Moving (1988 film)

Last updated
Moving
Moving movie poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Alan Metter
Written by Andy Breckman
Produced by Stuart Cornfeld
Starring
Cinematography Donald McAlpine
Edited by Alan Balsam
Music by Howard Shore
Production
company
Brooksfilms
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • March 4, 1988 (1988-03-04)
Running time
89 minutes
LanguageEnglish
Box office$10,815,378

Moving is a 1988 American comedy film starring Richard Pryor as Arlo Pear, a father moving his family cross-country.

Contents

Other notable appearances in the film include Randy Quaid as an annoying neighbor, Dana Carvey as a man with multiple personalities hired to drive Pryor's car, Rodney Dangerfield as an embezzling loan officer, musician Morris Day, and WWF wrestler King Kong Bundy as a monstrous mover. The film also stars Stacey Dash as Arlo's daughter Casey, and Leslie Jordan in his film debut.

Plot

Arlo Pear is a transportation engineer living in the New Jersey suburbs. One day, he goes to work and meets a new female co-worker, and when both of them attempt to enter their keys in the same office doorknob, Arlo guesses what has happened and confronts his boss, Roy Hendersen. He learns that his company has merged with another, and now Arlo is out of a job. He ends the meeting by telling off Hendersen, and in his state of rage, he flips off Roy using his index finger.

Arlo's wife Monica tries to defuse the situation by telling her husband that she can get him a job at her father's mustard plant, at least until something better comes along. Having become convinced that a job in his own field would better suit him, Arlo refuses. His attempts to find work are futile until he receives a phone call from another engineering firm, due to Roy's influence. The firm nearly hires him over the phone, and Arlo is excited—until he finds out that his new job will be in Boise, Idaho. With some hesitation, Arlo takes the job.

Arlo breaks the news to his family by telling them that he has a new job, but he delays telling them of the move until the end of the conversation, prompting angry responses from both his wife and his daughter Casey. The family uses a "swear jar" to collect cash penalties for the use of obscenities in the house, and Casey puts cash in the jar as she makes her feelings known. Shortly afterward, Monica retrieves her purse and withdraws a large sum of cash, ordering their twin sons Randy and Marshall to leave the room, implying that her own use of profanity will cost her dearly.

However, Monica calms down and agrees to the move, but Casey is much less willing to concede, sabotaging their attempts to sell their home. Casey relents after offering her parents a solution: she will agree to the move if they let her finish out the school year and graduate at her present school. They agree, the house sells, and they make arrangements for her to stay with family friends.

Monica and Arlo find a suitable house owned by retirees in Boise and agree to buy it, although the retirees jest with the Pears that they are "taking everything with us", when referring to the appliances and fixtures in the house. They hire a moving company, but the moving team is shady, and they decide to go with another company. To their surprise, the same shady movers from the first company arrive, revealing to the Pears that they now work for the second company. They hire the initially squeaky-clean Brad Williams to drive Arlo's black Saab 900 to Boise.

The Pears arrive in Boise to find their new house stripped of not only its cabinetry and appliances, but its doors, stairs and swimming pool, revealing that the sellers were indeed serious when they said that they were "taking everything with us". The movers make an unscheduled stop in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Brad reveals himself to have multiple personality disorder, and he delivers the Saab in a stripped and wrecked heap. Arlo's job is eliminated on his first day in a highly publicized news conference. To top it off, his new neighbor is revealed to be the twin brother of Frank Crawford, the shell-shocked Vietnam War veteran who lived next door to the family in New Jersey. Like Frank, Cornell Crawford has the same anti-social tendencies as his brother, including mowing his grass with a monstrous contraption powered by a V8 engine.

Arlo snaps. He threatens the sellers of his new home with violence if they do not restore it. He tracks down the moving team on the highway and physically makes short work of them after they arrive at his home. He finds his new boss and manages to save his job. He orders Brad to leave after delivering the Saab.

When Cornell Crawford gets ready to mow his lawn, he is interrupted by Pear, who tells him to put his contraption back in the garage and invest in a "human-sized mower". As Cornell says, "Who's going to make me?", he is answered with ferocious barking from Flipper, the Pears' normally hopelessly lazy dog. Cornell immediately backs off, obviously alarmed, and expresses his admiration for his new neighbors. Arlo replies to his new neighbor by flipping him off, and the surprise arrival of Casey, who was tired of being separated from her family and joined them out West.

Cast

Reception

Box office

The film debuted at number 4, [1] and was a failure at box office, grossing US$10,815,378.[ citation needed ]

Critical response

The film received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 33%, based on 6 reviews. [2]

A negative review came from the Los Angeles Times , which stated that the film "is pretty flat as a comedy, but is of interest as a case study in sociology, as the Pears could just as easily be white as black. There's a certain irony that a comedy of errors, even a disappointing one, is set against the perfection of an idealized backdrop of a fully and harmoniously racially integrated society." [3] The newspaper also noted that, due to its heavy language, "[the film's] R rating is appropriate". [3]

Janet Maslin of The New York Times provided a positive notice, and stated that "Pryor presides over Moving with Cosbyesque geniality", and that he "does a lot to make [the film] funny". [4]

Home media

The film was released on DVD on August 22, 2006, as part of a double feature, packaged with another Pryor film, Greased Lightning . Both movies are on the same side of a single disc.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Carvey</span> American stand-up comedian (born 1955)

Dana Thomas Carvey is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer.

<i>Assimilate</i> 2019 American science fiction horror film

Assimilate is a 2019 American science fiction horror film directed by John Murlowski and starring Joel Courtney, Andi Matichak and Calum Worthy also with Mason McNulty and Cam Gigandet. It is a loose and unofficial adaptation of Jack Finney's 1954 novel The Body Snatchers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chandler Bing</span> Fictional character from the American sitcom Friends

Chandler Muriel Bing is a fictional character from the NBC sitcom Friends, portrayed by Matthew Perry. Chandler was born to Nora Tyler Bing, an erotic romance novelist, and Charles Bing, a gay female impersonator and star of a Las Vegas drag show called "Viva Las Gay-gas" as Helena Handbasket. Chandler is of Scottish and Swedish descent. He is an only child and is apparently from an affluent family. His parents announced their divorce to him over Thanksgiving dinner when Chandler was nine years old, an event which traumatized him, and he refuses to celebrate the holiday as an adult. It is revealed in season 2 that he went to an all-boys high school.

Caroline in the City is an American television sitcom that ran on NBC from 1995 until 1999. It stars Lea Thompson as cartoonist Caroline Duffy, who lives in Manhattan. The rest of the cast includes Eric Lutes, Malcolm Gets, Amy Pietz, and Andy Lauer. The series premiered on September 21, 1995, in the "Must See TV" Thursday night block between Seinfeld and ER and ran for 97 episodes over four seasons before it was cancelled; the final episode was broadcast on April 26, 1999. The series' rights are currently held by CBS Media Ventures.

<i>The Toy</i> (1982 film) 1982 comedy film by Richard Donner

The Toy is a 1982 American comedy film directed by Richard Donner. The film stars Richard Pryor as a janitor at a department store owned by Jackie Gleason. The owner's son, played by Scott Schwartz, is told that he may have anything in the toy department. He chooses the janitor, who the owner pays to spend a week with the boy. The film also stars Ned Beatty, Teresa Ganzel, and Virginia Capers. It is an adaptation of the 1976 French comedy film Le Jouet. It was a box office success, despite being pilloried by film critics.

<i>Bride and Prejudice</i> 2004 film

Bride and Prejudice is a 2004 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Gurinder Chadha. The screenplay by Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges is a Bollywood-style adaptation of Jane Austen's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice. Shot primarily in English, with some Hindi and Punjabi dialogue, the film was released in the United Kingdom on 6 October 2004 and in the United States on 11 February 2005 to mostly positive reviews from critics.

Arlo is a traditionally male given name. Some sources state it to be of Old English origin, meaning "from the hill fort"; it was first used by Edmund Spenser, who "evidently invented" it, as the name of a hill where the gods debate in his poem The Faerie Queene.

Saturday Night Live is an American sketch comedy series created by Lorne Michaels, who also produced many episodes. The show has aired on NBC since 1975.

<i>Autumn Leaves</i> (film) 1956 film by Robert Aldrich

Autumn Leaves is a 1956 American psychological drama film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Joan Crawford in an older woman/younger man tale of mental illness. The film was distributed by Columbia Pictures. The screenplay was written by Jean Rouverol and Hugo Butler, though it was credited to Jack Jevne, since Rouverol and Butler were blacklisted at the time of the film's release.

