This is what happens when you try to restrain Richard Pryor's talents to a relatively safe and formulaic setting. It just doesn't fit. The film's writers and producers obviously couldn't make their minds up about what direction they were going to take this in. Family comedy, Pryor vehicle or kick ass suburban nightmare send-off? In they end they tried to attach all three and not surprisingly the result is a poorly paced and confused affair lacking coherence and overall good direction.
'The Burbs' was intelligent because it kind of put you in a safe and familiar environment then turned it on it's head. It also had some really well developed characters. But there is little at best of that here.
Randy Quaid's character is supposed to be the neighbour from hell. At least that is what we're told and what is instigated through Pryor's reaction to him. But we don't actually see much evidence of this. Which kind of made me not really understand why Pryor hated him so much. Shame as well because this is the kind of role that big Randy usually kicks ass in ie. - 'National Lampoons Vacations I,II and IV' and 'Next Door'.
The removals guys were just really predictable (with the King Kong Bundy joke not really working nowadays) and though he usually makes me laugh the Dana Carvey section just wasn't well.......funny.
The side stories about Pryor's daughter staying behind in Jersey because of her new boyfriend also just falls apart. He doesn't answer a call from her the night after her folks leave so from that we are meant to infer I think that he is cheating or something so she just ups sticks and moves out after her folks. Okay. But what the hell does this contribute to the story? Similarly Pryor's two twin sons decide to pass themselves off as one person throughout the movie. Ah the old identical twin joke. So their parents never went to a parent's night obviously as they claim that nobody ,outside the family home, has ever clocked onto it in their 12 years of existence. And this plot device is used for? Well nothing. Just another inconsequential little side story with no resolution.
The whole bit involving Pryor becoming a Post-Apocalyptic like, Kung-Fu using warrior out of frustration is more embarrassing than entertaining sadly. This films just left me feeling disappointed as there were certainly the tools and potential for something more.
As it is it's more of a kind of mild and forgetful rainy Saturday afternoon type of experience. Check out 'Neighbours'and 'Funny Farm' if your looking for something in the same territory which hits the mark more often. See 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' or 'The Burbs' if your looking something along the same lines but which is completely superior.
'The Burbs' was intelligent because it kind of put you in a safe and familiar environment then turned it on it's head. It also had some really well developed characters. But there is little at best of that here.
Randy Quaid's character is supposed to be the neighbour from hell. At least that is what we're told and what is instigated through Pryor's reaction to him. But we don't actually see much evidence of this. Which kind of made me not really understand why Pryor hated him so much. Shame as well because this is the kind of role that big Randy usually kicks ass in ie. - 'National Lampoons Vacations I,II and IV' and 'Next Door'.
The removals guys were just really predictable (with the King Kong Bundy joke not really working nowadays) and though he usually makes me laugh the Dana Carvey section just wasn't well.......funny.
The side stories about Pryor's daughter staying behind in Jersey because of her new boyfriend also just falls apart. He doesn't answer a call from her the night after her folks leave so from that we are meant to infer I think that he is cheating or something so she just ups sticks and moves out after her folks. Okay. But what the hell does this contribute to the story? Similarly Pryor's two twin sons decide to pass themselves off as one person throughout the movie. Ah the old identical twin joke. So their parents never went to a parent's night obviously as they claim that nobody ,outside the family home, has ever clocked onto it in their 12 years of existence. And this plot device is used for? Well nothing. Just another inconsequential little side story with no resolution.
The whole bit involving Pryor becoming a Post-Apocalyptic like, Kung-Fu using warrior out of frustration is more embarrassing than entertaining sadly. This films just left me feeling disappointed as there were certainly the tools and potential for something more.
As it is it's more of a kind of mild and forgetful rainy Saturday afternoon type of experience. Check out 'Neighbours'and 'Funny Farm' if your looking for something in the same territory which hits the mark more often. See 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' or 'The Burbs' if your looking something along the same lines but which is completely superior.