Bustin' Loose

A remarkable change of direction for the subsequently self-immolating Pryor, whose biting stand-up barrage had put him in the Lenny Bruce class of hard-core comic satire. A 'warm-hearted comedy' involving a bunch of orphan kids promises neither a rewarding evening nor the best use of Pryor's considerable talent. However, in spite of an impractically pat 'happy ending' and liberal spoonfuls of sugar, we are kept some way from Walt Disney territory. Some of the set pieces, notably Pryor's encounter with the Ku Klux Klan, are beautifully achieved; the sentimentality is usually effective, and protected by a hard edge of fast-rap comedy; the kids are bearable. The plotting is sloppy at times and this is undoubtedly a minor film, but its rewards are surprising.