Idle Hands (1999)

A teenage slacker's right hand becomes possessed with murderous intent.

Director:

Rodman Flender

Writers:

Terri Hughes Burton (as Terri Hughes), Ron Milbauer

Stars:

Devon Sawa, Seth Green, Elden Henson

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Devon Sawa	...	Anton Tobias
Seth Green	...	Mick
Elden Henson	...	Pnub
Jessica Alba	...	Molly
Vivica A. Fox	...	Debi LeCure
Christopher Hart	...	The Hand
Jack Noseworthy	...	Randy
Katie Wright	...	Tanya
Sean Whalen	...	McMacy
Nicholas Sadler	...	Ruck (as Nick Sadler)
Fred Willard	...	Dad Tobias
Connie Ray	...	Mom Tobias
Steve Van Wormer	...	Curtis
Kelly Monaco	...	Tiffany
Timothy Stack	...	Principal Tidwell

Storyline

Seventeen year old slacker Anton Tobias wakes up one Halloween morning to discover that both of his parents have been turned into two headless Halloween decorations. After speaking to his equally irresponsible friends, Mick and Pnub, he discovers that his right hand has a blood-thirsty mind of its own and is hell-bent on wreaking havoc whether he likes it or not.

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Plot Keywords:

female frontal nudity | breasts | slow motion scene | trailer home | incense | 

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Taglines:

The touching story of a boy and his right hand.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for horror violence and gore, pervasive teen drug use, language and sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 April 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

El diablo metió la mano

Filming Locations:

1034 North Madison Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,807,181, 2 May 1999

Gross USA:

$4,152,230

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,152,230

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Licht/Mueller Film Corporation, Team Todd

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the same hand that appears in the Addams Family (1991) as Thing played by magician Christopher Hart

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Goofs

The United States DVD claims to include supplementary production notes, but there are none on the disc or printed inside the cover.

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Quotes

[after seeing the message on the ceiling]
Dad Tobias: It's just a prank
[clicks off flashlight]
Dad Tobias: Anton.
Mom Tobias: Anton? Our little scooter would never do something like that!
Dad Tobias: Quit calling him that baby name. Anton would not scoot his behind off the couch if the house was on fire!

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Alternate Versions

Besides the profanity noted above, all scenes of drug use have been taken out on TV too. This makes the ending very odd (Anton mysteriously has smoke in his mouth but we never see where it came from). Some blood/gore has been taken out, and some nudity has been taken out too.

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Connections

Spoofs The Shining (1980)

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Soundtracks

Core (In Time)
Written and Performed by Davíd Garza
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Idle Hands Do Devilishly Good Work!

Watching "Idle Hands" is like watching an R-rated rendition of "Beetlejuice." It has the same tone as the Tim Burton classic. Though it is basically a dark comedy--emphasize the word "dark" as much as you can--there are some moments of graphic violence that the casual moviegoer might not expect out of a comedy. But not all comedies are meant to be like Mel Brooks movies. Peter Berg explained it perfectly on the David Letterman show when he was talking about "Very Bad Things," which he wrote and directed. He said, "Just like how some people, like me, like our food spicy--some people also want their comedy spicy." Just like "Very Bad Things," "Idle Hands" is a grotesque, slightly off-putting comedy that won't be taken easily, but that's part of its appeal. It gives you that "dark comic rush." And there are moments where you can't help but laugh hysterically.

Seth Green and the other boy--I don't know his name--have some extremely funny moments. Most of the jokes have to do with scatological and drug-related elements, but they work perfectly. This is not for the prudish, not tailor-made for the sick and twisted (though they would probably take delight), but makes intelligent use of gruesome and coarse gags. I know that doesn't sound appealing on paper, but you'll see what I mean. See for yourself.

"Idle Hands" is not for all tastes, it's not sophisticated and I would call it a popcorn movie...but you'd probably throw up your popcorn if you were to watch this flick. As for eye candy (for the guys) we have the stunningly beautiful Jessica Alba, who never gets naked (Dammit!) but struts around in a revealing blue nightie with her beautiful cleavage on display. She's just one of those extremely cute babes that you just want to cuddle like a teddy bear.

Idle Hands may do the Devil's work, but it makes heavenly entertainment!

My score: 7 (out of 10)