Idle Hands

MPAA Rating: R

Entertainment: +1 1/2

Content: -3 1/2

IDLE HANDS is yet one more film aimed at teen audiences dealing with gory and gruesome killing. Anton (Devon Sewa) discovers his right hand is possessed by an evil force. He has no control over it, as his hand goes on a killing spree that includes classmates, his parents and even his best friends. But his friends come back from the dead to hang out with him. One has a beer bottle stuck in his head, the other carries his cut off head. Even after Anton cuts his own hand off, it continues to rampage until a Druid priestess can kill the evil in it. This poor excuse for a spoof steals from various teen horror films, and the focus on drugs and violence as humor falls flat. The aimless activities of Anton and friends consist of drugs, TV, and sex talk. Sex is implied between Anton and his female neighbor but not shown. Two teens engage in sexual activity in a car, which includes female breast nudity, but they are killed during the act. The principal is killed while making a phone sex call at school. Gory and gruesome acts of violence are shown in detail, while others are implied with squirting blood or body parts. Demonic possession and Satanism are associated with evil, but God and Jesus are used only in vain. Many obscenities and crude comments also clutter the dialogue. Heaven is seen as a choice one makes after death. Antons friends appear to have reached heaven but are sent back as companions, and then later as guardian angels. In the wake of recent news events in Littleton, Colorado, this film should have been postponed or shelved. IDLE HANDS portrays teen slackers as heroes, parents as dumb or non-existent, and life as having no meaning beyond sex and drugs.

Preview Reviewer: Paul Bicking
Distributor: Columbia Pictures

Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.

Crude Language: Many (26) times - Mild 9, Moderate 17

Obscene Language: Many (46) times - f-word 16, s-word 25, other 5

Profanity: Several (6) times - Regular 4, Exclamatory 2

Violence: Many times - Moderate and severe ( blood spurts on floor, cat chews on eyeball, boy shoved by cops, broken bottle stuck in head, head cut off - falls on floor, knife thrown but misses, gun shot to head, knitting needle stuck through head, police taser electrodes stuck on face - face burns, arm cut with cleaver - hand on floor, hand in microwave squirts blood and explodes, grill fork stuck in neck to hold on head, TV shows vampire biting chunk out out of neck, woman hit by car, neck broken, head hit on window spurts blood, fingers sharpened in pencil sharpener, scalp ripped off man, stage lights fall on people, woman hanged then chopped by fan blades, knife sticks hand to boys chest, car falls on boy)

Sex: Implied twice (teens on bed, teens in car with breast nudity - sexual variation)

Nudity: Once (Girl removes blouse for sex in car); Near nudity - low cut short dress, girl in underwear

Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: Many times - boy scratches crotch, boy sticks hand down pants, music video shows women in bikinis shaking breasts and behinds, hand grabs girls buttocks, sensual kiss as teens fall on bed, girl calls boy kinky when tying hand to bedpost, references to getting some and get a piece, sensual kissing in car, man makes phone sex call, priestess refers to ritualistic sex

Drugs: Continuous - Marijuana smoked frequently, reference to mushrooms, drugs discussed frequently

Other: Satanic symbols, reference to demon possession, Druidic priestess chasing evil kills hand, heaven seen as choice after death, hell only for bad people

Running Time: 87 minutes
Intended Audience: Adults

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