3/4
If Wilder and Pryor work for you, you'll enjoy their mellow tomfoolery in Stir Crazy. If they don't, you won't. Without them, the movie would be nothing. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Oct 23, 2004
2/4
It's strange about Stir Crazy. We go in with big expectations, and we laugh so much at the beginning that we're ready for the movie to launch itself as a hit. And then it all goes flat and we come out disappointed. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Jan 19, 2012
C+
Unfunny script. Go to Full Review
David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Aug 16, 2007
2.5/4
...one can't help but wish that director Sidney Poitier had just let Wilder and Pryor do their thing. Go to Full Review
JoBlo JoBlo's Movie Network Jun 24, 2006
8/10
Lori Hoffman Atlantic City Weekly Apr 18, 2006
3/5
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Audience Reviews

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Apr 9, 2019 I am a fan of Wilder and Pryor movies. Years later this movie should be taken in context with the times! GreT eighties comedy. Hilarious! Pryors facial expressions and reactions are priceless. Now that I am watching this, so many years later its fun to see how many actors I can recognize fom back in the day. See more
Mar 8, 2019 So many things in these older classics could never be made today, which is sad and yet makes me so happy they were made to enjoy. See more
Theodore S Feb 19, 2019 A 3 star movie made into 5 star entertainment by Wilder and Pryor! Classic.
Abraham R Dec 21, 2018 The second duo between gave us a modest amount of laughs
Theodore P Oct 19, 2018 There is a nugget of absolute gold in this film, and that's when Wilder's character is asked by his lawyers how he's been getting along in prison. He's an eternal optimist and so we sense just how difficult it is when he replies wistfully "Swell! Just swell. A few ups and downs. You know, people see movies about prison life, but until you've actually spent a little time here, it's hard to get the real flavor of what it's like. I think more Americans should spend a little time behind bars, so they would understand that." He says this with just the perfect touch; he's not dramatic or preachy, and the light tone of the movie doesn't waver in the slightest, but there is such depth to this subtle criticism of how prison is viewed, and the movement which was growing in America to be 'tough on crime'. Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor are a fantastic comedy team, and in this film director Sidney Poitier also blends in a little prison escape drama as well. There are plenty of funny moments, and it's held up reasonably well over time. Some examples: Pryor showing Wilder how to walk and 'be bad' when they enter prison. Wilder's resilience under tough treatment from the guards, e.g. emerging from five days in a box and asking for just one more day, because "I was just beginning to get into myself." The scene where the mass murderer, an intimidating and very large criminal named Grossberger (Erland Van Lidth De Jeude), is put into Pryor and Wilder's cell. Pryor has a more subdued role in the film, but he makes the most out of every moment, and his facial reactions and little comments all add up to a fine performance. The film also has quite a heart; Wilder's character believes that everything can be solved by just talking to people and in understanding them, and sometimes he's very wrong about that, but we soon see Grossberger playing cards with them and then later singing a lovely version of "Down in the Valley." Throughout the movie, there is such humanity in how Wilder treats people with respect, even if he is off-base and hilariously naïve a lot of the time. There are plenty of flaws here; gags that fall flat, stereotypical characters, gratuitous nudity, and a bit of a silly ending - but Wilder and Pryor are strong enough for me, and the film has its heart in the right place. See more
Ron G Sep 13, 2017 This was one of the great comedies back in the day. It made my dad laugh who hated this kind of comedy. Gene Wilder is classic and you can't help but to love him. See more
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Stir Crazy

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Stir Crazy

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Movie Info

Synopsis With a jailbreak offering them their only way out, a despondent duo rack their brains to figure out a foolproof plan. Fortuitously, one of them discovers an unexpected talent as a rodeo rider, and an escape plan begins to take shape at the annual prisoners' rodeo.
Director
Sidney Poitier
Producer
Hannah Weinstein
Screenwriter
Bruce Jay Friedman
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Production Co
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 12, 1980, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2011
Runtime
1h 51m
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