Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip (1982)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Joe Layton

Writer:

Richard Pryor (writer)

Release Date:

12 March 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Documentary

Plot:

One of comedian Richard Pryor's live performances (at the Sunset Strip, obviously) caught on film. Pryor talks about most of his standard subjects...

Plot Keywords:

Concert Film | Performer Name In Title | Person On Fire | Vulgarity | Stand Up Comedy

Cast

Richard Pryor

...

Himself

Also Known As:

Live on the Sunset Strip (Australia)

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:R | UK:15 | USA:R

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Quotes:

Richard Pryor: When that fire hit your ass, it will sober your ass up *quick*! I saw something, I went, "Well, that's a pretty blue. You know what? That looks like *fire*!" Fire is inspirational. They should use it in the Olympics, because I ran the 100 in 4.3.

Movie Connections:

Edited into The N Word (2004)

The Best!

In my opinion, Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip, is the funniest and best example of the genius at work. It is doubly interesting when you consider that it was made not long after Pryor's "Burn Up" accident, to use his way of speaking. Despite this, Pryor hasn't at this point lost any of the inventiveness and imagination wich made him one of the most original, freshest and warm comedians, and perhaps, when in top gear, the best comedian in the world. The audience really responds to him here, hanging on his every word and wanting him to do well. They are with him all the way, as you will be too when you watch it. Pryor opens up the monologues and hysterical stories at machine gun pace, and belly laughs are gauranted. Pryor doesn't dodge anything, retelling side acing tales of his run ins with the mafia, the making of Stir Crazy, his discovery of Masturbation, and most interestingly and humorous his exploding incident : "Of all the brothers who have free based how many do you know who have blew up? Why Me? I started to burn up and i was so high, i didn't even know what was happening. I looked at my hand on fire and thought, hey thats a pretty blue. I was all bandaged up in Hospital and came on the news, Richard Pryor died five minutes ago, i shouted noooooooooooo! wait on a minute jack"

It is equally interesting to take note of how many other comedians have "Borrowed" drom Pryor over the years. For instance, Billy Connoly has quite often used the self mocking humour that Pryor uses to full swing here, and Eddie Murphy is on a much stronger level prone to using the black angst in his performance. Richard Pryor does it better than both here, and Live at the Sunset Strip is an absolute Stand Up Cinema Comedy classic.