Not a lot of laughs to be had in the first of two comedies pairing Sidney Portier and Bill Cosby. Characters come and go at random including a cameo by Richard Pryor as a phony detective. You know things are off to a bad start when Portier waxes poetically for what seems an eternity about the size of his wife's ass. Cosby provides the only comic moments. Especially when the two try to bluff their way into meeting a gangster they believe has their stolen wallet. Later Flip Wilson as a church deacon gives a speech which has nothing to do with the plot and goes on longer than Portier's earlier one. In addition Portier an excellent dramatic actor is a terrible comedian and spends most of the movie mooning in a manner reminiscent of 40s actor Mantan Morland. At least Morland was funny. Still the 70s fashion and New York neighborhoods are fun to watch and there's a couple of great numbers by a Gospel Choir.
Review of Uptown Saturday Night
