Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling
| Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Richard Pryor |
| Produced by | Richard Pryor |
| Written by |
Rocco Urbisci Paul Mooney Richard Pryor |
| Starring | Richard Pryor |
| Music by | Herbie Hancock |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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97 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $18,034,150 |
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling is a 1986 semi-autobiographical film starring Richard Pryor. This was the first and only feature film he directed (although he is credited as such on the screen version of Richard Pryor: Here and Now).
Pryor plays Jo Jo Dancer, a popular stand-up comedian who has severely burned himself while freebasing cocaine. The film came out after Pryor had set himself on fire while freebasing.
As Dancer lies hospitalized in a coma, his spiritual alter ego revisits his life, from growing up in a brothel as a child and struggling to beat the long odds to become a top-rated comedian. However, his success leads to extensive drug use and womanizing that takes its toll on his life. Jo Jo's spirit watches and attempts to convince his past self to end the cycle of self-destruction.
The earlier parts of the film were shot in Pryor's hometown of Peoria, Illinois.
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling received mixed reviews from critics. It currently has a 55% "Rotten" rating on the movie review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.
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Wikipedia