HTF REVIEW: The Toy (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

THE TOY

I am a bit surprised that it took this long
before Columbia Home Video released The Toy
to DVD. This film was released in 1982, at the
height of Richard Pryor's film career. It remains
one of his most memorable movies.
You can't argue that by combining the fresh
young talent of Richard Pryor with comedic veteran
Jackie Gleason, you have a film destined for success.
The story concerns a black man by the name of
Jackie Brown (Pryor) who is down on his luck. He
is out of work, and his house is about to be sold
off by the Bank. He needs a job -- fast! He applies
for the job of a cleaning woman (you read right) for
millionaire Bates (Jackie Gleason) who owns a huge
department store. After a crazy mishap, Pryor is
demoted to cleaning out the Toy department where he
is discovered by Bate's son, Eric (Scott Schwartz).
Eric wants Jack Brown as his Toy.
It was interesting to revisit this movie nearly
20 years later on DVD. It's funny how as you
get older, a film like this just doesn't seem as
funny as it did when you were 18. Although the
film seems quite dated, it is still an absolute
pleasure to see Pryor and Gleason working together.
It is a grand reminder of just how talented both
these comics are.
The transfer quality is average. Presented in
anamorphic widescreen (and P&S on the flip side),
There is quite a bit of noticeable grain in the
picture, including film dirt. On the other hand,
the colors are very prominent. You can see how
nice the colors look right from the opening
credits as the camera pans over stuffed animals
and building blocks. In other words, if you can
put up with the grain, the picture still retains
a vibrant colorful look to it.
The audio quality is nothing to rave about. It's
pretty muddy, I had to actually turn up the volume
on my receiver to listen to the DVD.
Although the packaging states that there are BONUS
TRAILERS included, there is none for THE TOY.
Instead, there are trailers for MATILDA, HOOK and
JUMANJI. I can't understand why Columbia did not
include the original trailer.
All in all, one must remember that this film is
20 years old, and not material worthy of an extensive
restoration. What you get is a fairly decent transfer
that should more than satisfy any fan of this film.
Release Date: November 13th
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Ronald Epstein (pronounced like the English "Ronald Epstein")
Circa 2000
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[Scott Weinberg]

Solid scoop, Ron. I doubt I'll be picking this one up, but I love when people get the movies they want on DVD, and this one apparently has a rather loyal following.
Plus Teresa Genzel is a babe!
"It's U.S.! Not 'you ass'!"
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Scott Weinberg
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http://members.home.net/scott2915/_vti_txt/ofcs

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

I would have loved to see a documentary that outlined Scott Schwartz acting jobs in Porno.
-Vince
------------------
http://www.musicianassist.com
AIM: VinceMaskeeper
Do you want SOUTH PARK on DVD in order, rather than themed sets? Join our overwhelming majority!!

 

[cafink]

I would have loved to see a documentary that outlined Scott Schwartz acting jobs in Porno.

?

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Scott Robert Schwartz, who I enjoyed in films like Kidco and The Toy (not to mention his role in A Christmas Story as Flick who froze his tounge to the fagpole)-- bombed out of hollywood and did porno.
Link Removed)
AIM: VinceMaskeeper
Do you want SOUTH PARK on DVD in order, rather than themed sets? Join our overwhelming majority!!

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

I thought that he was in porno films, but in the odd second-banana (no pun intended) roles -- the lawyer, the doctor, the lube salesman, whatever -- that didn't involve him getting naked.
I can't believe "The Toy" is actually getting released on DVD. This is one of the worst films ever and shows how desperate Richard Pryor was becoming for roles. This was NOT the same man who put out the brilliant comedy records in the '70's. Glad Anchor Bay put out "Blue Collar," though.

 

[David Lambert]

I can't believe "The Toy" is actually getting released on DVD. This is one of the worst films ever and shows how desperate Richard Pryor was becoming for roles.

Mark, I am NOT gonna agrue with you. Let's just say that we can agree to disagree, if you want to stick to your position. But perhaps - if it was a loooong time ago that you watched this and you formed your opinion at that time - maybe you should give it another try.
After all, I'm not the only one who's enthusiastic about the release of this Richard Donner film:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/uub/Forum15/HTML/030079.html
MORE TV ON DVD, PLEASE!

 

[Bob Cashill]

Scott Schwartz has his own E! True Hollywood Story about his transition into porn. I believe he works at his dad's trading card shop now.
THE TOY is a horrendous movie (and not a great success when released) but to each his own, indeed.

 

[Dick]

I go along with Mark - very talented people producing an abysmal movie. Not the least bit funny, way overblown, not tapping into Richard Pryor's real talents at all. I damn near walked out of this when it was released, but $5.00 (back then) was a lot of money. To quote Roger Ebert, I "Hated...hated...HATED this movie".