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Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling is a 1986 American biographical[3] comedy-drama film directed, produced by and starring Richard Pryor, who also wrote the screenplay with Paul Mooney and Rocco Urbisci. Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling was Richard Pryor's first[4] and only directorial effort,[5] although he is credited as such on the screen version of his 1983 stand-up comedy concert film.
| Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Pryor |
| Written by | Paul Mooney Richard Pryor Rocco Urbisci |
| Produced by | Richard Pryor |
| Starring | Richard Pryor |
| Cinematography | John A. Alonzo |
| Edited by | Donn Cambern |
| Music by | Herbie Hancock |
Production company | Indigo Productions |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million[1] |
| Box office | $18,034,150[2] |
Pryor plays Jo Jo Dancer, a popular stand-up comedian, who has severely burned himself while freebasing cocaine. The film came out six years 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. It affects every relationship, including his marriages. Jo Jo's spirit watches and attempts to convince his past self to end the cycle of self-destruction.
- Richard Pryor as Jo Jo Dancer
- E'Lon Cox as Jo Jo Dancer (child)
- Paula Kelly as Satin Doll
- Art Evans as Arturo
- Barbara Williams as Dawn
- Fay Hauser as Grace
- Billy Eckstine as Johnny Barnett
- Diahnne Abbott as Mother
- Carmen McRae as Grandmother
- Debbie Allen as Michelle
- Tanya Boyd as Alicia
- Wings Hauser as Cliff
- Michael Ironside as Detective Lawrence
- Scoey Mitchell as Father
- Dennis Hayden as Policeman #1
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 50% "Rotten" rating on the movie review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes based on 16 reviews.
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