With Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason as the stars most people would say this has to be a funny film. Well there is a kid and he is kind of who the film revolves around so that will in all likelihood make this one more cute than need be. Still, Pryor and Gleason, two guys known for comedy, going to be a laugh riot...right? Well, the film for reasons unknown gets a bit to heavy handed at time adding social issues to a film that should be a comedy in the truest sense. Seriously, this film is one of those movies that just does not know what direction it wants to go in. One would think it was trying to appear to families, what with the kid with everything wanting a friend and such. Then why make the film so racial? The film at times becomes a movie about racial injustice and such, and then completely shifts to the moronic comedy when Richard Pryor's character runs over the top of the water to get away from piranha. Make up your mind, do not have a bit of looney tunes comedy in the middle of a film that up until that point did not have humor such as this. This film just tried to be to much and it ends up making the film a bit to boring at times for kids and to childish at times for adults. This film should of been about the kid wanting the person as a friend, you could have ditched Richard Pryor in favor of Jerry Lewis and scrap all the heavy handed stuff. Or you could of kept Richard Pryor, and still ditched all the heavy handed stuff. Though just seems that this film was somehow made for Jerry Lewis, do not ask me why. What we do get is a toy that is broken and not as shiny as it once was.
