Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

view_and_review When I was a kid I would watch this movie over and over and never tire of it. It was a favorite of mine. I knew nothing of the plot I only knew that Richard Pryor was a cut up and he was playing the role of a child's toy.Well, I just watched this movie this morning and this movie is humiliating. Richard Pryor plays Jack Brown, a clown claiming to be a journalist. No, he wasn't a clown by trade, he was a journalist but he was such a buffoon that there's no way he could've legitimately became a journalist. His foolish antics were so extreme that they got him fired as a cleaning "lady" (yes, cleaning lady) and got him hired as a child's toy. Not only was it humiliating watching Richard Pryor play the role of a total screw up but the humiliation only intensified when he was purchased. Yes, purchased; much like a slave trader would purchase a slave at an auction. A rich white kid named Eric Bates (Scott Schwartz) quite literally said, "I want to buy that black man." Jack Brown allowed himself to be bought/rented all the while proclaiming he had dignity.From there it was a series of abuse at the hands of Master Eric as is the norm with children and their toys. I guess there was a message built into the movie but it was lost on me because it was so horribly done. Whatever point that was made when Jack Brown and Eric Bates forged their relationship was lost amidst the complete buffoonery on Jack Brown's part. He lavishly screws up time and again yet had the nerves to ask U.S. Bates (Jackie Gleason) for a job as a journalist at his paper--commenting that no men of color worked there. If he hired Jack Brown it would have only been to fill a quota because Jack wasn't qualified to shine shoes let alone write for a newspaper.This farcical show was wretched. Pryor is a total stooge, Gleason is an oblivious quasi-racist rich fat cat and the kid is just another spoiled rich kid. If you like seeing black men playing stereotypical dumb you-know-what roles then this is the movie for you.

SnoopyStyle Jack Brown (Richard Pryor) is a struggling writer in Baton Rouge. He's even playing poker for food stamps. His family home is about to be auctioned off unless he can come up with $10k or get a job. In desperation, he applies for a maid's job for wealthy U.S. Bates (Jackie Gleason). Sydney Morehouse (Ned Beatty) reluctantly hires him after getting threatened with a lawsuit. U.S. fires him but U.S.'s spoiled 9 year old son "Master" Eric Bates (Scott Schwartz) finds the black janitor fascinating. Eric demands to buy him since U.S. promised Eric anything in his department store. U.S. is an absentee divorced father with Eric only one week every year. U.S. is married to bubbly new wife Fancy (Teresa Ganzel).I love Richard Pryor. Yes I'm the one guy who likes Superman III. He has an instant likability and that makes all the difference. Quite frankly, I missed all the racial undertones as a kid watching this movie. I just found it fun with a touching story of a family coming back together. I don't even mind the annoying brat because it allows him to grow as a human being. It's all very heart warming. I also loved all the toys as a kid and there is nothing better than Pryor.

possedard Everyone wants to talk about the racial overtones. ***NEWS FLASH*** White folks do not wake up every morning thinking about how to screw over black folks. The movie was great. I loved it then and I love it now. I'm pretty sure the people who made this movie decided to make a funny movie with a great comedian of that era. I couldn't think of a better comedian to have as a toy, white or black.To all my folks who seem to get upset at Richard Pryor and or the directors for making this movie, don't be. Be upset at Petey Greene for showing everyone how to eat a watermelon. You Tube that if you don't believe me.

moviedude1 Richard Pryor stars as a down and out writer who ends up as a human toy for multi-billionaire Jackie Gleason's son. The combination results in comedy that only a man like Richard Pryor could take and make even funnier.Shades of his stand up act stand out when the focus is on Pryor and some of the situations he gets himself into and he uses this time to shine. Jackie Gleason played well, too, as the straight man, but I don't think this was his forte, although, come to think of it, this role isn't that much different from the "straight guy" kind of role he played in the "Smokey and the Bandit" films, but he was a LOT funnier in those films than here.The only problem I have with this film is that it starts to go for the throat of comedy, but ends up being a piece trying to deal with the issues at the time...almost like changing boats in the middle of the stream. The comedy continues throughout, but it changes its content, which distracted me a little.7 out of 10 stars.