DVD Corner

Hanky Panky Blu-ray Review

“Hanky Panky” wastes a whole lot of talent.  

Originally envisioned as another Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor vehicle, 1982’s mystery-suspense comedy became a Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner starring film instead. Written by Henry Rosenbaum and David Taylor, the story finds a normal New York man (Michael Jordan) bumping into a woman on the run (Janet Dunn). Janet is being pursued by goons led by a mysterious man named Ransom and is eventually gunned down by him. Unfortunately for Michael, he is framed for the murder and is soon forced to go on the lam himself. Michael soon finds himself meeting an alleged reporter named Kate Hellman who is harboring secrets of her own. Together Michael and Kate try to get to the bottom of what exactly is going on. Why was Kate on the run? What was she in possession of? Why are people winding up dead? Is there a bigger conspiracy going on? All is revealed in the end. 

Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner in a movie directed by Sidney Poitier sounds like a winning combination on paper, but “Hanky Panky” is little more than a frightfully dull waste of talent. Although there are a couple laughs to be had here (Wilder’s hysterics and the plane burping come to mind), the mystery-suspense story is really lacking in the suspense department. More often than not, the characters are all merely running around or traveling across the country. Much of the gags are also quite basic too (ala Gene Wilder in various outfits). Not even a few shoehorned in action scenes involving helicopters seem to liven up the story.

The biggest sin of “Hanky Panky” is the sheer waste of talent. Not only is Gilda Radner restrained here, but Gene Wilder is woefully underserved by the lousy lines. Even the supporting cast which features a wealth of character actors like Richard Widmark, Jay O. Sanders, Kathleen Quinan, Robert Prosky, James Tolkan, and more are all underutilized. 

Perhaps the best thing to come out of this movie is the fact that Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner met on the film and were later married. That’s certainly more interesting than the film itself.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.78:1 1080p. How does it look? While the image quality is improved, it’s not quite up to Blu-ray standards as the print is littered with scratches and defects.

Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? This is a serviceable 2.0 track. No more, no less.

No extras.

February 25, 2026 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | 80's Movie, Comedy Film, Gene Wilder, Gilda Radner, Hanky Panky Blu-ray Review, Mystery, Sidney Poitier, suspense