Richard Pryor
- 2003
On the cusp of stardom, standup comic Maija DiGiorgio suffered an emotional breakdown while performing before a room packed with a number of the comedy industry's head honchos -- whom were on the receiving end of DiGiorgio's obscenity-laced outburst -- at the Aspen Comedy Festival. Subsequently faced with a nearly industry-wide blacklisting as a result, the comic (and film school graduate) came upon the idea of creating a film journal to document her struggles within the industry, as well as within her own psyche. The result is Bitter Jester, DiGiorgio's 2003 film that started as a document of self-examination and evolved into an examination of success and achievement within the standup circuit. Greatly assisted by the contacts and prestige of executive producer Richard Belzer -- a friend and former employer of DiGiorgio's boyfriend and co-conspirator Kenny Simmons -- DiGiorgio proceeds to gain access to a surprising berth of comedy legends, including Chevy Chase, Richard Pryor, Phyllis Diller, Whoopi Goldberg, and George Carlin, all of whom dispense insightful and sometimes surprising opinions about their individual achievements. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
A gifted comic with a promising career, Sam Kinison died too young to realize his full comedic potential. This documentary recounts his chaotic life, his career, and the circumstances leading up to his death. Funny men Rodney Dangerfield and Richard Pryor appear to reminisce about their experiences with Kinison. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Five years after the critical and commercial disappointment of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, director David Lynch returned to the big screen with this cryptic thriller about confused identities and erotic obsession. Fred (Bill Pullman) is an avant-garde jazz saxophonist who shares a luxurious but fashionably barren house with his wife Renee (Patricia Arquette). Fred suspects that Renee may be unfaithful to him, but realizes he has bigger things to worry about when a series of videotapes appear at his door that prove someone is watching his home from the outside and inside. When Renee is found murdered, Fred finds himself behind bars, but one morning Fred is no longer in his cell. He has seemingly been transformed into Pete Drayton (Balthazar Getty), a young auto mechanic who foolishly allowed himself to get involved with the wife of gangster Dick Laurent (Robert Loggia), a luscious blonde named Alice who looks exactly like Renee. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, (more)
A group of mobsters fight for control in this satirical comedy-drama. Vic (Richard Dreyfuss) is a not-especially-stable crime boss who -- following a spell in a mental hospital after being diagnosed with schizophrenia -- is sent home and is ready to resume his place as supreme leader of the mob. Mickey Holliday (Jeff Goldblum), Vic's enforcer and right hand man, is trying to get everything squared away for Vic's return, which may complicate his personal life, since he's been having an affair with Vic's girlfriend Grace (Diane Lane), as well as her sister Rita (Ellen Barkin). While Vic has been away, a number of other gangsters have been squabbling over who will take control of his territories, including Jake Parker (Kyle MacLachlan), Jules Flamingo (Gregory Hines), and Jacky Johnson (Burt Reynolds). However, it's the seriously eccentric Ben London (Gabriel Byrne) who turns out to be Mickey's and Vic's most potent rival as the various gangsters shoot it out over who gets what piece of the pie. Inspired in part by the "Rat Pack" crime flicks of the 1960s -- such as Ocean's Eleven and Robin and the Seven Hoods -- Mad Dog Time (also released under the title Trigger Happy) was written and directed by former actor Larry Bishop, son of Rat Packer Joey Bishop, who pops up in a small role. Larry's co-star from Wild in the Streets, Christopher Jones, appears in a supporting role as a gunman; it was his first film appearance since Ryan's Daughter in 1970. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ellen Barkin, Gabriel Byrne, (more)
When con man Eddie Dash (Richard Pryor) is released from prison he's told to fulfill the required 100 hours of community service as the bodyguard/escort of a recently released mental patient (Gene Wilder). It's not too long before Wilder figures out a way to make a little dough at the expense of his impaired charge. Together they manage to get involved in an inheritance scam that's loaded with troubles and trials for all. It's apparent to most viewers that the Richard Pryor appearing in this film is a far cry from the actor most have seen previously; this is the first film undertaken by Pryor following a very serious illness. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, (more)
