Which Way Is Up?

"Three times the Richard Pryor. Three times the laughs."

Jun 23 1978 R 1h 34m
Comedy

Orange picker Leroy Jones inadvertently becomes a union leader and is forced out of town, leaving behind his sex-obsessed father, Rufus, and timid spouse, Annie Mae. He heads for Los Angeles, where he falls for union organizer Vanetta. Annie Mae seeks solace from local preacher Lenox Thomas, who eventually impregnates her. When Leroy catches wind, he heads home for a showdown with Lenox.

Plot

Richard Pryor plays three roles: Leroy Jones, a poor orange-picker who gets laid off for accidentally joining the workers' union during one of their demonstrations; Leroy's father, whom Leroy leaves behind with the rest of his family to go to Los Angeles; and Reverend Lenox Thomas, who gets Leroy's wife Annie Mae pregnant during Leroy's absence. In Los Angeles, Leroy ends up working for the same company that fired him back home; he is a manager at the company but is now distant from his former pals. Though married, he falls in love with labor organizer Vanetta and must divide his time between her and Annie Mae. When he discovers that Annie Mae is pregnant by Reverend Thomas, he puts the moves on Mrs. Thomas.

Written by

Lina Wertmüller, Carl Gottlieb, Cecil Brown

Directed by

Michael Schultz

Cast

Richard Pryor, Lonette McKee, Margaret Avery

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Universal Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

N/A

Trailers
Which Way Is Up? (1977) trailer
Scores
# of Votes
2,076
Average Rating
6.2 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA