Sticky Fingers (1988) User Reviews

A Caper Comedy with Shopping

[drednm · 28 November 2018]

STICKY FINGERS is a slight "caper comedy" with a twist: It was directed by a w woman (Catlin Adams), who co-wrote the film with Melanie Mayron, who co-stars in the film with Helen Slater. Mayron and Slater play a couple of hipster doofus women named Leila and Harriet but who go by hipper Lolly and Hattie. They are classical musicians trying to make it in New York but end up playing in the park for spare change. A friend asks them to stow a bag while she goes out of town, and the gals are shocked to find it contains $900,00. After their apartment is robbed and their violin and cello are taken, they "dip" into the bag to buy new instruments (they have an audition coming up). The exhilaration they feel when plunking down more than $90,000 for new instruments goes to their heads and they can't resist going on a massive shopping spree. Of course the money belongs to the mob and strange men start following them around town.

Certainly not a classic, but this is a fine little comedy with some great moments. Thugs and cops aside, the cast is made up of mostly women. Eileen Brennan plays the cranky landlady and Carol Kane is her nutty sister. Loretta Devine plays the money woman, Danitra Vance plays their street-wsie friend, Shirley Stoler plays a neighbor, and Gwen Welles plays a weird stalker who follows Mayron and her boyfriend (Christopher Guest) around the city. Contemporary reviews were really snarky and dismissive and really missed the comic energy Mayron and Slater bring to this romp.

Mayron had reinvented herself by losing weight and that frizzy hairdo she sported in films like HARRY AND TONTO and GIRLFRIENDS. She had landed on the hit TV series THIRTYSOMETHING (and won an Emmy) but she retained that wry sense of always being the outsider but accepting that fact.

Worth a look if you can find it.

Go read a book instead.

[Fewox · 2/10 · 7 June 2000]

I gave this film a 2 mostly because it does actually have an ok cast but the film itself is just so (insert unusually rude word beginning with the sixth letter of the alphabet)-ing pointless that I felt bad that at the time I voted for it its lowest vote was a three.

Very predictable plot....two nare-do-well musicians have no money and plenty of money problems. However when a friend leaves a bag full of money (that belongs to drug dealers) in their care they of course spend it and then the "fun" begins.

Not an original idea in this whole film.

Okay as a vision of the 80s, otherwise...

[patchworkcat · 3/10 · 4 June 2007]

If you're not a fan of the 80s, and you need to be a particularly strong fan, or of one of the two leads, there's nothing about this film to recommend.

The story, as others have said, is dull, almost an afterthought to the basic notion of the characters and the idea of making a slightly manic comedy. I watched it to about an hour, hoping it would turn a corner, a twist would occur or it would somehow kick into gear but no... It's not unwatchable, it's just dull. It goes by. It goes by with bits of running around madly, lingering shots of feet at strange angles, bits of shouting madly but I didn't get a real feel of energy or manic fun, it just came across as forced. Needless to say also, there was nothing to laugh at particularly. A bit of mild amusement here or there but nothing more.

Don't be fooled by the mention of feminism by the way, all it means in this case is that almost all the principal cast is female. If anything, it's actually cloying... Two female leads, fine, excellent, the drug dealer is female, okay, their landlord is a landlady, alright, their friends are female, okay, the only other person we particularly see who lives in the same building, oh, female... I wasn't on the lookout for that but after a while it felt like a conscious decision had been made to have the film cast that way and it felt, again, a bit forced and cloying.

On the plus-side, if you are a fan of 80s fashions and culture, there is plenty to see and if you're a fan of Helen Slater, she's fun and enjoyable to watch. There's also some screen-time for Carol Kane, which is great, but not enough...

Overall: 3/10. If you're a huge fan of the 80s, Helen Slater and Carol Kane, you could maybe stretch it to a 5 because of them, although there's still the fact it's a comedy which isn't funny, which hinders it substantially. If you're not a fan of those things, you might as well make it 0 because there's nothing much else to enjoy here.

it's a guilty pleasure, but a GOOD guilty pleasure

[vfrickey · 7/10 · 19 August 2001]

I was a little taken aback by the vote rating and other viewers' comments on "Sticky Fingers" - surely, it was better than a 4.5, and surely it wasn't (as another reviewer said) 'f******' - so I watched it again, and sure 'nuff, it was actually funny. You just have to be able to get the jokes.

I found "Sticky Fingers" a great way to waste an hour and a half... Melanie Mayron and Helen Slater are fine as the orchestra musicians who are forced to play in parks in order to keep a roof over their heads, and when even that doesn't bring in the three months' overdue rent... I won't spoil the plot for you, but the two main characters are asked to keep a whole grocery bag of illegally gotten money for a druggie friend (Danitra Vance) of theirs, and succumb to the temptation to, well, dig into the bag.

