After severely burning himself in a drug incident, a comedian has a near death experience in which he reviews his life.After severely burning himself in a drug incident, a comedian has a near death experience in which he reviews his life.After severely burning himself in a drug incident, a comedian has a near death experience in which he reviews his life.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Mike Genovese
- Gino
- (as Michael Genovese)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film is basically Richard Pryor's autobiography, paralleling many incidents and experiences in his life, although he said that not everything in the film actually happened to him, and some of the characters aren't based on real people. However, the movie was filmed in Los Angeles, California, and in Peoria, Illinois, at the locations where much of the story takes place.
- GoofsA 1980's Lincoln Town Car appears twice during the "Young Jojo" sequence: Over Young Jojo's shoulder during closeups when he looks back at "Older Jojo" sitting at the corner store, and then again briefly parked in front of the family house a few minutes later when he returns home and is chastised by his grandmother for playing on the lawn.
- Quotes
Jo Jo Dancer: [to his wife as he gets on the bus] I'm gonna write you, I'm gonna write you.
- SoundtracksMy Destiny
Produced by Arif Mardin, Philippe Saisse and Chaka Khan
Written and Performed by Chaka Khan
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records
Featured review
personal docudrama
Jo Jo Dancer (Richard Pryor) is a successful comedian. In a drunken haze, he severely burns himself. His spirit watches his wounded body in his hospital bed and recalls his journey to that point. As a child, Jo Jo grew up in the brothel with his mother. As a young man, he decides to go to the big city Cleveland to try his hand in stand up. His father beats him up and his young wife is too afraid to go with him. He gets a gig at a strip club. As his career rises, his marriages suffer a roller-coaster ride of drug use and other difficulties.
This is a thinly-veiled personal docudrama. I think it's probably a mistake for Pryor to direct the movie himself. It's technically competent but the material is there for something much more compelling. The story never gets much tension. It's coated in a functional lifetime docudrama. An experienced director would be able to bring something more interesting in the structure and also a deeper performance from Pryor. I love Pryor as a comic and an actor. I don't love this movie quite as much.
This is a thinly-veiled personal docudrama. I think it's probably a mistake for Pryor to direct the movie himself. It's technically competent but the material is there for something much more compelling. The story never gets much tension. It's coated in a functional lifetime docudrama. An experienced director would be able to bring something more interesting in the structure and also a deeper performance from Pryor. I love Pryor as a comic and an actor. I don't love this movie quite as much.
helpful•21
- SnoopyStyle
- Nov 3, 2015
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Jo Jo Dancer - Dein Leben ruft
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $14,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $18,034,150
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,879,107
- May 4, 1986
- Gross worldwide
- $18,034,150
- Runtime1 hour 37 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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By what name was Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986) officially released in India in English?
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