Idle Hands (1999) Review

 "I'm gonna go call 911.  What's the number?"
-Mick



Anton Tobias (Devon Sawa) is such a lazy stoner that he doesn't even notices his parents have been murdered.  When he does finally figure out, he realizes his hand was the culprit.  With his hand possessed and going rogue, Anton is faced with cutting off his own hand, but even if he does, can he stop it from killing even more people?


What Works:

This a very weird movie.  It's a stoner comedy, but also a horror movie.  The end result is a stoner/horror/black comedy and I'm here for it.  I love horror movies and I love black comedies.  Plus stoner comedies are a guilty pleasure of mine.  Somehow this movie functions on all three levels and makes for a unique and fun experience.

Devon Sawa absolutely kills his performance on a physical level.  He plays himself and his possessed hand.  It's an extremely impressive performance and I have no idea how someone can be coordinated enough to pull off what he is able to do.  He really makes it seem like he has no control over his hand and makes it seem easy.

Seth Green and Elden Hanson play Anton's friend's who act as the comic relief amongst a cast of comic relief characters.  These two are hilarious and play off each other really well.  They spend the majority of the movie as zombies which gives us more excellent physical comedy, but their performances are very funny as well.

This is a Halloween movie, which is another way to score points with me.  Halloween is my favorite day of the year, so when a movie manages to capture the atmosphere of Halloween, I love it.  We get Halloween decorations, costumes, and a big Halloween dance at the end of the film.


What Sucks:

I do have to admit, this movie doesn't make a ton of sense.  They give us a sort of half-baked explantation through Vivica A. Fox's character, who is hunting the evil, but they don't do a very good job.  Either give us a full explanation of what is happening and why or don't bother.  This movie would have worked fine if there was zero explanation.  We have an evil possessed hand and we have to stop it.  We don't need anything else.  

Also I really don't buy that Jessica Alba's character has a crush on Anton.

Finally, Anton gets over the deaths of his parents and best friends extremely quickly.  I know this is a comedy, but come on.  There should have been at least one scene where we get a little dramatic.  These deaths are a big deal for the character and they shouldn't be brushed aside so easily.


Verdict:

Idle Hands is a weird movie that hits a lot of the right buttons with me.  It's a stoner comedy and a horror movie, plus it's a Halloween movie.  And Devon Sawa, Seth Green, and Elden Hanson all do a great job.  The movie doesn't make a ton of sense and some of the deaths are brushed over too easily, but this movie has still got it going on.

 8/10: Really Good 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Argylle (2024) Review

Image
 "The human skull is shockingly brittle." -Aidan Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a very successful spy novelist.  She draws attention from the espionage community when plot points in her books come true.  When Elly is attacked on a train by a group of spies, she is rescued by another spy, Aidan (Sam Rockwell), who needs her help with his mission and to do that, she needs to write another chapter of her latest book. Spoilers Below.  Go ahead and read on because I don't recommend this movie, but either way, you've been warned. What Works: Argylle has a really fun premise that really works in the first half of the movie.  It's a fish-out-of-water, buddy-cop, spy movie, and it's a blast.  Watching Ellie predict where to go based on what the characters in her books would do is a lot of fun.  It's what the whole movie should have been. The opening sequence follows Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) on another dangerous mission as he pursues the villainous LaGrang
Read more

Speak No Evil (2024) Review

Image
 "What is wrong with you?" -Louise Dalton While on vacation in Italy, the Dalton family befriends Paddy (James McAvoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their son, Ant (Dan Hough).  Paddy invites the Daltons to visit their farm in the British countryside.  The Daltons agree to go, but the weekend getaway slowly becomes more and more uncomfortable and escaping the farm threatens to turn deadly. What Works: All of the actors give really great performances.  Both McAvoy and Franciosi have great chemistry and, especially in the early parts of the film, they do come across as a really likable and loving couple.  They're both very charming until they're not.  As the film goes on, both of their performances become more unhinged and they absolutely kill it.  I also really like Dan Hough's performance, especially since the character can't speak.  Hough still manages to give a memorable performance. Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy also do a great job, especially dealing
Read more

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Review

Image
 "Welcome to the MCU.  You're joining at a bit of a low point." -Deadpool Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) has retired from being the mercenary Deadpool until he is kidnapped by the Time Variance Authority (TVA).  With the death of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Wade's timeline is deteriorating and Wade is given the opportunity to join the Sacred Timeline.  Wade decides to fight back in order to save his friends and timeline and searches the multiverse for help in the form of another Wolverine.  Unfortunately, the only Wolverine he can get to help him is known as the worst Wolverine in the multiverse. Spoilers below.  In short, this isn't a very good movie in terms of narrative or story.  I wouldn't say it's really about anything.  It's an excuse to have Deadpool and Wolverine in the same movie and done properly.  It's more of an event special and less of a film.  It's fun, but definitely the weakest of the Deadpool trilogy. What Works: The best part of
Read more