The Toy
You really have to hand it to the 80s, they were always trying out new ideas for comedies, and unlike today’s ultra baby-soft mentality when it come to material, back then if the idea was good, then political correctness be damned, even when it comes to a family movie like this one. Even better, we got to see a team up of two of the greatest comedy stars of all time in Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason. Like I said, the premise is a bit controversial: A spoiled rich white kid whose father has told him he can have anything he wants ultimately decides that he actually wants to buy a black man. That winds up being Pryor, a janitor in the father’s (Gleason) department store whose goofing off on the job managed to make the kid smile while observing him from afar, leading him to literally ordering his father’s stooges to gift wrap Pryor and bring him to his house to be his “toy” (i.e. playmate). Naturally, the kid proves to be a monster, and the film’s first half sees Pryor take an inordinate amount of abuse before he comes to realize that the kid’s antics are a direct result of his dad’s massive neglect of him, and he just wants someone, ANYONE, to hang out with him and be his friend. Indeed, Pryor’s acting when he realizes this and starts to bond with the kid is among the best and most sensitive work of his career, ultimately compelling the kid to start a newspaper with him and help expose his father’s corrupt machinations. Obviously, this makes for some very awkward moments that don’t really come off as all that funny, as while Gleason tries to lighten the mood whenever he’s onscreen, the fact that he’s basically ruthless and morally bankrupt as a human being kind of causes the viewer to distance themselves from him a bit, even though it’s implied that Pryor and his own son working against him might just help him “see the light”. In addition there are a couple of bad supporting performances that mar the film somewhat, namely Teresa Ganzel as the disgustingly ditzy and over the top trophy wife to Gleason and stepmom to the boy, and Wilfrid Hyde-White as the British butler who seems to be half in the bag during much of his screen time (and is often seen having a drink while working). However, we also get Ned Beatty squeezing some smiles out of the viewer as Gleason’s hapless yes-man and of course future porno star Scott Schwartz does a good job as the kid himself, conveying a frighteningly whiny brat early in the film and then believably bonding and sharing a strong chemistry with Pryor later on. The script is a little bit erratic at times, but as said Pryor’s acting in particular is so strong that it redeems the enterprise, and there are some pretty funny moments, such as having Pryor run around in a Spiderman outfit for the kid’s amusement, and a big confrontation towards the end between he and the Grand Wizard of the KKK (“Hey Grand Wizard, I’m gonna send you to the land of Oz!”). Overall, something that would never be made today, a well done kid’s movie that has just enough edgy appeal for diehard fans of its two legendary stars…
7/10