They save themselves from eviction by paying the long over-due rent to their landlady (Eileen Brennan), then... well, everything after that is wonderfully convoluted and very entertaining, a series of comic nightmares set in the seamy back streets of New York. Carol Kane gives us a great subplot and earns her money, something "name" actors don't always manage to do in recent movies.

Check it out next time you have an hour and a half free and nothing better to do. You'll laugh, I almost guarantee it. (OK, so maybe if you aren't into intellectual humor, this won't be your thing, but everyone else will laugh.) In fact, this is the sort of thing that the IFC satellite TV channel picks up on - if anyone there is reading this, drop a note in the suggestion box at work, huh?

One of the most 'rock'em, sock'em, roll on the ground, laugh 'til your face aches' films ever made!

[Banshee57 · 10/10 · 11 December 2005]

"Our pockets are empty, our cupboards are bare, the bills keep coming, and the drugs are scarce. I need some money, I need some dough, for the things I want, for the things I own. I got Sticky Fingers!"

The title song says it all. "Sticky Fingers" is one of the most hilarious films ever made, and done so with such a style and even a type of elegance that has kept it fresh and funny for every viewing. Two roommates, and best friends Lolly and Hattie are struggling musicians, who can't pull in the attention of anyone past the civilians in Central Park, New York. One day, out of the blue, Diane, Hatties dope dealer, leaves them with a mysterious bag, with important contents inside. It is, yes, almost 1 million dollars. Eventually, everything is crazy, and all mixed up. These two women, who are honest, decent people in the Big Apple, are transformed by the green power slips, into petty, light-headed money grubbers. Soon the cash begins to run on, and the two have a lot of explaining to give Diane...and the mob men who have been watching their every move...

Helen Slater is the not so bright Hattie. She surely gives a new name to the word 'energy' in this one. With her quick and witty dialog, and sharp timing, she is amazing, and always turning on the laugh-machine. Melanie Mayron is the squeaky, nervous Lolly. Mayron is up to par with co-star Slater, giving off the same amount of energy and confusion. Needless to say, Christopher Guest is, as usual, a treat to watch as the love interest of Mayron. Other cast members include Loretta Divine, Eileen Brennan, Carol Kane, and an absolutely outrageous Danitra Vance, who steals the show with her every scene.

The comedy used in this gem is a bright blend of slapstick, and witty stand- up, with honesty as a key factor, bringing in solid goods. It is a shame that this one was never received as well as others in that time. The film is well representative of it's time,(1988) and it's pop-culture wackiness. I suppose it was the "different" factor that says just why the film was little known, if at all. This film does have a different tone, and even more so, it is very general. Sometimes, the smaller, more overlooked things are funny. Sexual lingo and politics are restricted, very restricted. This film is not "Majoy League" or a "National Lampoon" film, or even like any of the "Porkey's" movies either. It stands out completely on it's own, with ultimate originality and sharp comic texture and context, which make it a real riot to watch over and over again!

Shop till you drop (or till the mob comes after you). (spoilers)

[vertigo_14 · 7/10 · 27 March 2005]

'Sticky Fingers' is a very low-budget comedy. Although, the film gets caught in slow pace and the story seems to be struggling to work through plot holes and quick changes, the quirkiness of the characters and the abilities of the cast help it survive most of the flaws.

This the story of two silly young women, struggling musicians who regularly find themselves flat broke. Opportunity, of course, finds them (and, so the consequential events occur for a reasons), however, when one of their dope dealing friends suddenly asks them to babysit a bag of cash while she's out of the country for a few weeks. At first, the young women see this as a moment of unwanted emergency, until they figure out how to turn the situation into their opportunity (though going overboard).

Any smart person would know that the last thing you should be doing is getting greedy with dirty money. And these girls can hardly control their amusement after a while, which lands them in big trouble with the friend, a mysterious man who keeps following them, friends who don't want to get involved, and the problem of trying to recuperate the money unsuccessfully (numerous times).

The movie has its moments, especially towards the end when it seems like one calamity after another happens. The subplots involving the two young women's relationship follies tend to drag the story down, as do a few other unnecessarily slow-moving plot points. But overall, once the story gets off the ground, a good assortment of quirky characters fueled by a good cast, make it well-deserving of an audience. Fans, particularly, of the cast or obscure 80s b-movies should have fun with it (mostly female audiences).

If you like this, check out the 1982 indie comedy, "Blue Money," which stars Tim Curry as an impoverished aspiring actor who suddenly finds opportunity when his frequent client (he works part-time as a cab driver) leaves a suitcase full of cash in his car. Lacks the new wave 80s style of "Sticky Fingers," but they are similar plots.

