Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Another You Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 5, 2024

Maurice Phillips' "Another You" (1991) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with critic Benedict Morrison; archival program with Gene Willder; new audio commentary by critics Kim Newman and Nick de Semlyen; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Another You is the final film Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder made. It is their weakest film, too. However, of the four films the two collaborated on, Another You is the most difficult to critique. It is not because its flaws are not easy to identify. They are too obvious and impossible to miss. It is because Another You is one big and very sincere farewell project. It is fair to write that a few tweaks here and there could have made it a slightly more convincing film, but its biggest flaw is unfixable – its stars look past their prime.

Pryor and Wilder share the same wonderful chemistry before the camera that makes their previous three films special, but their energy is different. The two look at each other differently, too. In the previous three films, Pryor and Wilder engage each other and compete, and some of their best improvisations emerge out of this ongoing competition. In Another You, the two do not compete. They go through scripted scenes and routinely try to savor their work, admiring each other, and the camera easily captures this. It is the main reason there is so much awkward material – what is happening can be very funny, especially when the supporting cast is involved, but it is awfully difficult to laugh.

If you somehow miss the significance of this awkward material, the obvious will be spelled out for you. In the final scene, Pryor and Wilder look at each other, and while the latter holds a small sign reading Partners Forever!, abandon their characters. What the camera catches next is incredible. It is pure love and appreciation of the other and a special relationship coming to an end. This scene alone, which is more of an unscripted moment, makes Another You impossible to describe as a flawed film. It was a final film and everyone knew it.

The narrative is broken into three uneven acts. In the first act, conman Eddie Dash (Pryor), who is trying to straighten out his life, is assigned to look after mental patient George (Wilder), who is trying to reenter society after spending several months in a psychiatric clinic. However, just an hour after they meet, Eddie discovers that numerous people recognize George as a multi-millionaire who, for some odd reason, had dropped off the face of the earth, and then promptly concludes that if he plays his cards right his social work assignment can turn out quite beneficial. Eddie then meets several of George’s business partners and his wife, Elaine (Mercedes Ruehl), a high-maintenance bimbo living alone in a massive Beverly Hills mansion. In the second act, Eddie spends plenty of time with George because he can’t seem to remember his previous life as a multi-millionaire, and eventually makes a new discovery. Eddie meets Dibbs (Stephen Lang), a crooked lawyer, who offers him the opportunity to earn some real money by participating in the same kabuki play that Elaine and George’s business partners are involved with. All Eddie needs to do is finalize George’s transition from a mental patient to a multi-millionaire, which he never was, and then kill him during a “hunting accident” so that the crooked lawyer can take over his financial assets. In the final act, Eddie makes yet another discovery that permanently redirects his life, but not in the way he had imagined possible after accepting the crooked lawyer’s offer.

Pryor and Wilder spend a lot of time around Ruehl and this is some of the funniest material. The rest of the material where other supporting actors are given an opportunity to shine is instantly forgettable. For example, several big scenes with Lang, Vanessa Williams, and Phil Rubenstein look like filler material.

Maurice Phillips shot Another You with cinematographer Victor Camper, who also lensed See No Evil, Hear No Evil.

When it was conceived, Another You was supposed to be shot by Peter Bogdanovich, who spent several weeks preparing for it. However, because Bogdanovich and Wilder did not get along, the former was replaced with Phillips.

Another You Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Another You arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

Like the other two release in the Pryor & Wilder, 1980-1991 box set, this release is sourced from an old master supplied by Sony Pictures. However, this master shows the most limitations. For example, in several areas there are obvious fluctuations that affect delineation and depth. Highlights and darker nuances are a lot more inconsistent here than they are on the other releases. Colors are stable, but this is another area where plenty of improvements, some significant too, can be made. The good news is that there are no traces of problematic digital corrections. As a result, while some visuals can appear dated, they still have a filmic appearance. Image stability is very good. Also, there are no large and distracting surface anomalies, like cuts, marks, blemishes, etc. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Another You Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is very good. I do not think there is any room for big improvements. If the film is fully restored in the future, and the audio fully remastered, I suppose minor rebalancing work, or other similar cosmetic work, can be done in a couple of areas. However, I think that the overall quality of the current track will be practically identical to that of the future new track.

Another You Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Benedict Morrison: Partners Forever! - in this new program, critic Benedict Morrison discusses Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder's creative relationship. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• Gene Wilder in Conversation - presented here is an archival audio interview with Gene Wilder that Adrian Wootton conducted at the National Film Theatre in London on June 8, 2005. The bulk of the comments address Wilder's career.

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Kim Newman and Nick de Semlyen.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Another You. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for Another You.

• Book - a limited edition exclusive 100-page book with new essay by Jeff Billington, extracts from archival interviews with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, archival production reports on Stir Crazy, extracts from the films' pressbooks, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and technical film credits.

Another You Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite producing many hilarious situations, Another You is a sad film because it was the final film of two great actors who were past their prime. One of them was already very ill, too. They share a familiar chemistry before the camera, but the magic that was once associated with it is gone. The final scene reveals the two knew that they had reached the end, too. Another You is one of three films included in Pryor & Wilder, 1980-1991, a three-disc box set produced by Indicator/Powerhouse Films. If you decide to pick it up for your library, please keep in mind that it is Region-B "locked". RECOMMENDED.