#1247: PRYOR, Richard: Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling (1986)

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PRYOR, Richard (United States)
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling [1986]
Spine #1247
Blu-ray


One of the greatest comedians of all time, Richard Pryor gets raw and real in this brutally funny and lacerating self-portrait. Following the notorious incident in which he caught on fire while high on cocaine, nearly losing his life, Pryor exorcised his inner demons by writing, producing, directing, and starring in this dizzying hall-of-mirrors biopic and backstage drama, which traces a young comedian’s rise to fame, from his childhood growing up in a brothel to the colorful experiences that shaped his edgy comic voice to the addiction struggles that brought him to the brink of death. As he did in his legendary stand-up sets, here Pryor fearlessly turns his soul inside out, revealing the deep vulnerability that made his art so compelling.

97 minutes
2.0 Surround
Color
2:39:1
Criterion Release 2025


Director/Writer

Richard Pryor was 46 when he directed Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling.

The Film

a

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Commentary

Video tribute

Documentary 1

Documentary 2

Documentary 3

Controversial altered ending

Theatrical trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

By Spine #

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