Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip

One of Richard Pryor's concert movies features him talking about a trip to Africa, employment in a Mafia club, and even his freebasing incident ("The burn unit eliminates race. The only color in there is burnt-up muthaf***as!").

After Pryor died, Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock noted that he paved the way for all the African-American comedians who came afterwards. It's hard to deny that. His passing left some big shoes to fill, as did George Carlin's death and Robin Williams's suicide. It must've been quite an experience to get to see Pryor in concert. You're sure to love this performance.

Respect indeed!

Richard Pryor proves his comedic genius here with another comedy film, this time live from the sunset strip. Here, he talks about women, african roots, and Pryor on fire (which is his hilarious account of when he lit himself on fire mixing crack-cocaine). Funny stuff, but not as fully dandy as his 1979 special. Tries as hard as he can, and succeeds in winning the audience over. It also worked for me. Sort of. First of two Pryor comedy films from Columbia-Tristar. A-

Pryor on the cusp and on the mend, halfway between the careening scatological genius of his 70s persona and the PG-rated grown man of the 80s. Yes PG Pryor generally sucks, but you know, setting yourself on fire can and should mellow anybody out. This movie is a stab at synthesis - he's still cultivating his mastery of the squirmy edge, but at the same time he's just turned his keen-eyed intelligence in on himself. It's funny and it's also very, very moving. The N-word disavowal is of course breathtaking - coming from Pryor it's like Rene Levesque doing a stop-smoking PSA. The story of being rescued from his talking freebase pipe by Jim Brown is another peak. And topping all is his seemingly spontaneous response to a shouted Mudbone request, applying that character's merciless storytelling bravado to the ballad of Richard Pryor. There are more dud bits than I'd like, but who cares? This is a fitting testament to a great artist and a good man.

Richard Pryor performs his stand-up comedy act on the Sunset Strip.

This shows us the benefit of editing two performances together -- we get the best of two shows, making it better than seeing either one of them live.

Pryor has a vulgar routine on sex, and how showbiz has the perk of more women, including one night with an unnamed Playboy Bunny. We hear how Africa has black people that are actually black (suggesting that American black people are not completely black).

We get a great story on how he worked in a Mafia night club in Youngstown, Ohio with stripper Satin Doll, and how "crime don't pay". (Unfortunately, he again does not name names.)

Most striking of all, though, is his frank discussion of cocaine use. Not regretful, he tells it like it is (or was).

In his second most successful concert movie, again we brace ourselves for what magical dynamic stuff that will spout out of the mouth of an undying and legendary comic, who was pure genius. He cuts the surface of truth with his jokes, which makes so funny. The height of laughs for me, was when he was talking about the mafia. We've guaranteed ongoing laughs here, with new original material, where if your anti swearing, again take a rain check. Again 78 minutes passes by easy in another engrossing night of comedy, where our priceless Pryor tells those lengthy stories where that and vulgarity blend so well, where truths are told in funny and inventive scenarios, wonderfully written, where laughter just has us. No there never has been, or never will be, someone so sharp and cutting, or brilliant, like our Richard. Another concert movie success, in the city of Angels.