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Richard Pryor: Here And Now
Columbia/Tri-Star // R // January 29, 2002
List Price: $19.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
THE STRAIGHT DOPE:
Richard Pryor's influence on comedians that came after him, from Eddie Murphy to Martin Lawrence to Bernie Mac, has been profound. Watching one of his stand-up performances is like attending a master class on aggressive, confrontational, self-deprecating humor. His 1983 concert film Richard Pryor: Here and Now is the last one he filmed (one more film was culled from earlier performances) and is the only one he directed himself. There are no gimmicks, no diversions, and no distractions. For 90 minutes Pryor stands on a stage and gives his New Orleans audience what they came for: His lip. The funny thing about this performance is that the prepared material is only part of the show. Sure, there are solid riffs on race, poverty, sex, and a trip to Africa, but some of the funniest material comes from the interplay between Pryor and the surprisingly loudmouthed crowd. Early in the film, in a segment from a different show an audience member asks Pryor for an autograph. "You take this and stuff it up your ass," the comic responds. "How's your mama?" hollers another fan, which sends Pryor on a tirade for a couple of minutes. Similarly he's got plenty to say to any fools late enough that they have to disrupt the show while looking for their seats. Possibly the strangest part of the show comes when a guy hands the comedian a hermit racing crab in a glass and an inflatable rubber swan. Pryor does a whole impromptu routine on the crab's discovery of the top of a stool. His wit is wicked and his delivery biting. This isn't the wham-bang high speed comedy of Chris Rock, but rather more of a slow burn. Pryor seems to seethe with rage at times and projects real love for his fans at others. Here and Now may come a little late in his career (his earlier comedy films show him a bit hungrier) but it's still a good distillation of his style. From his slow "Mudbone" character to his jokes about Ronald Reagan ("He looked like a dick with clothes on!") he's in fine form. He saves some of his best material for his battle with drugs and discusses the war on drugs in general. "They call it an epidemic," he says. "That means white folks are doing it." VIDEO:
The video is available both in a surprisingly clean anamorphic widescreen version and pan and scan. The cinematography is simple: Mostly just shots of Pryor on stage. Still, it's shot on film and looks pretty good. AUDIO:
The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio is fine. Pryor's voice is recorded well and much of the audience banter is clearly audible. Even the stuff from the back of the room is included in the subtitles, which is a very nice thing (one note: Pryor's funny noises and fake African language have not been spelled out in the subtitles, so anyone needing them will spend a bit of time watching his mouth move without reading what he's saying. EXTRAS:
There are no extras. FINAL THOUGHTS:
This may not necessarily be his best concert film but Richard Pryor's performance in Here and Now is solidly entertaining. His frankness and honesty combined with his inimitable timing and use of language are all on display as the qualities that make him one of the most important American comedians of all time. E-mail Gil at [email protected]
Richard Pryor's influence on comedians that came after him, from Eddie Murphy to Martin Lawrence to Bernie Mac, has been profound. Watching one of his stand-up performances is like attending a master class on aggressive, confrontational, self-deprecating humor. His 1983 concert film Richard Pryor: Here and Now is the last one he filmed (one more film was culled from earlier performances) and is the only one he directed himself. There are no gimmicks, no diversions, and no distractions. For 90 minutes Pryor stands on a stage and gives his New Orleans audience what they came for: His lip. The funny thing about this performance is that the prepared material is only part of the show. Sure, there are solid riffs on race, poverty, sex, and a trip to Africa, but some of the funniest material comes from the interplay between Pryor and the surprisingly loudmouthed crowd. Early in the film, in a segment from a different show an audience member asks Pryor for an autograph. "You take this and stuff it up your ass," the comic responds. "How's your mama?" hollers another fan, which sends Pryor on a tirade for a couple of minutes. Similarly he's got plenty to say to any fools late enough that they have to disrupt the show while looking for their seats. Possibly the strangest part of the show comes when a guy hands the comedian a hermit racing crab in a glass and an inflatable rubber swan. Pryor does a whole impromptu routine on the crab's discovery of the top of a stool. His wit is wicked and his delivery biting. This isn't the wham-bang high speed comedy of Chris Rock, but rather more of a slow burn. Pryor seems to seethe with rage at times and projects real love for his fans at others. Here and Now may come a little late in his career (his earlier comedy films show him a bit hungrier) but it's still a good distillation of his style. From his slow "Mudbone" character to his jokes about Ronald Reagan ("He looked like a dick with clothes on!") he's in fine form. He saves some of his best material for his battle with drugs and discusses the war on drugs in general. "They call it an epidemic," he says. "That means white folks are doing it." VIDEO:
The video is available both in a surprisingly clean anamorphic widescreen version and pan and scan. The cinematography is simple: Mostly just shots of Pryor on stage. Still, it's shot on film and looks pretty good. AUDIO:
The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio is fine. Pryor's voice is recorded well and much of the audience banter is clearly audible. Even the stuff from the back of the room is included in the subtitles, which is a very nice thing (one note: Pryor's funny noises and fake African language have not been spelled out in the subtitles, so anyone needing them will spend a bit of time watching his mouth move without reading what he's saying. EXTRAS:
There are no extras. FINAL THOUGHTS:
This may not necessarily be his best concert film but Richard Pryor's performance in Here and Now is solidly entertaining. His frankness and honesty combined with his inimitable timing and use of language are all on display as the qualities that make him one of the most important American comedians of all time. E-mail Gil at [email protected]
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