'Another You' at the time, and still is now, the most poorly received Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor film in terms of box office and critical reaction, being both a box office failure and considered by a good many as their worst.
From personal opinion, 'Another You' is agreed their weakest, but it is nowhere near as bad as its reputation while also having potential to be much better. Of their four double act collaborations, my personal favourite is 'Silver Streak' while also really enjoying 'Stir Crazy' mostly (where the partnership between the two is more equal and even more inspired) if not as even (with a second half that doesn't fare as well as the first half). 'See No Evil, Hear No Evil', a critical failure but unlike 'Another You' a box office success, was uneven and not a great film by any stretch of the imagination, but was also not as bad as reputed.
There are good things about 'Another You'. It looks pretty good, really liked the rustic costume and set design and the photography doesn't look too cheap. Charles Gross' music is a good, sometimes quirky, never over-bearing and rarely mismatched, fit.
Wilder and Pryor work very well together and show what a great double act and comedy duo they were. Wilder does give the better performance here, being full of energy and sometimes very funny. Pryor is hampered by the multiple sclerosis that he was suffering from at the time, which makes him look ill and stiff, and he is a little underused and for Pryor fairly subdued, this said he still provides enough entertaining moments and is very much watchable.
Some of the dialogue and jokes are fun and witty too. That quality doesn't come through consistently enough, but 'Another You' is one of those films that has its good moments and elements and hardly irredeemably bad. The supporting cast do well with what they're given, what 'Another You' has over 'See No Evil, Hear No Evil' is that the supporting cast are better here.
However, the story mostly is non-descript, and what there is of it is jumbled and disjointed. It also has erratic pacing, sometimes rushed, at other times with a few dull stretches, and it could have done with being 10-15 minutes longer to tie things up more tightly. Despite a decent premise, the laughs don't come consistently. Parts of the dialogue are lacklustre, there are some tasteless and less than subtle jokes about the mentally ill (which is one of the reasons why 'Another You' is Wilder and Pryor's weakest, because despite a lack of subtlety in places 'See No Evil, Hear No Evil' handled its premise nowhere near as distastefully as it potentially could have done) and the yodelling scene agreed is an embarrassment and should have been left on the editing room floor.
Overall, Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor's weakest film but not as bad as reputed. 5/10 Bethany Cox
