Uptown Saturday Night
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Movie Reviews of Uptown Saturday Night
Movie Review: "Here's a little somethin' for n------ who loud talk Little Seymour."
Summary: 4 Stars
It shouldn't surprise anyone that UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT doesn't really hold up as a contemporary picture. Doesn't mean it's not a good and funny film, but you've got to take in the context and the period and the 1970s culture, and specifically the 1970s black culture. This movie showcases an amazing cast, a roster full of what back then constituted big names in the film industry. Being an old fogey, I checked this out back in the day, in the 1980s when I was a kid, and back then I thought it was great. Nowadays, I still think it's great. It's a treat watching Poitier and Cosby (but mostly Cosby) front and jive and hustle. Yeah, this sucker's dated, but it comes with a ton of quotable lines. "Nobody loud talks Little Seymour." "There will be no joy juice allowed." Etc.
The plot fixates on two blue-collar fellas caught in the wrong place, in the wrong time. Saturday night and it's all right, and straight arrow Steve Jackson (Poitier) and fast-talking Wardell Franklin (Cosby) sneak away from their wives to check out the exclusive and happenin' after-hours nightclub Zenobia, something which they'll come to regret. Especially when four masked robbers storm Zenobia and hold up the place. The next day, flipping thru the newspaper, Steve realizes that his wallet - confiscated by the bandits - contains a winning lottery ticket with a $50,000 pay-off. So it's on, as Steve and Wardell desperately canvas the city's seedier joints on the trail of that lottery ticket. Follows a series of episodic scenes as our two leads bump into one colorful character after another. This, by the way, eventually leads us to a classic and hilarious barroom shakedown, this scene shot years before Eddie Murphy would do his bar bit in 48 HOURS (except that, okay, Reggie Hammond actually got the result he wanted).
UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT is the first in a trilogy of successful buddy comedy flicks teaming up Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby. That the movie works is largely because of the comic interplay between these two stars. Poitier, who also directs the thing and acts as the straight man in this tandem, allows the Coz to riff and bring the energy and the flavor. Bill Cosby, performance-wise, basically drives the film. Folks who've only ever seen Cosby as Heathcliff Huxtable may be in for a startlement. Cosby's character in UPTOWN SATUDAY NIGHT isn't clean-cut and square and homogenized. His Wardell Franklin rocks that nappy 'fro and that bushy beard and, man, is his wardrobe colorful. His facial expressions are priceless, Cosby able to convey a slew of emotions with simply a half-smile or a mere pointed glance or two. His character also effortlessly lies at the drop of the hat, and it's a pleasure when his fast-talking embellishments become these extended, tangled bits of dialogue.
This was made during the heyday of the black exploitation flicks, when cool cats like Shaft and Superfly ran this mutha. UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT certainly took advantage of this cinematic trend. Scenes are inhabited by hoods and hooligans, gangsters and jive turkeys, and the screenplay maneuvers our two semi-bumbling hustlers in and out of this shady environment, vernacular flying fast and loose, various outrageous wardrobes threatening to clash.
Flip Wilson's reverend is the only character I wasn't into, his sermon going on and on and forever to a day. Everyone else rocks it well. Harry Belafonte as mob boss Geechie Dan Beauford does a nice riff on Don Corleone, complete with cotton in cheek. Roscoe Lee Browne plays a black congressman who sometimes (depending on his audience) dons a dashiki, and this congressman certainly knows which side of his bread is buttered (apparently, it's both sides). Diminutive Harold Nicholas (of the terrific early century dance duo, the Nicholas Brothers) made milk snort out my nose when he popped in as Little Seymour and proceeded to kick the what out of Cosby and Poitier. "Here's a little somethin' for n------ who loud talk Little Seymour." Take that.
But you have to give it up for Richard Pryor as skittish shamus Sharp Eye Washington. Hands down, he's got the best cameo in this flick.
The DVD's bonus features include an entertaining track commentary and perspective by Dr. Todd Boyd, USC professor of cinema & television and author if AM I BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU: POPULAR CULTURE FROM THE 'HOOD AND BEYOND; "The Lowdown on Uptown," the 7-minute retrospective; and the theatrical trailer.
Movie Review: DVD should mean EXTRAS
Summary: 4 Stars
Uptown Saturday Night was one of the first films I looked for when I acquired a DVD player a few years ago. Finally it is available. Nonetheless, one of the major reasons I purchase DVDs is to ascertain what extras and supplements might be included to complement the film itself. I was a little disappointed with what Warner Bros included as "Special Features" for this great film. The commentary by Dr. Todd Boyd is insightful in accurately setting this film in its proper social, cultural, historical context. However Boyd's commentary provides little insight into the making of the movie, the depth of its actors, and behind the scenes dynamics that went into making the film. Like so much commentary available on DVD "extras", Boyd's comments do nothing more than provide a cheering section to the film (i.e. this is a classic scene, I loved this scene, etc.). It would have been nice to have had more input from Richard Wesley who wrote the screenplay, Sidney Poitier who directed and starred in the film, as well as comments from Bill Cosby who is the key comedic figure in this caper film.I was also disappointed in the "documentary" included as a "Special Feature" entitled "The Lowdown on Uptown: A Retrospective". This "lowdown" is a little too brief and even suffers from false advertisement. On the back of the DVD package, the consumer is led to believe that this retrospective would include comments by Denise Nicholas and Jimmie Walker. I saw or heard nothing from either of them. Again where was Poitier, where was Cosby?
