| Pryor shows his true genius onstage |
The Toy. Superman III. Critical Condition. Forget Richard Pryor's occasionally shaky film work; stand-up comedy is where he truly belongs. Filmed two years in a row, "Live on the Sunset Strip" and "Here and Now" remind us why Pryor was so good at comedy.
Armed with only a microphone and his signature mustache, Pryor fires scatter-shot at everything, but mostly himself. From his dangerous dances with drugs, sex, prison, white people & rednecks, drinking & vomiting to visiting the African bush, Pryor can find humor in any precarious situation.
LOTSS is probably the stronger of the two, a fast-paced concert that of course, touches on his then-recent controversy of accidentally setting himself on fire ("The Real Story? I was having some milk & cookies...").
HAN is razor-sharp as well. Pryor even does a routine with a live hermit crab an audience member brings to him--no kidding! The material sags a bit near the end, but it's pure brilliance all the way through.
As Pryor himself has mentioned when complaints about his profanity arised: "I've never said dirty words just for shock value. Every bad word has a story or meaning behind it. In other words, there's always substance."
And what better way to celebrate his comic legacy than with this DVD concert double feature. Long live Pryor! |
5 Rating
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