Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- irreverent
- buoyant
- witty
- casual comedy night
- buddy movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film commercially effective and intermittently funny, with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder's chemistry carrying thin, unfocused material.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Skip and Harry are eastern civilians forced to adapt to a western prison and its rigid routines.
The protagonists are framed for a bank robbery and must survive incarceration while seeking a way out.
Critics repeatedly identify Richard Pryor's explosive comic energy and the film's improvised feel as central to its effect.
The inter-prison rodeo and Skip's bronco-riding talent supply the film's distinctive western-prison framework.
Films like Stir Crazy, and why
Another You
shared buddy comedy energy, wrongful imprisonment premise, and broad comic chemistry
The Longest Yard
shared prison comedy setting, irreverent tone, and ensemble misfit characters
Uptown Saturday Night
shared Sidney Poitier-directed buddy comedy style and fish out of water humor
Movie Details
- Director
- Sidney Poitier
- Release Date
- 1980-12-12
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (498)
Cast
- Gene Wilder
- Richard Pryor
- Georg Stanford Brown
- JoBeth Williams
- Miguel Ángel Suárez
- Craig T. Nelson
- Barry Corbin
- Charles Weldon
- Nicolas Coster
- Joel Brooks
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Stir Crazy about?
- Two wrongly convicted city friends turn prison survival and an inter-prison rodeo into an irreverent escape from injustice.
- What is Stir Crazy like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Stir Crazy as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Stir Crazy violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Stir Crazy as mild.
- What did critics think of Stir Crazy?
- Critics broadly found the film commercially effective and intermittently funny, with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder's chemistry carrying thin, unfocused material.
- Which films are like Stir Crazy?
- Films with a similar feel include Another You, The Longest Yard, and Uptown Saturday Night.
- How long is Stir Crazy?
- Stir Crazy runs 111 minutes.
- Where can I watch Stir Crazy?
- In United States, Stir Crazy streams on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel.
