JustCuriosity Review of I Am Richard Pryor

I Am Richard Pryor (2019)

A Powerful and Disturbing Documentary about a Troubled Comic Genius

[8/10 · 16 March 2019]

I am Richard Pryor was well-received during its world premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. The film paints a powerful picture of a transformative comic figure. Through footage of his performances and interviews with his friends and colleagues it presents a full picture of Pryor's dark and troubled life. It starts with his deeply troubled and traumatic childhood and shows how those events surely shaped his life which included both his genius and also his aberrant destructive behavior including his heavy drug use. His talent and his comedic influence as both a purveyor and a shaper of the complex times in which he lived are examined. The film is well-constructed as it covers the arc of his career which went through a number of stages as both a comic and actor. Fans of his work and students of comedy will greatly enjoy this film.