Moving/Greased Lightning (1977)

Comedy and screen legend Richard Pryor hits the comedy road in Moving a good-time tale of a flustered suburbanite trying to relocate with his family from New Jersey to Idaho. Dave Thomas Dana Carvey and Randy Quaid are among the comic ensemble in this movie that packs "a houseful of laughs" (V.A. Musetto New York Post). Next Pryor has a driving ambition in Greased Lightning the decades-spanning true story of Wendell Scott who cracked the all-white world of stock-car racing built cars from junkyard parts endured taunts overcame setbacks and won NASCAR and Grand National crowns. "There's not a more likable movie currently on view" Time reviewer Richard Schickel wrote about this biopic that marks Pryor's first lead film role.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: R UPC: 012569815209 Manufacturer No: 81520 Product Description

 So long in coming, I thought I'd never see it...
Considering how many times Moving played on pay cable networks, and then on basic cable channels, back when it was 'new', I have to ask the same question that those ahead of me were asking: WHAT TOOK SO LONG?

I guess the studios didn't feel there was much of a market for Moving, but oh how wrong they are. It is a favorite of my wife and I and just the thought of the movie cracks me up (I could digress into a line or two from the Dudley Moore film Arthur, but I won't bother with that here and now...)

Dana Carvey, near the height of his own Saturday Night Live fame, makes an hilarious appearance here and a one word utterance by him is one that brings perhaps the biggest smile to my face, or to my wife's face. Carvey's character was hired by Richard Pryor's character to drive Pryor's precious car across country, unfortunately what Pryor's character never realized is that Carvey is just plain crazy and not the prim and proper individual that he was presented with.

Pryor's role for Moving was one of a company employee forced to pick up his family and move to the middle of no where (from Pryor's perspective, and from his family's perspective). Pryor does his best, or at least thinks he has done his best, to find a nice home to buy, but even that doesn't quite work out as well as he hoped.

Basically just about anything that could go wrong does and hilariously so.


Ironically, having waited so long to get a DVD release of Moving, the studios have bundled that film with another film that seems to be under appreciated, Greased Lightning. Greased Lightning is a biopic about a real life NASCAR driver, Wendell Scott. Scott took up NASCAR when faced with a choice of racing or going to jail. Along the way he relies upon determination to prove to himself and others that anything is possible, including winning a race in a sport dominated by white drivers. Scott was the first, and so far (at the time this review was written) the only, Black driver to have accomplished that task.

Greased Lightning isn't a bad film, but it isn't the best of Pryor's work either. He's not bad in the role and does the best he can with the story and direction he's given, but the film itself has a questionable history when it comes to who really did the directing, the director or the writer.


Purchasers get a fair bargain here, two films on a single disc at a fairly low price. Moving is easily worth the purchase price, and getting Greased Lightning as a bonus makes for a nice deal. April 21, 2008

 Moving along .....
This double feature is enjoyable for what it is. Being a fan of the underrated second feature, MOVING and not really caring much for Greased Lightning I will limit my review to the second feature only. Pryor has to move his family and meet obstacles along the way and re-establish his family there. The story is essentially their trip and a series of misadventures with corrupt movers, dishonest home sellers, a skitzophrenic and more. All adding up to an amusing short waste of time. Its not Shakespear people, but it has moments of quiet hilarity and more low key humor than you'd expect from Richard Pryor.

The Pear Family lives next door to an obnoxious and crude neighbor that enjoys in tormenting Pryor at every opportunity he gets. To make matters worse Pryor is soon fired from his job and subjected to his neighbor's torments even more while he searches for another job.

Just as things start to get bleak for him he gets a job in Idaho where he hopes to turn things around. Initially his family balks at his proposal but soon all are on board with moving to Idaho. All but his eldest daughter who wishes to remain in town and pursue her dream man from High School. Reluctantly they let her stay with some kindly neighbors and endure a rough crew of movers that seem striaght out of prison.

To complicate things further Pryor needs someone to drive his prized car to the new home. He finds the perfect person in Brad, a straight laced college kid looking to make a few dollars. Brad is played by Dana Carvey in a early role. In my opinion the film could have used more of him as his storyline provides some geniune joy through the middle of the flick. Overall I think its worth a view or two. Middle of the road comedy not on par with Airplane! but not as bad as Caddyshack 2 by any means. January 28, 2008

 I see we are all in agreement here!
As I write this review I see we are all in agreement here by giving the movie "Moving" by Richard Pryor 5 STARS! I loved this movie. I always thought it was so underated. It baffled me as to why it wasnt released on DVD a lot sooner. I have'nt seen greased lightning but Im sure it will be good too. October 6, 2007

 Hilarious
Moving is absolutely hilarious. The humor is of the Caddyshack variety....silly, but smart, finding humor in not pointing out the obvious. The subtleness is great. Besides Richard Pryor, you get Dana Carvey, Rodney Dangerfield, and Randy Quaid in very funny roles. It has some corny moments that were typical of 80's sitcoms (if this movie had been made in the late 70's or today, it would have been funnier I suspect). Highly recommended if you like comedies. October 1, 2007

 Delivered as promised
I bought this primarily for the movie, Greased Lightning. I was telling my kids about it and wanted them to see it. May 15, 2007

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