Another You (1991)
1/4
The 1991 film 'Another You' has disappeared into the great depths of big anticipated comedy failures, and for understandable reasons. This, without question, is a full scale disaster. I counted one laugh. And come to think of it, it wasn't even that funny. It is a movie where the people behind the camera don't have a clue what they're doing, and everything spirals into abrasiveness with the film- and the directing is like watching a horror movie, except a horror of production.
Writing this from memory (so bare with me), the movie follows a mental patient (Gene Wilder) who must be taken care of by a scheming liar (Richard Pryor), who's being forced to serve in community service due to his lying antics. At first, Pryor is reluctant. But as any of these predictable one-sided comedies go, he becomes best friends with him. Mercedes Ruehl (of 'The Fisher King') also stars as Wilder's wife.
The film stars Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder; Wilder in his last motion picture role, and Pryor in his second to last film with top billing (he would go on to star in 'Mad Dog Time' and David Lynch's 'Lost Highway'). This is their last cinematic partnership after a long line of beloved classics like 'Silver Streak' (1976) and 'Stir Crazy' (1980). It is said Wilder quit acting in films because of the experience on this film and the failure of his previous film, 'Funny About Love' (1990) and his lack of satisfaction along with this movie. It is also said that he was mistreated on both these sets, and could barely get through the day, but others say that he was known for being impossible to work with and wanted everything right. It is now widely known that Wilder supposedly had the original director, Peter Bogdanovich, fired after just a few weeks, but it has never been confirmed (this is most likely true, because Wilder was notorious for being especially cold to Bogdanovich; as Bogdanovich was trying to aid Richard Pryor's health needs and other concerns). Pryor was also in dire circumstances through the filming of this movie. Pryor later said after he finished the film "(I) personally and professionally got fu**ed on that film. They fired the director and hired another ego. I was told I wasn't going to have to reshoot scenes but the new ego had me do it anyway. That's when I discovered things weren't going well for me professionally." In 1986, Pryor was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a brain damaging disease. And the saddest part of the movie - his physical deterioration is alarmingly present. And on top of that, the entire script had to be rewritten from being set in New York to LA. And if you rewrite scenes, you rewrite dialogue. You've probably already guessed. The dialogue is just your average clunk of a sentence.
And even worse - the comedy / scene exposition is terrible.
However disastrous the production is, it could still make a great movie. Look at 'Apocalypse Now' (1979), one of the most tortured movies ever made, or even 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' (1998), another infamously tortured production. I can't really say "did they read the screenplay" because it was rewritten, but I can say that they should have dropped out. This is a film for beyond intellect. It doesn't make sense whatsoever, and just about shoots itself in the foot every joke.
'Another You' made two million dollars total on a 17 million dollar budget. It is considered a massive bomb, and one of the most disappointing movies in the industry. Its cursed production led to disastrous results, with every major film critic in America panning it. It really is a stinker, and one I shall remember, not only for its ineptness, but for its two great stars failing so much.
1 STAR (OUT OF 4)
1/4
The 1991 film 'Another You' has disappeared into the great depths of big anticipated comedy failures, and for understandable reasons. This, without question, is a full scale disaster. I counted one laugh. And come to think of it, it wasn't even that funny. It is a movie where the people behind the camera don't have a clue what they're doing, and everything spirals into abrasiveness with the film- and the directing is like watching a horror movie, except a horror of production.
Writing this from memory (so bare with me), the movie follows a mental patient (Gene Wilder) who must be taken care of by a scheming liar (Richard Pryor), who's being forced to serve in community service due to his lying antics. At first, Pryor is reluctant. But as any of these predictable one-sided comedies go, he becomes best friends with him. Mercedes Ruehl (of 'The Fisher King') also stars as Wilder's wife.
The film stars Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder; Wilder in his last motion picture role, and Pryor in his second to last film with top billing (he would go on to star in 'Mad Dog Time' and David Lynch's 'Lost Highway'). This is their last cinematic partnership after a long line of beloved classics like 'Silver Streak' (1976) and 'Stir Crazy' (1980). It is said Wilder quit acting in films because of the experience on this film and the failure of his previous film, 'Funny About Love' (1990) and his lack of satisfaction along with this movie. It is also said that he was mistreated on both these sets, and could barely get through the day, but others say that he was known for being impossible to work with and wanted everything right. It is now widely known that Wilder supposedly had the original director, Peter Bogdanovich, fired after just a few weeks, but it has never been confirmed (this is most likely true, because Wilder was notorious for being especially cold to Bogdanovich; as Bogdanovich was trying to aid Richard Pryor's health needs and other concerns). Pryor was also in dire circumstances through the filming of this movie. Pryor later said after he finished the film "(I) personally and professionally got fu**ed on that film. They fired the director and hired another ego. I was told I wasn't going to have to reshoot scenes but the new ego had me do it anyway. That's when I discovered things weren't going well for me professionally." In 1986, Pryor was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a brain damaging disease. And the saddest part of the movie - his physical deterioration is alarmingly present. And on top of that, the entire script had to be rewritten from being set in New York to LA. And if you rewrite scenes, you rewrite dialogue. You've probably already guessed. The dialogue is just your average clunk of a sentence.
And even worse - the comedy / scene exposition is terrible.
However disastrous the production is, it could still make a great movie. Look at 'Apocalypse Now' (1979), one of the most tortured movies ever made, or even 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' (1998), another infamously tortured production. I can't really say "did they read the screenplay" because it was rewritten, but I can say that they should have dropped out. This is a film for beyond intellect. It doesn't make sense whatsoever, and just about shoots itself in the foot every joke.
'Another You' made two million dollars total on a 17 million dollar budget. It is considered a massive bomb, and one of the most disappointing movies in the industry. Its cursed production led to disastrous results, with every major film critic in America panning it. It really is a stinker, and one I shall remember, not only for its ineptness, but for its two great stars failing so much.
1 STAR (OUT OF 4)