The third pairing of comic actors Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder was much less successful than their previous team-ups, Silver Streak(1976) and Stir Crazy (1980). Wilder plays Dave, the deaf proprietor of a newsstand and employer of blind gambler Wally (Pryor). When Wally's bookie is shot and killed at the stand, Dave and Wally are arrested for the crime. Since the deaf Dave had his back turned and didn't see the crime, while the blind Wally only heard it, the clues they have to offer the police are slim: Dave's glimpse of a shapely leg and Wally's whiff of a perfume called Shalimar. It turns out the dead man was in possession of a coin that he dropped into Dave's tip box, which Wally is now carrying. The coin contains a valuable microchip sought by crime baron Sutherland (Anthony Zerbe), for whom hired killer Eve (Joan Severance) and her British partner Kirgo (Kevin Spacey) are working. Posing as lawyers, Eve and Kirgo spring Dave and Wally from jail, leading to a series of misadventures as the coin changes hands and the two sensory-challenged pals attempt to learn who has framed them and why. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, (more)
Eddie Murphy, in addition to starring as Quick, the son of 1930s Harlem gambling-house proprietor Sugar Ray (Richard Pryor), also wrote and directed the film. The plotline details the combined efforts of Quick and Sugar Ray to prevent white gangster Bugsy Calhoune (Michael Lerner) from muscling in on their operation. The film's now-notorious streak of misogyny reaches a Nirvana of sorts when Quick shoots pugnacious Harlem madam Vera (Della Reese) in the foot. The talented supporting players include Redd Foxx, Danny Aiello and Jasmine Guy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, (more)
- 1988
- R
A transit engineer and his family must face the gargantuan task of moving from New Jersey to Boise, Idaho in this lively comedy starring Richard Pryor. It all begins after he gets a really great job out West. Unfortunately, his family is less than thrilled with the prospect. The furniture movers, who prove to be crooks, and their crazy neighbors conspire to make matters all the worse. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Beverly Todd, (more)
- 1987
"Good evening, I'm Chevy Chase-and you're not!" Maybe no one would want to be Mr. Chase these days (not with his recent string of box-office flops), but in 1975 and 1976, the world was Chevy's oyster. Those are the years that he rose to stardom on NBC's Saturday Night Live, and these are the years covered in this 60-minute video. Included are such classic bits of Chase-i-ana as Gerald Ford, the Land Shark, "Weekend Update" and innumerable precipitous falls. The next time your kids ask you "why does Chevy Chase get work?", show them this vintage video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
- R
- AddJo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Callingto QueueAddJo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Callingto top of Queue
Popular African-American comedian Jo Jo Dancer is severely burned while free-basing cocaine. Producer/director/writer Richard Pryor insists that the movie is not autobiographical. While hovering between life and death, Dancer flashes back to his childhood, when he grew up in a brothel. Producer/director/writer Richard Pryor insists that the movie is not autobiographical. Dancer decides to become a comic, but has a great many difficulties rising to stardom until he begins making scatological comments about race relations. Producer/director/writer Richard Pryor insists that the movie is not autobiographical. As he rises to fame, Jo Jo has problems controlling his drug addiction and womanizing. Producer/director/writer Richard Pryor insists.....Well, you've caught on by now. If one were able to excise the excruciatingly boring "introspection" scene, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling would stand as an excellent testimonial to Richard Pryor's cutting-edge comic brilliance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Debbie Allen, (more)
- 1986
Lily Tomlin is more than a filmed record of the comedienne's stage show The Search for Signs of Life in the Intelligent Universe. The film follows Tomlin and her collaborator Jane Wagner as they put together their production, wandering up hill and down alley in search of comic inspiration. Seldom has there been a more thorough or perceptive cinematic document of the creative process in action. It isn't always funny, but the birth pangs of comedy seldom are. The end result of Tomlin and Wagner's efforts can be seen in the 1991 feature-film adaptation of The Search for Signs of Life in the Intelligent Universe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner, (more)
- 1986
- R
When a small-time businessman (Richard Pryor) needs a loan, he goes to a loan shark and ends up in jail on false pretenses. After feigning madness to get out, he is tossed into the mental ward of a hospital. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Rachel Ticotin, (more)
- 1985
This video consists of two episodes featuring comedy star Richard Pryor and the Krofft puppets. The first episode, "High Noon," teaches kids how to deal with confrontations and bullies. The second episode, "Kimosabe Blues," highlights the importance of friendship, fairness, and resolving issues.
