For a Pryor film, this one is disappointing, or may'be I just found it weaker than normal, but anything with Richie in, is worth it. Here in a great titled flick, he's a framed escapee, made a psychotic patient, that has him now masquerading as a hectic doctor. But the jobs does have it's perks, with Pryor examining a young hottie's goodies, one standout scene in the whole mad affair. This film is very entertaining, though, as in seeing how Richie will get out of this. The film has a very interesting cast, including a bit part with Wesley Snipes as an ambo, and Joe Mantegna, has a heartless, hospital director, who's taken a hostage by our loonies. The cast on the patient's arm scene with Pryor laying the cast on pretty thick, with Pryor showing a young intern, was another funny moment. As was too, him trying to convince the hospital board of his psychotic state, when he describes in unsavoury and disturbing detail, pictures that our show to him. The film's not unfunny. It's just not as funny as most of Pryor's stuff, where as you know, with his films, the bar is set pretty high. It's still bloody enjoyable, the "what a shame factor" present. Again in the end, it all ends well, for our framed ex con/conman, Pryor. Still one for Pryor fans.
Plot summary
Eddie is a con artist. When he's framed and comes before a judge, he hopes to get off the hook by climbing insanity—but instead ends up in a hospital for a mental assessment. That night, a storm causes a power failure and, in the ensuing chaos, Eddie is mistaken for a doctor and suddenly finds himself in charge of the hospital.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
April 13, 2023 at 11:09 PM
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Not the best conditions, but this one's stable
Richard Pryor makes it better than it should be
This rather mediocre comedy from 1987 was produced at the height of Richard Pryor's (somewhat unfortunate) lapse into brain dead motion picture comedies. However, like most of his films, Pryor made standard, silly concepts -- in this case, a man mistaken for a doctor forced into pretending to be on -- amusing.
Pryor plays a framed jewel thief who pleads insanity and is sent to a hospital for mental check-ups. However, once there is is mistaken for an actual doctor, and continues the charade to avoid being charged with a crime he didn't commit, etc.
It's got a lot of obvious jokes that get old in five minutes - this would be an effective "SNL" skit, NOT a full-length movie. The problem with standard concepts such as these is mainly that once you've accomplished your goal -- ha ha a man pretending to be a doctor who doesn't know anything about medical practice, that's hilarious! -- there's nowhere left to go. So they add boring and uninteresting subplots, typically romances which end with the mistaken man confessing he isn't who the woman who loves him thought he was, they break up, and then they get back together again for a happy ending in which she realizes that she really loves him for who he is, not for what he is.
That said, Pryor makes this entertaining - more so than it should be.