Chances are your warped little mind grew up around Richard Pryor. The man was responsible for many guffaws around my house in movies and on records, and now it’s time to win the Richard Pryor 4-Movie Collection, courtesy of your good friends you love to loathe at CHUD. Included in the package are Brewster’s Millions, Bustin’ Loose, Which Way is Up? and Car Wash, the latter was actually one of the jumping off points for everyone’s favorite Batman & Robin director.
Brewster’s Millions finds Pryor in a toned-down mode from his usual hyperkinetic free-flowing truths, but that in no way means he’s not committed to bringing you the funny. Pryor’s comedic talents were still raging in the film where Hume Cronyn leaves him $300 Million – with a catch. He must spend $30,000,000.00 of those grimy bills in exactly 30 days or get none of it. At all. This being one of the many incarnations of the story throughout cinematic history, Director Walter Hill brings in John Candy as Pryor’s catchin’ pal and the slimy Steven Collins as the moneysucking lawyer. The rest is a smile-inducing time in nostalgic glee.
Bustin’ Loose has Pryor throwing on his family skills as a former ex-con turned to the honest side. Busing a truckload of mentally disturbed kids from Philly to Washington State sounds good enough for him, especially with the vivacious Cicely Tyson on board. But things continually go wrong – from the bus breaking down to Pryor teaching the kids how to convince Vietnamese Girls not to turn to prostitution – and the result is something short of greatness, but still laughable.
In Which Way is Up? Pryor thumbs his nose at Eddie Murphy’s multi-character skills decades prior, with his portrayals of three characters – the poor Leroy Jones, his horny Father, and a hot and bothered Reverend – in the story of a man who is forced to travel to Los Angeles. Easily manipulated, Jones quickly discovers that Los Angeles eats those types of people for breakfast, then rushes over to scour the morning trades and check Z Channel.
Finally, in Car Wash, Joel Schumacher scripts the tale of Pryor’s gold limousine and the colorful lives of those impacted around the rinse and wash. Pryor’s preaching man of ‘action’ (in more ways than one) Daddy Rich is arguably one of the films brighter spots, especially when he’s so deliciously deceptive. He took that small role and made it his, because as you know – the best place for money is in his pocket.
How do you get yourself this set? EASY. And I mean it. Just e-mail me your NAME and ADDRESS with PRYOR DVD CONTEST in the subject line. So enter immediately – but ONLY ENTER ONCE using the e-mail below.
chud.special.edition@gmail.com
Winners will be picked at complete random and subjected to torture and harassment from myself. This contest will run for about a week and then winners notified shortly thereafter. No questions, no head-scratching wonderment, and no hard work on your lazy asses.
Good luck!