Doctor Detroit (1983)

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Clifford Skridlow teaches at a small Chicago college run by his father. Conned into managing four prostitutes by their pimp, who skips town to escape the mob boss known as Mom, Clifford draws on his course in medieval literature in his quest to save the women from Mom....Made on the success of The Blues Brothers, and in some respects, a kind of tribute to Mr Belushi, DD is an odd little film, and to think that the makers thought this would have been a box office smash.The problem lies within the writing. It's too immature for adult audiences, but too adult orientated for children. If it was about a toy maker coming up with ideas that a rival maker steals, this would have been a bonafide classic, but as soon as pimps are involved, it just goes to pot, and the sincerity of it all just goes away.Not to say that it isn't fun though. Aykroyd is wonderful as the smutty Bruce Wayne, and you can hear Coneheads whenever he turns into the titular character, and its as predictable as you could imagine.Hilarious confrontations between street people and the upper classes, and the. Out random appearance from James Brown.Its nothing special, but I'm an aficionado of the eighties, and until last week I'd never heard of this.If you like this era, it's well worth watching, its fun, has a great soundtrack, but maybe just a little too leftfield for its time...

A timid college professor (Dan Aykroyd), conned into posing as a flamboyant pimp, finds himself enjoying his new occupation on the streets.I am not surprised that this film has been forgotten. As far as 1980s films go, it is just alright. It is also not one of Dan Aykroyd's best films, and probably not even one of the best pimping films of the time ("Risky Business" is definitely better, and I would even say "Night Shift" beats this).There were things I liked. In fact, I really liked the character of Doctor Detroit -- his look, his style, his dance. The voice was alright, though he could have passed as a Conehead.

This is one of those comedies that largely forsakes jokes and tries to get by on attitude. It establishes a potentially humorous situation, but then the script seems to run out of gas and the cast is left to try and mug their way to a few laughs. They have some success at that and at only 89 minutes, Doctor Detroit never wears out its welcome. If this thing didn't star Dan Akroyd, however, there's no way it would still be around decades later.Clifford Skridlow (Dan Akroyd) is a fully geeked out professor at a small Chicago college. One morning, while out for a power walk, Skridlow comes to the attention of a pimp named Smooth Walker (Howard Hessman) and his towncar full of "ladies". He makes such an impression that when Smooth finds himself being squeezed by a crime boss named Mom (Kate Murtagh), he invents a partner named Doctor Detroit and ropes Skridlow into playing the role. While Smooth slips out of town, it's Skridlow/Doctor Detroit who has to deal with Mom and her thugs. As if that's not enough, Skridlow also has to make sure nothing goes wrong when a rich alumnus comes to town to present a check that'll save the college from financial disaster. It all culminates at a downtown hotel where Skridlow has to MC an alumni dinner in one wing while also appearing as Doctor Detroit at a "Playa's Ball" in the other.You've really got to be in a good mood to enjoy this film. If you're even a bit cranky, you're going to notice that it's not all that funny. Aside from Skridlow's transformation, complete with metal gauntlet and a wig that makes him look like Paul Williams after sticking his finger in a light socket, there's little here that will provoke spontaneous laughter. I'm not sure if there's even half a dozen honest punch lines in the whole movie.What Doctor Detroit does have is a good natured energy and a tone of mild amusement woven through a simple, yet mechanically effective, plot. The whole cast, even the bad guys, exudes a basic likability and the story even offers up a woefully underdeveloped theme about pimps being the agents of chivalry in the modern world. Dan Akroyd was still a big enough deal back in 1983 to take those loose threads and tie them all together to make a little comedy shawl. It's not enough to keep anyone warm or keep the rain off but if the weather is just right, it's a nice accessory.If you're already in a good mood and only want to be diverted, Doctor Detroit wouldn't be a bad choice. If you need to be cheered up, this film doesn't have the horsepower to do it.

DOCTOR DETROIT (1983) **1/2 Dan Aykroyd, Howard Hesseman, Donna Dixon, Fran Drescher, TK Carter, George Furth, James Brown. Aykroyd has a field day as milquetoast college professor who unwittingly is enlisted by a pimp to assume the identity of a ganglord mack daddy as the eponymous not-to-be-trifled man about town. Frequently funny especially his tete a tete with his archenemy, Mom, in a junk yard: `Mom, I'm gonna rip off your head and s**t down your neck!' Brown's appearance livens things up with a neat, goofy dance spotlight for the antic Aykroyd