The Toy (1982)

I love this movie so much

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Now that may sound misleading since Lovecraft had nothing to do with this Pryor, Gleason and Donner comedy, but there was so much in it that would be impossible to comprehend.First let's address the elephant in the room. Yes it's a rich white Billionaire buying a black man for his kid to play with. Yes by all accounts it's modern day slavery. Yes this pretty much became severely harsher in hindsight not just from those implications, but due to the recent events surrounding human trafficking. But what I like about the movie isn't just the comedy once you get past it. But the fact that they managed to get this movie made at all in spite of the implications. If a censor today were to look at this idea, they would probably have the human equivalent to Blue Screen of Death before going insane at how they managed to get away with that. And that's why I consider it a Lovecraft movie. Because it's that F***ing crazy.

Everyone wants to talk about the racial overtones. ***NEWS FLASH*** White folks do not wake up every morning thinking about how to screw over black folks. The movie was great. I loved it then and I love it now. I'm pretty sure the people who made this movie decided to make a funny movie with a great comedian of that era. I couldn't think of a better comedian to have as a toy, white or black.To all my folks who seem to get upset at Richard Pryor and or the directors for making this movie, don't be. Be upset at Petey Greene for showing everyone how to eat a watermelon. You Tube that if you don't believe me.

It's nearly a shot-by-shot remake for the French masterpiece (Le Jouet - 1976); so much for saying I think !. (Richard Pryor) filled it with his own buffoonery, and some funny lines, but he couldn't capture the serious sense of the story, he almost dealt with the movie as a toy itself. He was a golden star at the moment, so maybe they left him do whatever he wants. Or maybe that's the taste of his comedy anyway. (Richard Donner) made it fairly but it's still one of his most spiritless movies that lacks the personal touch, he was executing more than creating at this break between the end of the 1970s' (Superman)'s movies, and his works at the mid-1980s : (Ladyhawke), (The Goonies), then (Lethal Weapon).Of course the comparison isn't for the sake of the American movie. Firstly, there are no changes, they kind of translated the French movie to American the way they translated le jouet to the toy ("The Toy" is what "Le Jouet" means in English). They only added a storyline about racism which suited (Pryor)'s character, and harmonized with the motif (as if slavery still exists, making the poor as the rich people's toy). And also, it utilized somehow the stepmother as a sexual toy herself. But overall nothing could reach to the original's special pace, or exceptional personality.(Donner), with the 2 scriptwriter, lacked the French director (Francis Veber)'s smart touches while he was transforming his own short story into feature film; for example, at (Le Jouet), the rich man's villa was dark, the silence worked powerfully more than the talking, and it didn't go to repeat the domino's fall, or show off the stepmother's body !. Let alone, how here the adult joking is ruling, there is a purposed kick out of hearing the boy says "Boob", or else familiar matters. (Patrick Williams)'s music was very cute, but not up to (Vladimir Cosma)'s tender memorable score. And nothing can imitate the original's end, which's one of the most touching and expressing cinematic endings I've ever seen.Have watched the original or not, this one is good, fresh and solid as an afternoon movie. In fact its good condition is a perfect proof of the original's beauty, though it's obvious that (The Toy) couldn't be as "unique" as (Le Jouet).

Me and my sister used to watch this when we were children and we loved it. In fact, the last time I saw it I was only 8 years old, but I remember why I enjoyed the movie. I was too young to understand the adult politics but trust me this is a wonderful film for kids to watch. If I was to watch it now it will not be as powerful, and I may not even enjoy it. The point is this was a film made for children, and as this is the case only a child, or an adult who watched it and remembers it as a child are able to accurately review and justify it. Pryor's performance was superb and it shows how diverse he was being able to star in a children's film and manage to be so convincing and never patronises the film by under-performing.