Plot: What’s it about?
Wardell Franklin (Bill Cosby) and Steve Jackson (Sidney Poitier) have a lot of differences, but remain the best of friends. Jackson is a normal working man, trying to make ends meet for his family, while Franklin is a little wilder and loose. But both men are married and have settled down, though both also long for an escape at times. The men love their wives and wouldn’t leave them, but they need some fun and excitement. As a result, Franklin and Jackson both sneak out one night, then venture to Madame Zanobia’s. The establishment is an after hours club, where men can unwind and relax with friends, not to mention see some beautiful women. To Wardell and Steve, this is a heavenly place and just what they needed, so they think they have it made. But then things take a turn for the worse, when a band of masked bandits enter Madame Zanobia’s and hold up the patrons, including the two friends. Just when the world looked so bright, both men wind up deflated and robbed to boot, not how the evening was to unfold. The next day, Steve discovers his luck is even worse than he thought, as he chose the winning numbers in the lottery drawing. That sounds like good news, but the ticket is in his wallet, which was stolen the night before. Can he and Wardell somehow track down the ticket, or has Steve lost his one golden chance?
I am a fan of Soul Cinema, films like Shaft, Dolemite, Foxy Brown, and Hell Up in Harlem, movies that stand as icons of 70s cinema. Uptown Saturday Night seems to want to join those films, but instead, it comes off as lame. Bill Cosby is hilarious to look at, with his outrageous facial hair and clothes, but his performance is thin. He is teamed with frequent costar Sidney Poitier, who also directs, and the chemistry is solid, but the material sucks. The basic characters are obvious lifts of the controversial Amos n Andy series, but sadly, Uptown Saturday Night lacks the human element and effective humor of Amos n Andy. Poitier’s direction is passable, but the writing is so weak and the performances are so inconsistent, this turkey never lifts off the ground. I seem to be drawn toward 70s cinema, if just for the tone of most of the films from that time, but even I couldn’t find much to like about this clunker. But I should admit, this is not a bad movie if you want light, recycled jokes and little else. Uptown Saturday Night is a thin, harmless motion picture, the kind you watch and then forget ten minutes later. But if you’re a diehard fan of Cosby or Poitier, I suppose a rental is in order, if just to satisfy curious viewers. Warner’s DVD is a solid one and has a nice transfer, although extras are thin at best.
Video: How does it look?
Uptown Saturday Night is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is a better presentation than I expected, but it still ranks as a solid, but unremarkable treatment. The source print is in good condition, but as we should expect, grain is evident throughout. The grain is never thick or cumbersome, but it does soften the image and give the visuals a harsh texture at times. But I’ve never seen a presentation of this film that looked cleaner or crisper, so despite the grain induced flaws, there is little room for complaints. The colors haven’t faded that much, so hues look bright and contrast is even handed as well. So for the age and nature of the materials, this is a more than reasonable presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
The original mono track is used for audio, so expect an average audio experience. For mono, this is a great track, no hiss and no separation issues at all. This material isn’t in need of much as far as bells & whistles, so mono is sufficient. The soundtrack is cool, funk laden tunes, and they sound clear and crisp. The main element is dialogue and it comes across well also, you can’t ask for a much better soundtrack for this flick than this one. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Dr. Todd Boyd from USC provides an audio commentary track, but he is more a narrator than a well prepared expert. He knows a lot of trivia about the production and era, but not much outside of the realm of common knowledge. He also reverts to narration too often, so you won’t miss much if you skip this track. This disc also includes seven minutes of cast & crew interviews, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.
