MARC HARSHBARGER
Deep Dish

 

When I first heard about STUCK!, director Steve Balderson’s homage to film noir women-in-prison films, I expected it to be a campy John Waters kind of flick--especially with a cast that includes Karen Black, Mink Stole and The Go-Go's Jane Wiedlin. I automatically assumed that I would be seeing a quirky comedy, but instead Frankie Krainz's screenplay (with contributions from Balderson and Jon Niccum) takes its subject matter very seriously, resulting in a film that surprised me with its effective storytelling and dramatic performances. Add in some cool black-and-white cinematography and Rob Kleiner's jazzy, bongo-beat score, and you've got yourself one groovy movie.

STUCK! tells the tale of Daisy (Starina Johnson), whose attempt to prevent her sick mother from committing suicide tragically results in the woman's death. With the damaging testimony of a neighbor lady (Black), the innocent Daisy is convicted of killing her mother in cold blood and sentenced to die by hanging. She then ends up on death row with four other prisoners--the deeply religious Esther (Stole), the sexy Dutch (Pleasant Gehman), black widow MeMe (Susan Traylor), and the childlike Princess (Wiedlin). The women bond together while having to deal with a sadistic prison guard (Stacy Cunningham), while Black's character is consumed by guilt for wrongly accusing Daisy of murder. Will she finally confess the truth and save Daisy's life? The answer to this question had me on the edge of my seat for most of the movie.

Balderson has assembled a fabulous cast for his film, and each one of them brings to life her character so memorably. It's always a delight to see Black and Stole, and Wiedlin couldn't be better. But I was most impressed with the brilliant performances by Traylor, who is so likable even as she describes poisoning her four husbands; Gehman, whose false eyelashes and tough attitude can't cover up her heart of gold; Cunningham, whose nasty guard has never met a sandwich she wouldn't spit in; and Johnson, who makes Daisy someone we can all identify with and care about as we follow her on her nightmarish journey.

So if you're looking for a modern, tongue-in-cheek twist on such classic prison movies as Caged (1950) and I Want to Live! (1958), check out STUCK!, which will stick with you long after you've watched it.

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