<i>Sadie McKee</i> 1934 film by Clarence Brown

Sadie McKee is a 1934 American pre-Code, romantic-drama film directed by Clarence Brown, starring Joan Crawford, and featuring Gene Raymond, Franchot Tone, Edward Arnold, and Esther Ralston. The film is based on the 1933 short story "Pretty Sadie McKee", by Viña Delmar. Crawford plays the title character, from young working girl through poverty, a marriage into enormous wealth and finally a (seemingly) settled life on her own terms.

<i>I Saw What You Did</i> 1965 film by William Castle

I Saw What You Did is a 1965 American thriller film released by Universal Pictures and starring Joan Crawford and John Ireland. The plot follows two teenage girls who find themselves in serious danger after making a prank phone call to a man who just murdered his wife. The screenplay by William P. McGivern was based upon the 1964 novel Out of the Dark by Ursula Curtiss. The film was produced and directed by William Castle.

<i>Unhook the Stars</i> 1996 film by Nick Cassavetes

Unhook the Stars is a 1996 American drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes, and starring his mother Gena Rowlands, Marisa Tomei, Gérard Depardieu, Jake Lloyd in his film debut, David Sherrill, David Thornton, Bridgette Wilson and Moira Kelly.

<i>Harold</i> (film) 2008 American comedy film directed by T. Sean Shannon

Harold is a 2008 American comedy film co-written by Greg Fields and T. Sean Shannon, starring Spencer Breslin in the title role, Cuba Gooding Jr., Nikki Blonsky, Ally Sheedy and Stella Maeve. It is Shannon's first full-length feature film and is partially adapted from his earlier short film, which itself was adapted from one of his Saturday Night Live sketches. It was also released six years after the death of Greg Fields.

<i>The Man in the Net</i> 1959 film by Michael Curtiz

The Man in the Net is a 1959 American film noir mystery film starring Alan Ladd and Carolyn Jones, and directed by Michael Curtiz. The supporting cast features Diane Brewster.

<i>Hi-Neighbor!</i> 1934 Our Gang short film

Hi'-Neighbor! is a 1934 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gus Meins. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 126th Our Gang short to be released and Meins' first series entry as director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Versus the Suburbs</span> 13th episode of the 2nd season of Chuck

"Chuck Versus the Suburbs" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of Chuck. It originally aired on NBC on February 16, 2009. General Beckman sends Chuck Bartowski, Sarah Walker, and John Casey to a Los Angeles suburb on an undercover mission, with Chuck and Sarah posing as a married couple. After accidentally obtaining a part of Fulcrum's Intersect data, Chuck discovers that the suburban development is a front for Fulcrum. The team is captured by some of their neighbors, including Brad and Sylvia, who test Chuck by uploading their prototype to Chuck's brain. Meanwhile, Big Mike is introduced to internet dating by Morgan Grimes, Lester Patel, and Jeff Barnes at the Buy More, which backfires on Morgan.

Gone Dark is a 2003 Canadian-British crime drama mystery film directed by Lewin Webb, written by Matt Holland and starring Lauren Bacall, Claire Forlani, Henry Czerny and Pete Postlethwaite.

<i>Tomorrowland</i> (film) 2015 American science fiction film directed by Brad Bird

Tomorrowland is a 2015 American science fiction film directed by Brad Bird with a screenplay by Bird and Damon Lindelof. The film is based on the themed land Tomorrowland from the Disney Parks and a story by Bird, Lindelof, and Jeff Jensen. It stars George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Kathryn Hahn, and Keegan-Michael Key. In the film, a disillusioned genius inventor and a teenage science enthusiast embark to an intriguing alternate dimension known as "Tomorrowland", where their actions directly affect their own world.

Sharyn Mary-Ellen Casey is a radio host on The Edge's drive show, The Edge Afternoons with Sharyn, Steph & Nickson, a host on the New Zealand version of Dancing with the Stars, and a celebrity panelist on The Masked Singer NZ. She was previously one of Guy, Sharyn & Clint.

References

  1. ↑ Caulfield, Deborah (March 8, 1988). "WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Disney Loses One to 'Moving'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  2. ↑ "Moving (1988)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  3. 1 2 Thomas, Kevin (March 7, 1988). "MOVIE REVIEW: All Packed Up, 'Moving' Goes Nowhere, Despite Richard Pryor". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  4. ↑ Maslin, Janet (March 5, 1988). "Film: 'Moving,' With Richard Pryor". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.