Stir Crazy

Skip Donahue and Harry Monroe are two out-of-work New Yorkers who leave the city in search of jobs. They find work promoting a bank while dressed in woodpecker costumes, but thieves steal the outfits and use them in a robbery. Witnesses mistake the two men for the culprits, and they are sent to prison. Inside, they struggle to adjust, until a prison rodeo gives Skip a chance to put his skills to use.

Sidney Poitier directed the film, which came after he had already established himself as an actor and filmmaker; among his directing credits it is followed by Hanky Panky and Ghost Dad. Bruce Jay Friedman wrote the screenplay, and Hannah Weinstein produced. Gene Wilder plays Skip and Richard Pryor plays Harry, with Georg Stanford Brown, JoBeth Williams, Miguel Ángel Suárez and Craig T. Nelson among the credited cast of 63. It was released in December 1980 and runs 111 minutes.

Made for about 10 million dollars, the film took in roughly 101 million worldwide, a large return on its budget that reflects its broad commercial success. On IMDb it holds 6.7 out of 10 from around 32,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.5 out of 10 from about 500 votes, indicating a generally favorable but not uniform audience response.