Richard Pryor’s “Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling” (1986) is a harsh, unusual and wildly entertaining drama by producer/co-writer/director/star Pryor about his life as much as that time.
Ostensibly “The Richard Pryor Story,” although containing only some stand-up routines, a single scene exploring his movie profession, and plenty of scenes depicting his self-destructive conduct and drug dependancy.
When this movie arrived in 1986, everybody was all too conscious that Pryor, the stand-up sensation who turned an enormous movie star, had been hospitalized after a lot of his physique was severely burned whereas freebasing cocaine. Pryor’s post-rehab comeback, included live performance movies, taking part in the quasi-villain in “Superman III” (1983), main a couple of unhealthy motion pictures that had been huge hits (just like the wretched however enormously profitable “The Toy”) and even trying a “Sesame Avenue”-esque Saturday morning program referred to as “Pryor’s Place” (1984).
If the thought was to endear himself again to his fanbase and hook up with a brand new, youthful viewers, then the very last thing Pryor wanted was making a film like “Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling.”
Pryor’s movie depicts among the darkest moments of his life, with Pryor replaying these vignettes, lots of which had been seemingly as painful for him to play as they’re for us to observe. Here’s a work that might have felt congratulatory or cloyingly sympathetic, however Pryor goes precisely in the wrong way.
His movie admirably by no means performs like a self-righteous plea for forgiveness.
Pryor avoids making excuses or looking for to reshape himself for a mainstream viewers. To say the least, it’s a daring work. Lengthy out of print, “Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling” is now again, because of a nice re-creation from The Criterion Assortment.
Jo Jo Dancer stands out as the character’s title, however the story is all Pryor’s. The title character is, as Pryor’s bio and particularly his stand-up routines knowledgeable us, a baby who was raised in a brothel. Early promise and failures as a slapstick comedian lead Dancer to discover edgier materials on stage, which is when his comedian skills sharpen but in addition when the temptation and substance abuse begins.
Pryor weirdly has the story start with Dancer/himself within the hospital, the place, wrapped in bandages, Dancer’s soul leaves his physique and Pryor, taking part in a unadorned ghost, offers acidic commentary (however no ironic self-deflection or excuses) on the incident.
The flashbacks unravel in standard order, however Pryor usually cuts again to the hospital room, the place the burned Dancer seems to be a goner, whereas Dancer’s soul revisits pivotal encounters that formed his life.
Contemplating how mainstream, secure and celebratory latest motion pictures on everybody from Freddie Mercury, Bob Marley, Elton John and Tupac Shakur (to call a couple of) have been, it’s refreshing and downright radical to see how Pryor shapes this.
Pryor’s Jo Jo Dancer is a proficient artist and grateful survivor, however that doesn’t imply Pryor is letting himself and/or the character off the hook. It’s as if Pryor made this as a cautionary story to himself as a lot as his fanbase.
The story angle of Dancer’s soul chopping unfastened and searching again on his life might have confirmed to be a mawkish misstep, to not point out painfully sentimental, however Pryor principally makes that work.
The rationale why a lot of that is highly effective is because of how terrific Pryor’s efficiency is. As an alternative of freezing up in his directorial debut (in addition to producing, writing and starring), Pryor’s skill to drag off such a frightening inventive juggling act is wonderful.
Contemplating how demanding the position of Jo Jo Dancer is (the harrowing free base scene, a cabaret efficiency and a public nude scene), Pryor’s extraordinary and principally dramatic efficiency impresses for a way a lot nerve it should have taken him.
“Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling” is just too restricted in its timespan and operating time to be definitive and much more durable to observe than any of his followers might have anticipated. Nonetheless, alongside his concert events “Richard Pryor: Stay in Live performance” (1979) and “Richard Pryor: Stay on the Sundown Strip” (1982) and Pryor’s glorious lead flip in “Blue Collar” (1978), “Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling” is unmissable.
The Criterion launch has an attention-grabbing dialogue of Pryor’s affect by actor/filmmaker Robert Townsend; I like Townsend (his “Hollywood Shuffle” is great) however a extra definitive reflection on Pryor’s life would seemingly come from his former “Harlem Nights” (1989) co-star Eddie Murphy.
A greater function on the disc is an prolonged 1986 interview between Pryor and Dick Cavett, which begins properly, turns right into a trainwreck, overcomes this and grows fascinating, then turns into embarrassing till it finally ends up with a terrific dialogue.
Cavett asks probing questions and shoots himself within the foot all through, and Pryor permits himself to be as weak as he’s humorous. It’s among the many most fascinating discussions I’ve ever seen somebody have with Pryor.
Over time, many information shops have reported makes an attempt to make a brand new movie on Pryor’s life; after Pryor’s loss of life in 2005, everybody from Marlon Wayans to Mike Epps had been as soon as hooked up to introduced however unmade motion pictures about Pryor.
Now, in a time when film biopics have turn out to be not solely routine however too treasured concerning the folks they’re portraying, it’s value noting {that a} movie about Pryor might cowl a number of floor…and sure wind up nowhere close to as harrowing as Pryor’s personal film about himself.