Synopsis
New Yorkers Skip Donahue and Harry Monroe have no jobs and no prospects, so they decide to flee the city and find work elsewhere, landing jobs wearing woodpecker costumes to promote the opening of a bank. When their feathery costumes are stolen and used in a bank robbery, they no longer have to worry about employment — they're sent to prison.
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Cast
- Gene WilderSkip Donahue
- Richard PryorHarry Monroe
- Georg Stanford BrownRory Schultebrand
- JoBeth WilliamsMeredith
- Miguel Ángel SuárezJesus Ramirez
- Craig T. NelsonDeputy Ward Wilson
- Barry CorbinWarden Walter Beatty
- Charles WeldonBlade
- Nicolas CosterWarden Henry Sampson
- Joel BrooksLen Garber
- 75
Chicago Tribune
Richard Pryor is a scream as a wrongly accused bank robber. Gene Wilder is just so-so as his partner. [19 June 1981] - 70
Washington Post
An inspired comedy title, Stir Crazy blends several inventive, high-spirited performing talents into a tangy, cheerful entertainment. [12 Dec 1980, p.E1] - 60
Variety
Director Sidney Poitier’s chief role seems to be providing enough space for Pryor and Wilder to do their schtick without going too far afield from the scant storyline - 50
Chicago Sun-Times
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. - 50
The New York Times
Stir Crazy is an energetic but spiritless shambles. - 50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Just as the promising parody of prison films begins to catch fire, Friedman and Poitier douse it with a bucketful of realism. [13 Dec 1980]