Which Way is Up?
Richard Pryor works very hard, playing three different roles, to make the 1977 farce Which Way is Up? seem a lot better than it really is.
Pryor plays Leroy Jones, a California orange picker who ends up accidentally joining a union and being linked to its crooked leader, which motivates him employers to send him out of town. He travels to Los Angeles where he meets a Union activist (Lonette McKee) who falls for him, despite the fact that he's married and makes him promise to never have sex with any other woman.
Leroy returns to his hometown and is given an important position at a union-owned company where he gets jobs for his old orange picking buddies but his job eventually forces him to betray them. His life is further complicated when he learns his wife (Margaret Avery) is pregnant after an affair with a sleazy married preacher (also Pryor). So he decides to exact revenge on the preacher by having sex with his wife (Marilyn Coleman).
This comedy is allegedly a re-working of a Lina Wertmuller film called The Seduction of Mimi, who actually co-wrote the screenplay for this film, along with Carl Gottlieb which has effectively been tailored to suit the talents of the star and takes full advantage of them, including the very adult language and situations that we expect from Pryor. In addition to playing Leroy and Preacher Thomas, Pryor also plays Leroy's father and this character just might be Pryor's strongest work in the film. The Leroy Jones character is a sexist jerk but Pryor keeps him likable for the majority of the running time.
The story is a little complex and hard to follow at times, but Pryor's effortless screen charisma and his knack for physical comedy help keep the viewer invested in the proceedings. McKee is an attractive and intelligent leading lady and Coleman is a riot as the Preacher's wife. Mention should also be made of Morgan Woodward as a very hissable bad guy. Pryor has definitely done better work, but his hardcore fans will definitely find the funny here.
Richard Pryor works very hard, playing three different roles, to make the 1977 farce Which Way is Up? seem a lot better than it really is.
Pryor plays Leroy Jones, a California orange picker who ends up accidentally joining a union and being linked to its crooked leader, which motivates him employers to send him out of town. He travels to Los Angeles where he meets a Union activist (Lonette McKee) who falls for him, despite the fact that he's married and makes him promise to never have sex with any other woman.
Leroy returns to his hometown and is given an important position at a union-owned company where he gets jobs for his old orange picking buddies but his job eventually forces him to betray them. His life is further complicated when he learns his wife (Margaret Avery) is pregnant after an affair with a sleazy married preacher (also Pryor). So he decides to exact revenge on the preacher by having sex with his wife (Marilyn Coleman).
This comedy is allegedly a re-working of a Lina Wertmuller film called The Seduction of Mimi, who actually co-wrote the screenplay for this film, along with Carl Gottlieb which has effectively been tailored to suit the talents of the star and takes full advantage of them, including the very adult language and situations that we expect from Pryor. In addition to playing Leroy and Preacher Thomas, Pryor also plays Leroy's father and this character just might be Pryor's strongest work in the film. The Leroy Jones character is a sexist jerk but Pryor keeps him likable for the majority of the running time.
The story is a little complex and hard to follow at times, but Pryor's effortless screen charisma and his knack for physical comedy help keep the viewer invested in the proceedings. McKee is an attractive and intelligent leading lady and Coleman is a riot as the Preacher's wife. Mention should also be made of Morgan Woodward as a very hissable bad guy. Pryor has definitely done better work, but his hardcore fans will definitely find the funny here.