On J List of Movie Reviews

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Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986)

Rate: 4
Viewed: 4/25

JoJo
4/25: Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling is a noble directorial effort by Richard Pryor.

The storytelling is unique with some good parts. Anyone can tell it's somewhat based on Richard Pryor's life by reading a bit of his biography. He burned himself in 1980 while freebasing cocaine. His mother was a prostitute, and as a result, he grew up in a brothel run by his grandmother in Peoria, Illinois, instead of Morton, Ohio.

Unfortunately, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling is quite uneven in many ways. When it comes to the stand-up comedy, the jokes are stale, but they aren't as bad as those in Punchline. It seems like everybody started to laugh whenever a curse word or "nigger" was uttered. Richard Pryor can do much better than that. At least, the all-around solid acting serves the film well.

All in all, although not deep as hoped for, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling is the closest in understanding how Richard Pryor came to be who he was.