Product Details

• Actors: Richard Pryor, Lonette McKee, Margaret Avery, Morgan Woodward, Marilyn Coleman
• Directors: Michael Schultz
• Writers: Carl Gottlieb, Cecil Brown, Lina Wertmüller, Sonny Gordon
• Producers: Michael Chinich, Steve Krantz
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: June 20, 1995
• Run Time: 94 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0783213638
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,998 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This 1977 American variation on Lina Wertmuller's The Seduction of Mimi, the story of a stupid man's troubles in sex and politics, is a run-of-the-mill Richard Pryor vehicle. Noteworthy only for its casting of two good actresses, Lonette McKee and Margaret Avery, and Pryor's multiple roles as an orange picker, a lecherous old man, and a minister, the film is made without a lot of care or effort to rise to Wertmuller's satiric accomplishment. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious Genius, February 8, 2005

By 

todd rich "scoop 69" (makin it happen , nc United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Which Way is Up? (DVD)

" Which Way Is Up " , has been , and still is one of the funniest movies , that I've seen. From the beginning to the end , it's just down right hilarious. I'm smiling right now , just thinking about certain scenes. The script isn't original , by any means...but Richard Pryor's comedic talents take this film to unprecedented heights of humor. During a period of 1970's film making , when stereotypical images of Blacks , were the norm , this film is highly likely to offend people who are desiring political correctness.However , if you're able to except this film , for what it is .....you'll soon find yourself laughing at every ludricrous scene. I think the genuine qualities, of this film , are that it doesn't try to be something it isn't. It also doesn't attmept to be over-the-top, ridiculous. It simply tells the story of Leroy Jones's ( a young man , who leads a life of stagnant impoverishment), relocation to the big city. Motivated by the prospects of new romance , more money , and the threat of being killed for unknowingly starting a worker's strike ( in his hometown)...Leroy moves.Early and dedicated perfomances by Leonette Mckee ( Sparkle , Jungle Fever , Malcom X , ect ) , Marilyn Coleman ( Menace 2 Society , Looking for Mr. Goodbar, ect. ), and Margaret Avery ( Color Purple ), give this film an inescapable sence of truth. Honestly , if it weren't for the cast's ability to play their characters with an honest sense of seriousness , this film wouldn't be so funny. But that's the key to " Which Way Is Up". And that's why it's still hilarious, today. I highly recommend it and it will remain one of the funniest movies that I've ever seen.The dvd doesn't offer anything , but the ability to skip and choose scenes . However , this film, captures Richard Pryor ( playing three different charactors ) during his comedic prime , and that's well worth the money you'll spend.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Richard Pryor Movie, October 11, 2001

By 

Patrice J. Jackson (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Which Way Is Up [VHS] (VHS Tape)

In the career of every great comedian (and Richard is the greatest), there is, and always will be one movie that serves as their stand out film. "Which Way Is Up" is that for Richard Pryor; just as "Coming To America" is for Eddie Murphy.

Richard Pryor had the gift to play multiple characters, and make them all different. Just the look of the old man (Leroy's father), with the fluffy looking hair and eyebrows, he will make you fall out laughing- and this is before you hear him say anything. The "Reverend Lennox Thomas" is another character that will make you think of people like the infamous "Reverend Ike". But it's the sermons that will have you on the floor laughing! Leroy...well...Leroy is a lost man, and everyone around him knows it- all except him!

This is a movie for all those who need a damn good laugh, or need a reminder of why people like Eddie Murphy and Chris Tucker do what they do. Richard is the greatest of all time- this movie proves that!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine art? No... Funny? Hell yes!, April 25, 2003

By 

David W. Coleman "Sportside Books" (Buckeye, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Which Way is Up? (DVD)

This movie has been dismissed by reviewers for its crudity. Well, "Which Way Is Up?" wasn't meant to appeal to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It was, unashamedly, made to appeal to the Black audience (there was no such thing as African-American in those days), and its total aim was to make that audience laugh! And it succeeded, spectacularly!! I was familiar with Richard Pryor from his toned-down appearances on The Flip Wilson Show, but this was a comedian who would do or say anything for a laugh. During his prime, no one was funnier than Richard Pryor, and he became a big star, so it wasn't just Black people who recognized his genius. This movie was his first opportunity to showcase his comedic vision in a starring role (acutally three of them). There are so many memorable scenes, and I don't want to give any of them away, so I won't. What I will say is that if you want to laugh, and you have any knowledge at all about Black culture thru the late seventies, and you haven't seen this movie, you've missed a treasure. The first time I watched it, I nearly split my side laughing. I'm talking about laughing so hard, I was crying; laughing so hard, my stomach hurt; laughing so hard, I hyperventilated; laughing so hard -- Well, you remember that phrase from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" about, "It's a gasser!"? Yeah, laughing THAT hard. For my money, Richard Pryor may have become more famous after "Which Way Is Up?", but he was never funnier than this!