Richard Pryor Double Feature: Which Way Is Up? / The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Richard Pryor Double Feature: Which Way Is Up? / The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings Blu-ray Movie Review

Two lesser known Richard Pryor comedies...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown September 21, 2023

Rightfully hailed as one of the greatest standup comedians of a generation (if not all time), Richard Pryor's rise and further rise amount to more than overcoming societal norms in an era of extreme cultural strife. His beginnings were as humble, or perhaps horrific, as his prolific comedy. Born in his grandmother's brothel, the son of a prostitute and a pimp, Pryor was abandoned at just 10 years old and raised by the same grandmother; a physically abusive woman who nearly killed the once-and-future star on several occasions. Expelled from school and later dishonorably discharged from the army, he found his way to New York in the early '60s and, well, the rest, as they say, is history. Pryor catapulted to stardom over the next decade, momentum that was intensified when he arrived a crossroads in 1967 and began using hard profanity in his act. Huge crowds, more than a dozen comedy albums and a slew of films defined his career in the 1970s and continued into the '80s. Some of his lesser films have nearly been lost to time. Many a young cinephile has probably never even heard of most of his movies. But with Mill Creek's Richard Pryor Double Feature, two oft-forgotten films -- 1976's The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (a mouthful for sure) and 1977's Which Way Is Up? -- have arrived on Blu-ray.

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings

Top Negro League baseball pitcher Bingo Long (Billy Dee Williams) is fed up with the way his team owner (Ted Ross) treats him. In response, he forms his own lineup, recruiting the likes of big-hitting powerhouse Leon Carter (James Earl Jones), the ever-scheming Charlie Snow (Richard Pryor) and other would-be All Stars who dream of playing in the majors. Boycotted by black teams, Long's outfit begins to play against white minor league teams, earning more attention as entertainers than as players. However, their success soon wins them a chance to play again in the Negro League, this time as equals. The film also stars Stan Shaw, Leon Wagner, Tony Burton, Jophery Brown, Mabel King and DeWayne Jessie.

The far superior film in Mill Creek's Blu-ray Double Feature release, Bingo Long is well worth its weight in fun. It isn't entirely the dramatic powerhouse it could be, nor does it push as far as its racially charged period premise might allow, but there's a breeziness and ease to the hijinks that makes it more than watchable; it remains genuinely entertaining some forty-five years later. It also isn't the Richard Pryor showstopper some might expect. This is a Billy Dee Williams vehicle, long before Empire Strikes Back carved his name onto the hearts of film fans across two centuries. Pryor doesn't stop by to phone in a bit part, though. He's a scene stealing swindler of a character, albeit one that feels borderline inappropriate in retrospect. His Charlie Snow poses as everything from a Cuban slugger to a Native American player, tossing any and every stereotype at the screen that could feasibly make a 1970s audience double over with laughter. Is it offensive? Yes? No? Eh, your mileage will vary. It vanishes as quickly as it appears. Over the course of the film, Pryor shines as part of a well-cast ensemble that exudes legitimate chemistry and appears to be having real, God-given fun together on and off the screen. It's light, good-natured comedy with a heart. Full of life (and bigger than life players), it doesn't rise to the level of being a timeless classic but I'm glad to see it climb out of the grave and take some deep breaths on Blu- ray.

Which Way Is Up?

A remake of Lina Wertmuller's 'The Seduction of Mimi', 'Which Way Is Up?' features legendary comedian Richard Pryor as three different characters. First is Leroy Jones, a poor orange picker who gets fired from his job when he accidentally joins a worker's union during a demonstration. Forced to travel to Los Angeles, he abandons his family, including his wife, Annie Mae (Margaret Avery), and his father, Rufus (Pryor again). There he falls in love with labor organizer Vanetta (Lonette McKee), only to be rehired by his former employers when they realize he's easily manipulated. Back home, Leroy discovers his new managerial role alienates him from his former friends as he tries to divide his time between Annie Mae and Vanetta. When he discovers Annie Mae is pregnant with the child of Reverend Thomas (Pryor's third role), though, Leroy sets his sights on going after a third woman: the pastor's wife.

Which Way Is Up? isn't one of Pryor's best films by any stretch of the imagination. It's jokes aim high, hit low and only occasionally earn a solid laugh. Even then a deep appreciation for at-times significantly dated '70s comic stylings is a prerequisite, which isn't exactly Gen Z's first love. Pryor is a blast bouncing between three wildly eccentric losers, especially when he conjures Leroy's father and all but chomps and chews his way through each gnarled, gristled word. But it's his endless, off-the-walls energy, rather than his acting chops, that make his performance infectious. I suspect at the time of its release the humor fell even flatter, when Pryor was still a relative up-and-coming leading man (despite having already appeared in twenty movies at that point) and far from the fondly remembered icon he is today. Nor had he proven himself a big box office draw, at least not at the level he needed to more fully control his own projects. There's a forced lurch to too many bits, a slew of subpar supporting performances, and an overcrowded plot of wince-inducing affairs and flings that make Leroy one of the most despicable and unlikable characters featured in a badboy comedy. Other critics have been even less kind, citing Which Way Is Up? not only as one of Pryor's worst, but one of the worst films of the decade. Sheesh. It isn't quite that bad... but it isn't good either. Instead it stands as a strangely mean-spirited curiosity unearthed from the time capsule of a true legend. Completists will be thrilled. Those seeking out a strong showing from Pryor, though, will be sorely disappointed.

Richard Pryor Double Feature: Which Way Is Up? / The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Both Which Way Is Up? and Bingo Long are presented with decent 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentations. Neither features the dazzling remaster that might bring its movie to real, high definition life, but, sourced from solid Universal masters, neither one is riddled with substantial problems or unsightly issues either. There are blemishes throughout - specks, scratches, spurts of inconsistent grain, and the infrequent yet still present crushed shadows -- but the Double Feature stands as a welcome exception to Mill Creek's reputation for slapdash quality releases. Colors are lifelike on the whole, as are skintones, and contrast is dialed in reasonably well. Black levels aren't always the deepest, nor is detail always the most revealing. But, more often than not, fine textures have been preserved, edges are clean and nicely defined, and grain is intact. Will either video presentation blow you away? Goodness no. But for two films that could have easily disappeared from memory, the Double Feature justifies its bargain price.

Richard Pryor Double Feature: Which Way Is Up? / The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While I'd have rather listened to a pair of more faithful single-channel mono mixes, Mill Creek grants both films in the Richard Pryor Double Feature Blu-ray release an adequate DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo track. Toss me in the minority maybe, but splitting a mono audio mix into two channels comes as a slight irritation. Will it bother most people? Most likely not. Dialogue is clear and neatly prioritized, though the kind of ADR- esque hitches in quality and consistency (that litter sound mixes of the era) stand out. Music can get a bit overpowering but rarely at the cost of understanding what an actor is saying, and sound effects are crisp, despite suffering from the canned, tinny tone (again) common to '70s films. There isn't much more to say. A fuller remaster of the audio elements would've certainly been appreciated but I guess beggars can't be choosers.

Richard Pryor Double Feature: Which Way Is Up? / The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray release of the Richard Pryor Double Feature doesn't include any special features for either film.

Richard Pryor Double Feature: Which Way Is Up? / The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Which Way Is Up? Take it or leave it. But The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings? Worth the cost of the Double Feature admission alone. Regardless of which you prefer, Mill Creek fortunately grants both films decent video presentations and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks. Neither is perfect -- oh, to see two proper remasters -- but take one look at the Double Feature Blu-ray's pricepoint and, even with just Bingo Long in mind, you'll probably come to the same conclusion as I did.