Idle Hands

"The touching story of a boy and his right hand."

1999 1h 32m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🥫

18%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.3

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 793🥫18%Rotten Tomatoes●31Metacritic★6.3IMDB · 51,202

ComedyHorrorFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Anton is a cheerful but exceedingly non-ambitious 17-year-old stoner who lives to stay buzzed, watch TV, and moon over Molly, the beautiful girl who lives next door. However, it turns out that the old cliché about idle hands being the devil's playground has a kernel of truth after all.

“The touching story of a boy and his right hand.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

fuboTVSubscription

PhiloSubscription

Sony Pictures Core Amazon ChannelSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Devon Sawa
Anton
Seth Green
Mick
Elden Henson
Pnub
Jessica Alba
Molly
Vivica A. Fox
Debi
Jack Noseworthy
Randy
Christopher Hart
The Hand
Katie Wright
Tanya

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rodman Flender
Writers: Terri Hughes, Ron Milbauer
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

Earned back only 17% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rodman Flender, shot by Christopher Baffa. 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 Graeme Revell. 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 Stephen E. Rivkin 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

Devon Sawa and Seth Green and Elden Henson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The touching story of a boy and his right hand.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0138510 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rodman Flender directs. Christopher Baffa behind the camera. Graeme Revell scores. Stephen E. Rivkin cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 17% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
227 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Rodman Flender, shot by Christopher Baffa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Graeme Revell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Stephen E. Rivkin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Devon Sawa and Seth Green and Elden Henson carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The touching story of a boy and his right hand.".
8IMDB entry: tt0138510 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 14 themes, including "halloween", "stoner", "attic", "knitting needle".

The technical file

Cinematography: Christopher Baffa
Original score: Graeme Revell
Editing: Stephen E. Rivkin
Production design: Gregory S. Melton
Makeup / hair: Keith VanderLaan
Stunt coordinator: Chuck Picerni Jr.
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $25,000,000
Box office: $4,152,230
Return: 17% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Idle Hands (1999)
Rotten Tomatoes: 18% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 31/100
IMDB rating: 6.3/10 · 51,202 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

4 nominations total

Also by

Rodman Flender

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2025-09-21
★ 5/10
Pot-soaked teens in SoCal harassed by a possessed hand A town is plagued by a series of killings as a group of unambitious high schoolers (Devon Sawa, Seth Green and Elden Henson) trace the problem to the uncontrollable appendage of one of their own. “Idle Hands” (1999) is a manic horror comedy with macabre humor and lots o’ gore, influenced by bits from flicks like “Evil Dead 2,” “Re-Animator” and “An American Werewolf in London.” It’s often legitimately funny because it takes situations or lines and goes one step further for an over-the-top effect, similar to “There's Something About Mary” from the year before, just with a totally different milieu. Jessica Alba turned 17 one week into shooting in 1998 and is a highlight. Meanwhile Vivica A. Fox is effective as a Druidic priestess hunting down the spirit responsible for the nefarious goings-on. It’s creative, energetic, fun and bloody, but hindered by its curious obsession with pot-smoking. You could call it throwaway entertainment, which flopped badly at the box office. It runs 1 hour, 31 minutes, and was shot mostly in Pasadena, which is just northeast of Hollywood; as well as areas nearby (Hollywood, Santa Clarita and Culver City for studio work). GRADE: C

Production companies