~ Corinna Richards, All Movie Guide
~ Corinna Richards, All Movie Guide
The seventh cinema adaptation of the venerable stage farce Brewster's Millions stars Richard Pryor as Montgomery Brewster, a third-rate baseball player. Much to his amazement, Brewster discovers that he is related to deceased millionaire Rupert Horn (Hume Cronyn, who appears only in a videotaped "living will"). Even more amazing is the fact that Horn has left Brewster his entire $300 million fortune. The catch? Brewster must spend $30 million within 30 days, or he'll be left with nothing (in the earlier incarnations of Brewster's Millions, the hero was required to spend only a million, but this was, after all, the inflationary '80s). Aiding and abetting Brewster in his efforts to divest himself of his money are his catcher pal (John Candy) and an erstwhile lady friend (Lonette McKee), while his principal antagonist is a snotty attorney (Stephen Collins). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, John Candy, (more)
- 1984
Two episodes of legendary comedian Richard Pryor's Emmy award-winning children's series are featured in this video. In the first episode, entitled "Sax Education," Little Richie loses his friend's saxophone and learns what it means to be responsible. In "Too Old Too Soon, Too Smart Too Late," Little Richie learns to respect older people when he finds his Uncle Moe shooting hoops with basketball great Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Pryor's Place also features some Krofft puppets. ~ Karla Baker, All Movie Guide
This entry in Pryor's comedy-concert film series, Richard Pryor: Here and Now goes so far as to include hecklers who bedevil Pryor all through his performance. The most memorable bits involve Pryor's R-rated comments regarding the Reagan administration; the concert was filmed in New Orleans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor
In a major departure from the tone of the preceding two Superman adventure films, this mix of vile deeds and fantasy heroics drops the "S" out of cosmic and goes for comic instead. Right at the starting gate, Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) and a subsequent slapstick sequence upstage (Christopher Reeves again), who later develops an identity crisis. Gorman, newly trained as a computer whiz, starts working for a conglomerate run by the corporate nemesis Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn), intent on world domination. Gorman is sent to Superman's small town of Smallville to wipe out Columbia's coffee crop by fiddling with the computer side of a weather satellite. Clark Kent is in town for his class reunion, leading Superman to clash with Gorman, which in turn, leads Gorman to develop a hybrid red Kryptonite. Unwittingly, since Gorman's wits are always in doubt, the Red Kryptonite causes Superman to split into a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde schizophrenia -- but in two separate bodies. As the evil Superman swaggers around town, megalomaniac Ross Webster has other tricks in mind -- and in one of the more memorable action scenes (interspersed with a video game sequence), Superman is chased through the Grand Canyon by a fast-flying, very determined missile. Lana Lang (Annette O'Toole) is on hand for romantic interest (Margot Kidder only appears briefly -- she was growing tired of Lois Lane). ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, (more)
- 1982
- R
- AddRichard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Stripto QueueAddRichard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Stripto top of Queue
Just recovered from his notorious free-basing accident, Richard Pryor made a notable return in the much-acclaimed Live on the Sunset Strip. His comments on that event, as well as his notorious comments on sex, politics and race, pepper the 82-minute concert film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor
