Critical Condition (1987) Paramount/Comedy RT: 97 minutes Rated R (language, sexual references, crude humor, some violence) Director: Michael Apted Screenplay: Dennis Hamill and John Hamill Music: Alan Silvestri Cinematography: Ralf D. Bode Release date: January 16, 1987 (US) Cast: Richard Pryor, Rachel Ticotin, Ruben Blades, Joe Mantegna, Bob Dishy, Sylvia Miles, Joe Dallesandro, Randall “Tex” Cobb, Bob Saget, Joseph Ragno, Jon Polito, Garrett Morris, Brian Tarantina, Jude Ciccolella, Cigdem Onat, Lucius Houghton. Box Office: $20.2M (US)
Rating: ***
Traditionally, January is one of the dump months for major studios looking to unload titles they know don’t stand a chance against real competition. It’s an especially bad month for comedies. For the most part, funny movies released during the first month of the year aren’t funny. Take a gander at some of the duds that landed in theaters in Januarys past: The Lonely Guy, Head Office, The Couch Trip, Downtown, Kuffs, Hexed, Cabin Boy, Houseguest, Bio-Dome, Two If by Sea, Fierce Creatures, Double Take and A Guy Thing. Not all of these are awful; I’ll cop to liking Downtown, Hexed and Bio-Dome (don’t judge!). I also like the Richard Pryor comedy Critical Condition, a rocky but amusing chuck-fest directed by Michael Apted (Coal Miner’s Daughter).
Pryor stars as Kevin Lenahan, a con man in deep you-know-what with a loan shark (Ragno, Fighting Back) after he’s tricked into wearing a wire while they talk business of the illegal kind. They all get busted and Kevin is looking at a year in prison at the very least. Facing the additional threat of retaliation by the loan shark and his guys, Kevin feigns a mental breakdown in the courtroom in hopes it will secure him an insanity defense so he doesn’t have to go to jail. He’s sent to a psychiatric ward for evaluation, but the head psychiatrist sees right through his ruse. He’s to be transferred to prison to begin serving his sentence.
It happens on the same night a major storm causes a power outage at the hospital. In the ensuing confusion, he manages to escape from the ward. He initially plans to split the scene, but gets sidetracked when rookie hospital administrator Rachel Atwood (Ticotin, Total Recall) mistakes him for a visiting ER doctor, Eddie Slattery. Upon realizing there’s no escaping during the storm, Kevin steps up and takes charge of the chaos.
There’s a lot to deal with. A maintenance worker (Tarantina, Summer of Sam) has fallen off the roof and needs a delicate surgical procedure or else he will be paralyzed. A brutal killer (Dallesandro, Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein), supposedly injured after being attacked by other inmates, escapes from police custody and is on the loose in the hospital. Arrogant surgeon Dr. Foster (Dishy, Brighton Beach Memoirs) refuses to lift a finger out of fear of a malpractice suit. Meanwhile, Rachel’s boss Chambers (Mantegna, House of Games), an obstinate, money-minded jerk, is being held hostage in the psychiatry ward by patients until he meets their demands- i.e. less restrictive rules, nurses with bigger boobs, etc.
Kevin/Slattery gets the addicts in the detox ward to help out with tasks like moving a working generator into the hospital and bailing out the flooded basement. In one of funniest bits, he flies a helicopter in the foyer with the help of one of the addicts (SNL vet Morris), a Vietnam vet who has a flashback while talking him through the process of landing it. These are but a few crises that arise over the course of Critical Condition.
In general, it’s a funny movie albeit an uneven one. It has a few tonal issues. Apted barely manages to juggle the hilarity and the seriousness. Maybe it’s just me, but an old lady’s rectal exam isn’t a comfortable fit with a violent killer looking for a way off the island. Add to that the young man facing paralysis unless he receives an operation under non-ideal circumstances. It’s a bumpy ride to say the least.
For the most part, Critical Condition is enjoyable. Pryor isn’t in top form; he looks gaunt and tired. It’s not the same Pryor we saw in Silver Streak and Stir Crazy. However, it’s one of the better movies he made before going into semi-retirement due to poor health. Apted (Gorky Park, Nell) makes pretty good use of his cast. Ticotin does a fine job; she has good chemistry with Pryor and everybody else. Dishy is in top form as a doctor who needs a doctor to deal with his neurosis. Sylvia Miles (The Funhouse) is good as the tough, outspoken head nurse. Randall “Tex” Cobb (Raising Arizona) is great as a mental patient who thinks he’s a black man. Pre-Full House Bob Saget shows early promise as a first-year resident who gets stuck with all the dirty jobs. BTW, it’s weird hearing devoted dad Danny Tanner drop an f-bomb. Also, keep your eyes open for future star Wesley Snipes as an ambulance driver.
It’s far from perfect or hilarious, but I always manage to get a few laughs from Critical Condition. Also, I have a thing for January comedies. They’re something of a guilty pleasure for me much in the same way as movies released in late August. I know, I’m strange, but I never claimed to be a normal film critic. I freely admit to liking junk movies like Critical Condition. If that’s a crime, lock me up now.