Enough complaints however because this is one of my favorite films of all time. I particularly like the character roles of Roscoe Lee Browne, Richard Pryor, and Flip Wilson. The film also includes great displays of the lives and concerns of Black folk in the mid 1970s. All I have to say as with all DVDs ... bring on more "special features" and "extras".
Movie Review: Great Film...
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm writing this on the day Richard Pryor met the maker. Though he plays a small part in this film, he's hysterical for all of his five minutes.
Sidney and Bill are in a nightclub when it gets robbed and the robbers take everyone's wallets. It turns out that one of the two had a winning lottery ticket in his and the chase is on to get the wallet/ticket back. They even eventually go to a private detective (pryor) who is so shady that he is packing his things to leave town just as they come by. The scene is awesome. The outtakes of this scene are great too as you can't keep Sidney and Bill from cracking up while Richard is trying to split.
Wonderful movie. It gets four stars for its genre, but just three as an all-time film. I got generous, which is very unlike me. But, seeing all these great personalities together in one film is a heck of an experience. Two things are massive standouts: One, Harry Belafonte playing Mr. Gitchie-Dan in his best Don Corleone impression is totally fun and cool. Second, you will marvel at con man Bill Cosby. From his outrageous clothes, apple-jack hat, crazy beard to an unbelievable penchant for telling the most elaborate lies you've ever heard. This is the film that made me like Bill Cosby.
They say it comes in threes. In 2005, it was Superman, then Mr. Miyagi, now Richard Pryor. Well, at least Heaven is safe from evil-doers, Moses gets to learn karate and God is laughing his ass off. That's for sure.
Movie Review: uptown saturday night fever
Summary: 4 Stars
What a splendid film! Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby are marvelous together, and the rest of the cast is equally good. It's such a fine exemplar of the 70s experience. It's a go-to movie for me.Movie Review: The weakest of the Cosby/Poitier trilogy; but fortunately, this means the best is yet to come...
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a kind of film that people like to keep around. It's not Shakespeare but it's fun and light and it features some pretty wonderful performances. In here we have Steve Jackson (Sidney Poitier) and Wardell Franklin (Bill Cosby) are two working stiffs looking to have a good time uptown. They tip out on wives Sarah Jackson (Rosalind Cash) and Irma Franklin (Ketty Lester) and go to Zenobia's, a joint - named after Madame Zenobia (Lee Chamberlin) - where the high fallutin' high rollers hang out for a little casino action.
Unfortunately, they lose their shirts (literally) when robbers force them and everyone else to strip and give up their valuables. Thugs Zenobia's not only take all the patron's money and jewels, but also Steve's wallet, which he later discovers held something more valuable than he ever imagined. Steve and Wardell seek the help of numerous neighborhood characters - including "Don" Geechie Dan Beauford (Harry Belafonte), The Don's rival Silky Slim (Calvin Lockhart), local hood Little Seymour (Harold Nicholas), inept private investigator Sharp Eye Washington (Richard Pryor), and a corrupt Congress-critter (Roscoe Lee Browne) - in retrieving the wallet.
Uptown Saturday Night is a special movie, capable of striking that delicate balance between not funny and not interesting. It is, however, not to be dismissed out-of-hand. The film is a visual treat, to be sure. Cosby parting his hair and his moustache for a big night out on the town is truly a sight to behold, as is the red piping on his dinner jacket. He's also pretty tough in this movie. Cosby's Wardell is a little less refined than his I Spy guy, and a lot less refined than his ugly sweater Huxtable. Comedic co-star, Sidney Poitier looked to be out of his field, especially compared to Bill "Shave And A Haircut?" Cosby and the rest of the crew. Much of the time, Poitier seemed to be barely hanging in there, trying to keep up with Cosby's antics, with a look of terror in his eyes whenever Cosby tore loose (though admittedly, that may have been Director Poitier, panicking over losing control of Cosby). But even Cosby himself took a back seat to Paula Kelly, Richard Pryor, and Roscoe Lee Browne. Kelly, who I loved in "Sweet Charity", was Large as Leggy Peggy without being unnecessarily Loud; Pryor was understated (for him), and had one of the best, spot-on, lines in the movie; and Browne wore his two-faced Afro [when it suited him]-American [when it didn't] politician role like a shining coat of armor. The real surprise for me was discovering that Harry Belafonte was one of the bad guys ("Geechie Dan"). One hopes he was wearing alot of makeup, because otherwise, he looks close to death. Overall it's a goo/decent film that I recommended to all Bill Cosby/Sidney Poitier fans, or anyone looking for a decent classic movie to watch, may want to pick "Uptown Saturday Night."