In The Toy, director Richard Donner and screenwriter Carol Sobieski update the 1976 Pierre Richard farce Le Jouet as a vehicle for comedian Richard Pryor. Pryor stars as out-of-work journalist Jack Brown, who's hit with the sudden realization that his idle book writing won't pay a 10,000-dollar sum necessary to keep his house from going to auction. Desperate, he is improbably hired as a cleaning lady in the offices of rich businessman and newspaper magnate U.S. Bates (Jackie Gleason). Running afoul of Bates' quick temper, Jack gets the axe, but is later spotted goofing around in a Bates-owned toy store by Bates' bratty son, Eric (Scott Schwartz), who's spending his annual week together with his estranged father. Taking his father's offer that he may have "anything in the store" quite literally, the spoiled kid asks for Jack as his personal toy for the week. Initially unwilling to be treated as a possession, Jack soon agrees after Bates offers to pay him enough to climb out of debt. When Eric's idea of fun includes dumping buckets of booby-trapped oatmeal on Jack's head and riding down the stairs of his father's mansion with Jack riding shotgun in a miniature car, it tests both Jack's patience and his resolve. But Jack discovers that Bates is ignoring Eric, which strengthens the bond between them and prompts them to seek revenge on the big jerk. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Jackie Gleason, (more)
Richard Pryor gives a compelling performance in Some Kind of Hero, playing a Vietnam veteran who tries to readjust to civilian life. Pryor plays Eddie Keller, who has just spent five years in a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp. Most of the time there, Eddie was able to hold his own against his captors, but he eventually was forced to sign a statement denouncing United States involvement in the Vietnam War. Eddie decided to sign the document in order to insure that his friend Vinnie (Ray Sharkey) would be given proper medical treatment. Because of this denunciation, when Eddie returns home from the war he is denied his back pay. He also discovers that his wife has left him for another man, his business has fallen apart, and his mother has been sent to an asylum. Eddie falls into a deep depression and hits rock bottom. But he meets a friendly prostitute, Toni (Margot Kidder), who helps him straighten out his life. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Margot Kidder, (more)
It's The African Queen meets Richard Pryor in this schmaltzy and salty attempt by Pryor to appeal to the family crowd. Pryor plays Joe Braxton, an inept burglar whose parole officer Donald (Robert Christian) wants to help out. Knowing that Joe is an excellent mechanic, he refers him to Vivian Perry (Cicely Tyson), the director of a school for emotionally disturbed children. The school is about to close for lack of funds, and Vivian wants to flee Philadelphia with eight of her charges and get to a farm in Washington State where the children can grow up in the fresh air and away from the urban environment. Joe is enlisted to drive the bus, which continually breaks down en route, permitting Joe plenty of time to interact with the kids -- taking them fishing, teaching them strip poker, and convincing a Vietnamese girl not to sell her body. The prim and proper Vivian holds up her nose at the vulgar and sloppy Joe, so it is inevitable that at journey's end the two will find true romance. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Cicely Tyson, (more)
A broadly farcical comedy that attempts to ape the wickedly funny, Bible-spoofing humor of the previous year's Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), this all-star rib-tickler top-lines Dudley Moore as Herschel, a historical also-ran whose life so closely parallels that of Moses that Herschel begins believing that he, not the other guy, is God's chosen prophet, setting out to free his people from slavery even though his services are not required. Herschel's travels are always a step or two behind Moses and bring him into the company of various period personnel, including Egypt's Pharoah (Richard Pryor), the Devil (John Ritter), an angel (Paul Sand), and the beautiful Zerelda (Laraine Newman). He also discovers that his slave, Hyssop (James Coco), is actually his biological father. Herschel eventually becomes the subject of the lost "Book of Herschel," recounted in a scroll discovered by a modern-day couple (also played by Moore and Newman) vacationing in the Holy Land. Wholly Moses (1980) co-stars several other recognizable actors in supporting roles, including John Houseman, Madeline Kahn, and Jack Gilford. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dudley Moore, Laraine Newman, (more)
