The men take their wives to New Orleans and, while there, they see an opportunity in an inept boxer, played by Jimmie Walker, who has the opportunity to win the middleweight title. They come up with $20,000 for a scheme, but $18,000 of that comes from their lodge's building fund. Check this and Uptown Saturday Night and A Piece of the Action sometime.īill Cosby and Sidney Poitier play working class men who want to get rich. His outfit has to be seen to be believed. This film is worth it, if only for the scenes of Cosby trying to pass himself off as a gangster. The scenes are staged well and the shots are never dull. This is not Cliff and Claire Huxtable! Poitier directed these films and shows great ability. There is a great scene where Cosby and Nicholas engage in a bit of "dirty" talk in a restaurant. Fans of the Cosby Show may be surprised by Cosby in these films. Denise Nicholas shines as Cosby's wife and the always great Ossie Davis is the leader of the lodge. John Amos and Calvin Lockhart are rival gangsters who take the bets and then go after Cosby and Poitier. These films were a nice contrast to the "Blaxploitation" films of the 70's, as they provided more positive roles for many black actors. Walker keeps getting knocked out by his sparring partners! How do they hope to win? Hypnosis! The actors are all first rate and there is fun all around. The catch? The fighter they are going to bet on is a 5 to 1 underdog, and a hapless Jimmie Walker. They decide to take the meager building fund and place bets on a boxing match. Cosby and Poitier are friends and lodge brothers who are trying to save their lodge from demolition. The chemistry between these two is fantastic.
But, for light entertainment in a film that brings together several top African-American entertainers, "Uptown Saturday Night" is a good watch.This is my favorite of the Bill Cosby/Sidney Poitier trilogy from the 70's. This film isn't on the level of comedy that Cosby and company can deliver.
Flip Wilson, Richard Pryor, Cal Lockhart and Roscoe Lee Browne have good roles. The supporting cast all add to the fun and humor with their antics. Poitier and Bill Cosby are the leads and have some funny encounters throughout as Steve Jackson and Wardell Franklin. But, the film brings together a host of talented black performers. The script has holes in it and the story is disjointed at times. This is one of the early films that Sidney Poitier directed. And he's so funny because he's anything but a strong character. He looks like Marlon Brando from the 1972 film, "The Godfather." Beauford is an intentional spoof of Don Corleone, with his cotton-stuffed cheeks. My favorite character in "Uptown Saturday Night," is Geechie Dan Beauford, played by Harry Belafonte.
0 kommentar(er)
