Stir Crazy
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.
Critics Sentiment
Skip attempts to fake insanity with Harry in prison hospital
Real robbers caught, Skip and Harry head to Hollywood with Meredith
The film drops significantly from the beloved 'We bad' prison comedy peak to the mechanical bull discovery as it shifts from pure comedy to sports subplot.
Stir Crazy starts strong with classic Wilder-Pryor comedy chemistry and peaks during the prison sequences, particularly Skip's insanity act and the 'We bad' scene that reviewers found unforgettably hilarious. The sentiment notably declines in the second half as the film transitions from laugh-out-loud comedy to a more serious prison escape thriller, with critics consistently noting the last act loses the comedic momentum despite some exciting rodeo sequences. The ending disappointed most reviewers who felt it provided no laughs and served only as obligatory resolution.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 63
Gene Wilder
Skip Donahue
Richard Pryor
Harry Monroe
Georg Stanford Brown
Rory Schultebrand
JoBeth Williams
Meredith
Miguel Ángel Suárez
Jesus Ramirez
Craig T. Nelson
Deputy Ward Wilson
Barry Corbin
Warden Walter Beatty
Charles Weldon
Blade
Nicolas Coster
Warden Henry Sampson
Joel Brooks
Len Garber
Jonathan Banks
Jack Graham
Erland van Lidth
Grossberger
Lewis van Bergen
Guard #1
Karmin Murcelo
Teresa Ramirez
Franklyn Ajaye
Young Man in Hospital
Estelle Omens
Mrs. R.H. Broache
Peter Looney
Kicker #1
Cedrick Hardman
Big Mean
Doug Johnson
Guard #2
Henry Kingi
Ramon
Crew
Write a Review
Rate each story beat:
