Toubib malgré lui

Richard Pryor pulls off a good performance as Kevin and a doctor.Bob saget and the rest of the cast perform well.it's enjoyable and I'd recommend it to all adult audiences.

Basically a vehicle for Pryor, this is a rough and somewhat ugly movie, disfigured in part by a surfeit of swearing in a film that doesn't need it and a bunch of vaguely unsympathetic characters. The central plot – a framed man who has claimed insanity has to pretend to be a doctor during a blackout at a hospital – is intriguing if somewhat convoluted. As a twist on the fish-out-of-water story, it has much potential, in the same way that Woody Allen's "Hollywood Ending" has much potential in its premise of a suddenly-blind director having to go through the entire shoot without letting anyone know he is blind. Just as with that movie, "Critical Condition" mainly fails to capitalize on its potential, and the film is oddly slow-moving and genuine laughs are hard to come by.

Pryor does well to work with the underdeveloped material, and Rachel Ticotin adds solid support in the role of the hospital administrator. There is a nice addition of a subplot involving crooks roaming the hospital to add to the tension of the staff and patients trying to survive the power outage, and the film as a whole is at least watchable, but not very memorable. It does not have widespread appeal as a comedy/thriller and should probably be best recommended for Pryor fans only.

Tick off another Richard Pryor comedy vehicle, which actually wasn't too bad even though it had him playing the same sort of comic role and the humour could be put off by its heavy-handed running themes. Pryor stars as an ex-con who poses as a psycho to get out of a jail sentence, so the judge sends him to a hospital where he would find himself posing as an emergency room doctor one night in his attempt to escape during a cyclone because the doctors don't believe him to be insane. This hospital comedy is zany, crude and very often unhinged, as Pryor plays it neurotic with a certain deadpan quality and across him was the lovely Rachel Ticotin. The support cast surrounding him are quite good in their deliveries. Ruben Blades, Sylvia Miles, Joe Mantegna, Bob Dishy, Garrett Morris, Randel "Tex" Cobb, Bob Saget and John Polito. The hodge podge story throws around many ideas and gags in a downright chaotic manner, from mistaken identity to offbeat medical techniques and displaying confidence in those around you to act upon your own judgement leading the way. "Critical Condition" is far from a lethal injection, as in the end it all comes together in an amusing haphazard way led by the likable comedian Pryor.

"He doesn't need a second opinion".

As much as I love Richard Pryor, this movie is well, awful. I haven't seen this movie in years and recently watched it on one of the paid movie services. I originally saw it when it was released in the theaters because I have always followed Richard Pryor's career. The concept of the movie just doesn't fly and having Randall "Tex" Cobb as a main character didn't help any. Honestly, I won't invest another hour and a half to ever watching this again. There are also some other "B" actors such as Joe Mantegna and Bob Saget but they are not very good either in this movie. Sorry Richard, you are a great performer but this movie stinks.

A highly underrated film that is filled with Pryor's subtle brand of caustic humor.

If you have never seen this rent it tonight! Possibly Pryor's Citizen Kane.

Yes, I said it! This film may be slow in the script dept. but follow Pryor's every move and you will laugh your a$# off!! Garret Morris and Randall "Tex" Cobb are highlites to watch for. Bob Saget gets a nod for showing up.

Thanks Richard, you made us laugh, and did so admirably. You will not be missed, thanks to reruns and DVD's.