The funniest thing about this abysmal 1982 release is a joke that the film makers did not even realize they made. Gene Wilder plays a character named Michael Jordan (spelled Jordon)- from Chicago. Jordan is an architect visiting New York City, when he tries to pick up cute Sarah (Kathleen Quinlan). He mails a package for her, she rebuffs him (not in the good way), and he will probably never see her again, until a couple of thugs led by Ransom (Richard Widmark) give Michael a truth serum and find out where the package is heading. Michael tries to find Sarah again, but she is killed by Ransom, and Michael is the prime suspect. Soon, he is on the run, dragging along Kate (Gilda Radner), who is helping him in order to serve her own motives. The rest of the picture plays like a bad Alfred Hitchcock film. There are stolen military weapon computer files, assorted murders, and Michael and Kate escape it all, double crossing and getting double crossed.
While this is supposed to be a comedy, sometimes the violence is a little jarring. Ransom and Sarah have a knockdown, drag-out fistfight, without obvious stunt people. The film breathlessly begins, with no set-up: within the first couple of seconds, Michael is in a cab, hitting on Sarah. Who is this guy? What's with the package? Director Poitier doesn't give us one speck of background, so we do not care about these characters from the get-go. I am also curious why Sidney Poitier of all people chose this to direct. None of the laughs work, even when the cast members laugh and think it's funny. One long embarrassing scene has Michael on a bus wearing a magician's coat, and of course, gag flowers and long ropes of handkerchiefs get pulled from hidden compartments and pockets. The rest of the bus was laughing, I wasn't. Wilder does nothing more than run around screaming his lines at the top of his lungs. Radner is too low key, not getting one chuckle. Anyone could have played this part, it was a waste of her massive talent. If you figure out why did Poitier direct this, then question why Widmark is in this. Again, anyone could play his part, he shows up and menaces people, then disappears. "Hanky Panky" is an unmitigated disaster, with a story line that has been done a thousand times before. Go find one of those efforts, instead.
While this is supposed to be a comedy, sometimes the violence is a little jarring. Ransom and Sarah have a knockdown, drag-out fistfight, without obvious stunt people. The film breathlessly begins, with no set-up: within the first couple of seconds, Michael is in a cab, hitting on Sarah. Who is this guy? What's with the package? Director Poitier doesn't give us one speck of background, so we do not care about these characters from the get-go. I am also curious why Sidney Poitier of all people chose this to direct. None of the laughs work, even when the cast members laugh and think it's funny. One long embarrassing scene has Michael on a bus wearing a magician's coat, and of course, gag flowers and long ropes of handkerchiefs get pulled from hidden compartments and pockets. The rest of the bus was laughing, I wasn't. Wilder does nothing more than run around screaming his lines at the top of his lungs. Radner is too low key, not getting one chuckle. Anyone could have played this part, it was a waste of her massive talent. If you figure out why did Poitier direct this, then question why Widmark is in this. Again, anyone could play his part, he shows up and menaces people, then disappears. "Hanky Panky" is an unmitigated disaster, with a story line that has been done a thousand times before. Go find one of those efforts, instead.