Despite his status as one of the finest comedians of all time, Richard Pryor’s personal life was far from funny. For his second and final turn as a director, Pryor mines his own life for 1986’s Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling, which he also co-wrote. Jo Jo Dancer was a box office failure and dismissed by critics. Pryor isn’t afraid to shock (of course, he isn’t) featuring his alter ego Jo Jo Dancer. A successful comedian, in a drug fueled haze Jo Jo set himself on fire. His spirit watches as doctors attempt to save his life.
Jo Jo returns to his childhood, growing up in the whorehouse his mother and grandmother work in. At the age of seven, he was sexually abused by a neighborhood acquaintance and expelled from school at fourteen. Eventually, his mother marries but the tension at home is palpable. Jo Jo is determined to make it as a comedian, but the road is anything but easy. He meets many interesting characters. Particularly memorable is a stripper named Baby Doll (Paula Kelly) who befriends Jo Jo and gets him his first job. In another sequence, Pryor, dressed in drag, pulls out a fake pistol and tries to force the mafia club owners to pay him.
The early scenes where Jo Jo is struggling to make it are some of the film’s best. As he becomes less desperate and begins to make it, Jo Jo becomes a less interesting person. There’s money. A little glitz, lots of drugs and several marriages, each worse than the last.
Watching Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling almost forty years after its initial release, the film doesn’t deserve the critical drubbing it received. As funny as Pryor is, Jo Jo’s evolution from nervous, bumbling entertainer to a self-assured comedic powerhouse is as touching as it is humorous. Oddly though, while there are brief moments of the stand-up comedy that made Pryor a legend, we don’t see enough of the standup routines that made Dancer the star he becomes. What could have been brilliant comedic moments are hidden in all to brief interludes. While Pryor deserves praise for co-writing, starring in, and directing Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling, one wonders if the story might have been more conducive in the hands of a more skilled director—Pryor’s comedic pal Mel Brooks comes to mind—nonetheless, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling deserves a second look from fans who may have skipped the film during its original theatrical run.
Available only on an old DVD until now, Criterion has delivered Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling on 4K, from a transfer done by Sony. Sourced from a the original 35mm camera negative, the 2160 presentation with Dolby Vision is a homerun. Whether its daytime shots of Jo Jo in his neighborhood as a child, or shots of him as an adult doing stand-up in spotlight soaked nightclubs detail is top notch. Colors pop throughout and blacks are inky. While I noticed a few small scratches, digital anomalies are never problematic. This represents a huge upgrade from the previous DVD release.
The 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio track offers good clarity, with only the occasional crackle and hiss. Even so, the dialogue is clean, clear and concise. Herbie Hancock’s impressive score is engaging and clear throughout. This new UHD edition is by far the best Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling has ever looked or sounded.
English SDH subtitles are included.
Extras are found on the included Blu-ray disc:
- Robert Townsend on Richard Pryor (17:45) Actor/Filmmaker Robert Townsend discusses the influence Richard Pryor had on his career.
- Episode of The Dick Cavett Show from 1985 (47:32) Pryor reflects on his career and discusses his experiences directing Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling which had recently wrapped filming when this episode aired.
- Leaflet: An illustrated leaflet featuring Hilton Als’ essay “Songs of Innocence and Experience.”
