38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best Pryor stand-up, July 9, 2001
I wanted to enjoy this video so bad (especially since I had purchased my copy instead of renting it). So far I've seen Live on the Sunset Strip, which was probably the funniest and best, and Richard Pryor Live in Concert, which was really close.
I gave this 3 stars because it had 3 good laughs, but I was hoping there would be more. It's only about 45 minutes long, which I was kind of disapointed about at first, then about half an hour in, I caught myself thinking, "oh good, past the halfway mark." With his other performances, I wanted them to go on and on and was sad they were over. This is fairly early standup from 1971. It appears to have been filmed at a supper club, not that the audience is shown at all, but because I could hear silverware clinking against plates in the background. Some of the material goes past raunchy and into gross-out, or at least gross enough that I felt bad for the people in the club who were eating while watching.
Pryor does do some funny material, especially comparing how white people do stuff (have dinner, have sex, etc)with how black people do it. I know Chris Rock and Eddie Murphy have done this topic over and over, but let's face it, Pryor did it first. Rock and Murphy both freely admit that he was their idol and the reason they wanted to do stand up, and since I've seen almost all the Chris Rock and Eddie Murphy standup there is, it's funny to see Pryor doing a routine that they both have obviously been inspired by. I am sorry to say that Pryor was seriously under the influence of coke when they filmed this; it would have just been a guess but Pryor very openly and bluntly says how much he loves cocaine, can't get enough of it, and can't stop doing it at the beginning of the video. He also seems much more wired than usual. This is fine, but it gets to the point of affecting his performance (several times he nervously adlibs asides that make no sense).
One thing that was poignant that another review I read mentioned was that Pryor jokes about his hellish childhood, blurting out that his mother turned tricks while he was home. He sort of hangs his head quietly and smokes after he says it (it's even more uncomfortable because there's this kind of awkward silence in the club when he talks about it) and it's obvious he still is very sad about it. The production values aren't that great. They have to keep fading in and out, jumping ahead in the performance, probably because he went on one of his drug-induced tangents. Then it has a really abrupt ending, Pryor is doing his wino routine, which is pretty funny, and it seems like he's practically in the middle of a sentence when they freeze it and go to the credits. I could almost hear the editors saying, 'I think I'll end the movie riiight...HERE!" (end).
Pryor is very talented, and I'm not saying that the video doesn't have its moments. It's just that I've seen so much better from this brilliant, hilarious guy. I would just recommend that if you haven't seen any filmed/videotaped performances, don't pick this one to start, try one of the ones I mentioned at the beginning of the review.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heart-wrenching, August 7, 2004
This review is from: Richard Pryor - Live & Smokin' (DVD)
I understand why people prefer videos like Live at the Sunset Strip, but what those people fail to see is that this is one of the rawest, most heart-wrenching stand-up performances ever put on film.
From start to finish, Pryor is laying himself bare--I'd give this video four stars for his boldness alone--being completely honest and in the moment, without a care as to whether the audience is "with" him or not. Several times they clearly are not--you can sense the tension in the room when he chastises a walk-out and admits to having homosexual experiences.
It is the monologue where Pryor transforms himself into "Willy the Junkie," however, that makes this video a must for anyone interested in the art of stand-up comedy. It's a masterpiece of audience manipulation--at first, it seems like a harmless, amusing caracature, but soon it morphs into a horrifyingly honest portrayl. I dare anyone to watch this and not have a strong reaction of some sort (it had me in tears). Granted, it isn't funny (who says stand-up has to be funny at all times?), but it shows what Pryor was best at: exploring the area that most people spend their whole lives trying to avoid--The Rock Bottom.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting look at what was to come, June 12, 2001
Filmed at New York's Improv in 1971, we see a young Pryor working on perfecting the kind of material that made him famous. More polished versions of some of these routines may be found on the 1971 album "Craps After Hours." However, witness the powerful moment when he alludes to his mother's prostitution, then drops his head in sadness and takes a drag from his cigarette after realizing what he has just said. This scene alone is worth the price of admission in this important look at what was to come.
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