Stir Crazy

"Two jailbirds who just want out of the cage."

1980 1h 51m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 498

ComedyCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Two jailbirds who just want out of the cage.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sidney Poitier
Writers: Bruce Jay Friedman
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $101M — a 10.1× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

46 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sidney Poitier, shot by Fred Schuler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Tom Scott. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Harry Keller shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor and Georg Stanford Brown carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Two jailbirds who just want out of the cage.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0081562 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sidney Poitier directs. Fred Schuler behind the camera. Tom Scott scores. Harry Keller cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Grossed $101M — a 10.1× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
246 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Sidney Poitier, shot by Fred Schuler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Tom Scott. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Harry Keller shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor and Georg Stanford Brown carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Two jailbirds who just want out of the cage.".
8IMDB entry: tt0081562 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Released under 10 different titles around the world.