What did I just watch?

[trayhp · 11 December 2000]

I don't understand why this movie was made. There was a good idea there. Two down and out female musicians end up with $900,000 in drug money accidentally. They go on a shopping spree but plan to pay it all back. When it comes time to return the money, they can't pay it back, and the stories turn into a chase, where the bag becomes lost numerous times. It was awful.

I reached a point where one of the characters was running across the street and almost got hit by two cars. I wanted her to get hit by the cars. There was a sub-plot with some other lady in the apartment complex and a parking lot attendant that did not make any sense.

Another point. I strongly hate movies that blatantly explain where the title comes from. The drug dealer states to the two females about her bag of money, "And keep your sticky fingers out of it!" I recommend WHAT'S UP DOC? a better film about bags that get lost.

Funky '80s style saves this standard caper flick

[mikemdp · 7/10 · 27 October 2019]

"Sticky Fingers" stars Helen "Supergirl" Slater and Melanie "thirtysomething" Mayron as a couple of quirky but poor New York City street musicians who come upon a satchel filled with ill-gotten money.

Slater, who is stunningly pretty, also shows a surprisingly deft comic ability. And Mayron, an often dull actress, holds her own well in a film she co-wrote.

The supporting cast is also made up of beautiful comediennes, including the always adorably funny Carol Kane and the late Danitra Vance, the first black female "Saturday Night Live" cast member, who lost her life to breast cancer in 1994. I still swoon at her smile.

Late character actress Eileen Brennan also stands out as the leads' impatient landlord.

Though the movie was written and directed by women, co-writer/director Caitlin Adams is no Susan Seidelman or Joan Micklin Silver. Her director's hand is unsure. She allows what should be a humorous take on female empowerment to be undone by protagonists who are classic screwball-comedy bubbleheads, and a plot that devolves into a standard caper film.

But I love it for its '80s style, its funny leads and supporting cast (I'd watch Carol Kane read the phone book), and the funky way it captures my beloved New York City, in a similar to, but somewhat lesser way than Seidelman's "Desperately Seeking Susan" did.

But see, I've always found "Desperately Seeking Susan" a bit of a bore. "Sticky Fingers" is flawed, to be sure. But it's enjoyable enough to watch all the way through.

For me, more than once.

such a fantastic "lost" movie

[gloma · 10/10 · 26 December 2006]

I love this film, I'm still waiting for the day when its going to be released on DVD.

such a fantastic script, well written and totally enjoyable. the characters are brilliant and the acting has some of the best comic timing I've seen in a movie ever!

Helen slater is truly a remarkable actress and Eileen Brenna is hilarious.

the one liners are to die for!

I cant stress to people enough to go and find this movie and just sit back and enjoy!

its a winner, a good 2 hour pop corn muncher filled with laughs and more laughs!

(the Jewish joke told at the end is pure gold!)

Fun and Fancy Free!

[HeartMonger · 10/10 · 10 October 2003]

Two struggling musicians, both female, and both in bad relationships, are over due in their rent; their music isn't paying them worth a stick; and worst of all, They're POOR! Until their drug dealer leaves them a bag of drug money for them to watch over. They find out what is in the bag, and proceed to spend the money for their own needs. Soon, the greed, wealth, and power becomes too much for them and all hell breaks loose! Intriguing, and very well made. So much more than a movie when one looks at it the right way. A Social commentary of feminism on one level: showing us that woman are just as much to blame for money levels in the U.S. ; also showing that woman are as much in control. A Commentary on being true to yourself on another level: These two characters are lost in the money that they forget what they love most in their lives, and the money becomes all to them. Over all, this is a commentary on the greed; that money sometimes CAN BE the root of all evil. Fun, and wacky comedy has the best actors in the world doing their best to pull of a good script. Helen Slater shines the highest as the main character who can't stand up for herself, Hattie, and Melanie Mayron does just as good as the troubled Lolly. Eileen Brennan and Carol Kane are the sisters in which own the apartment complex that Slater and Mayron live; and they are a hoot! This film is screaming with feminist thoughts but shouldn't hinder a males viewing experience. Nice, and Fun, clever and fancy free! A Good Movie.

nice.

[robertofuiano · 10/10 · 29 June 2009]

If this movie was Spielberg would have had more. Since these strontium on the assumption that a film must be beautiful to be directed by big names like Spielberg, Lucas, Jackson, Cameron. .. All these assessments are wrong you understand the level of bad opinion of this site. Only films for intellectuals can be saved. This film was produced with many dollars and the optimal use of special effects make the place as among the best science fiction film Americans. Finitela of using double standards when judged as a movie, try to be objective because they give 3.8 a film of its kind and reward a crap how terrible sin city with 8.2 is really a 'offense. Vote 8.0