Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Critical Condition Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 24, 2023

There was an effort made in Hollywood to transform comedian Richard Pryor into a leading man during the 1980s. He was an actor for years, but there was something about the decade that inspired a push to make Pryor a major force in movies, including a high-profile co-starring role in “Superman III,” and starring vehicles in “The Toy,” “Brewster’s Millions,” and “Bustin’ Loose.” Some money was made, but his future as a bankable name didn’t solidify, and not helping the cause was a gradual decline in creative quality, including 1987’s “Critical Condition,” which spent two weeks on top of the box office chart, but quickly faded from memory after its initial release. And there’s a good reason for that, as the screenplay by Dennis and John Hamill doesn’t flow smoothly, offering different tones and styles of comedy, which doesn’t help to inspire laughs, and subplots are plentiful, making Pryor’s practiced shtick as a Nervous Nellie seem especially forced on material that likely wasn’t originally conceived as a showcase of the actor’s screen abilities. “Critical Condition” is a non-starter all around, and while it’s not without some charms, the picture doesn’t have a special sense of mischief to land its humor.

Kevin (Richard Pryor) is a struggling New York hustler who can’t find help from banks, hoping to acquire loan shark money to achieve his dream of building a multiplex for the masses. Going to mobster Palazzi (Joseph Ragano) for quick cash, Kevin is asked to become a bag man as well, transporting diamonds to Los Angeles, which he agrees to do. However, a police bust shuts down the operation, with Kevin facing a year-long prison sentence for his participation in a crime. Frightened of incarceration, Kevin elects to plead insanity, putting on a show for the court, which sends him to Empire General Hospital for three weeks for observation, placed in a psychiatric care ward, joined by Box (Randall “Tex” Cobb) and an assortment of inmates. With Hurricane Sam bearing down on the area, chaos is coming for Empire, giving Rachel (Rachel Ticotin), a new hospital administrator, a true leadership challenge, with violent weather soon knocking out power and communications. Trying to escape in the confusion, Kevin steals the identity of Dr. Slattery, a new medical professional, finding himself thrust into the middle of a crisis as patients need attention, generators require fixing, and violent criminal Stucky (Joe Dallesandro) is on the loose, trying to escape to freedom. With no medical training or nerve, Kevin’s forced to rely on his wits to get through the night, becoming an unexpected leader with his fast-talking skills, powered by panic.

One could nitpick the plot of “Critical Condition” into submission, but the story needs Kevin to reach Empire General Hospital, doing so via a police bust in a sex shop, with Kevin caught up in a legal mess. The cops should understand Kevin isn’t involved with such criminal efforts, and the law probably wouldn’t punish a direct witness to such offenses, but the writing pushes the character through the system, inspiring him to make a desperate move to play crazy to help keep him out of prison. This development gives Pryor something to work with, keeping Kevin on edge as he tries to hustle everyone, finding a friendly face in orderly Louis (Ruben Blades), who supports the patient’s mission to escape from the hospital.

“Critical Condition” has some dramatic ground to cover as it deals with Kevin’s shenanigans. There’s Rachel, who’s been hired as a top administrator, handed control of the hospital by Arthur (Joe Mantegna), a practiced leader sensitive to his own personal comfort. However, Arthur doesn’t make it out of the building, soon taken hostage by Box and the gang, who tie him up during the hurricane confusion, going on strike as they create a list of demands (including nurses with larger breasts). Dr. Forster (Bob Dishy) is a seasoned medical professional who’s the main surgeon at Empire, and he’s especially aware of all the legal troubles emerging as patient care continues without power, preferring to kick the sick and hurt out. There’s a lot going on in “Critical Condition,” leaving director Michael Apted (a strange choice, for sure) to manage story points and expectations for Pryor’s comedy, which emerges with the arrival of “Dr. Slattery,” putting Kevin in an overwhelming position of authority when all he wants to do is escape into the night.

Laughs are meant to come from Kevin’s interactions with patients, with the con man trying avoid as much contact as possible, sending other doctors, including recent medical school graduate Joffe (Bob Saget), to do the work instead. This includes a manual extraction of fecal matter from an old lady, and Kevin is more willing to deal with attractive patients, allowing Pryor to feel his way around strange encounters. “Critical Condition” seems like it wants to be a farce, but Apted isn’t the person for the job, working to both preserve the dramatic integrity of the writing and indulge its sillier side, which doesn’t help the feature find its groove. And the helmer has the disadvantage of trying to sell some bizarre set pieces, including Kevin’s idea to fly a chopper around the lobby to help with air circulation, and the team pulls a generator out of an organ lab, causing the displays of body parts to explode, making an unusual mess. Again, weird.

Critical Condition Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers an older master of "Critical Condition" for its Blu-ray debut. Age is apparent throughout the viewing experience, which supplies a softer, slightly filtered sense of skin particulars and costuming. Hospital interiors also lack sharpness, and exteriors are on the hazy side when it comes to dimensional distances. Colors are fatigued, lacking a snappier sense of primaries on clothing. Skin tones are relatively natural. Delineation hits a few spots of solidification. Grain is chunky. Source is in decent condition.

Critical Condition Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix delivers a crisp understanding of dialogue exchanges, with performance choices easy to follow, along with more hectic moments of comedic confusion and group activity. Scoring supports with sharp instrumentation, and pop songs offer clear synth beats.

Critical Condition Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (1:28, SD) is included.

Critical Condition Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Critical Condition" tries to take some of Kevin's situations seriously, as he faces a patient who requires immediate spinal surgery, and he partakes in the delivery of a baby, opening his eyes to the miracle of birth and the professionalism of the staff. It adds some weight to an otherwise fluffy movie, but it also leaves the film uneven, and more tonal issues arrive in the final act, which involves a battle with a bad guy in the bowels of the building. Suddenly, "Critical Condition" is a thriller, and not a very good one. Pryor does his part to stay within expectations (he does look noticeably stiff, encountering early symptoms of MS during the shoot), and perhaps fans of the comic will respond more positively to the mildness of humor present in the feature, which fights for position as the screenplay, the cast, and the director all seem to have different visions for the endeavor.