I hadn't seen this movie since it came out. It was a pleasant and very funny surprise then and it still is. As others have said it's Bill Cosby's movie and he makes the most of it. Portier shows a somewhat more annoying side to his personality, doing more than his fair share of mugging but that and the cliché gangster/boxer motif aside or perhaps because of it this movie is very very funny. Jimmy J.J. Walker steals the movie as a very unlikely middleweight boxer. Denise Nicholas is beautiful and sexy and there's a score that could be sampled to death to make a new funky soundtrack for a party. I don't understand the low rating but then comedies generally get lower ratings for some reason.But don't let that discourage you. My general criteria for a comedy is if it makes me laugh out loud on at least three occasions then it gets an automatic 7. I give this one an 8.
22 Reviews
The guys from Uptown Saturday night are back but this time they are trying to find a get rich quick scheme to raise money
dstgyrl8 July 2005
This time Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby play 2 friends who belong to a group and were supposed to be raising money. They end up trying to train a boxer to beat the current champ by hypnotizing him. They end up getting their wives involved and Denise Nicholas has the best line of all - "Will you tell that girl to get that thing out of my face before I make her eat it?" THey are so over the top that it makes it even better. The supporting cast is pretty much the same as the previous movie. If nothing else, Sidney Poitier is keeping a lot of black actors employed! Once you get into it, you will truly enjoy it. Jimmy Walker isn't even the best part of the movie.
Worthwhile, undemanding entertainment,..
The_Movie_Cat15 May 1999
July 2008 Update:
A sequel to "Uptown Saturday Night" in every real sense; though Cosby and Poitier play different characters it's the same guys in all but name, the film's title even a blatant reference to this fact. Though this didn't quite match the box office of the former it's arguably slightly the better of the two films, albeit uneven in tone.
As a big fan of Poitier, it has to be said that he's not as good a director as he is an actor, and that his light entertainment gene isn't as developed as it could be. Even dressed up in an outrageous pimp zoot suit he casts a staid presence, a straight, slightly stiff foil to Cosby and a clash of styles against Jimmy Walker's cartoonish boxer.
Back in May 1999 when I posted my original review, I described this as a "sublime vehicle" and "extremely pleasing", giving it 7/10. I can only conclude that I was fooling myself, viewing the film through youthful, Poitier-tinted sunglasses. Let's Do It Again is a decent enough film, but lacks sophistication on any real level and is, at best, undemanding entertainment.
Two years after this movie came out Cosby and Poitier would try it once more, with "A Piece Of The Action", after which Poitier would retire from acting and only make sporadic returns. As a trilogy to retire on, then it's good that Poitier left by putting smiles on people's faces, even though comedy clearly isn't his thing in front of the camera. Indeed, after a stonefaced first half, Poitier indulges in somewhat desperate mugging throughout the second half of this movie, illustrating that he had more success with comedy behind the camera... three years after his retirement from acting he directed Stir Crazy.
Trivia about the film includes a cameo from George Foreman (then a year deposed as heavyweight champion upon the film's release) and the inspiration for Biggie Smalls's nickname. Curtis Mayfield and the Staple Sisters add to a fine soundtrack that's almost as good as the sublime gospel in the first film of this unofficial trilogy.
A sequel to "Uptown Saturday Night" in every real sense; though Cosby and Poitier play different characters it's the same guys in all but name, the film's title even a blatant reference to this fact. Though this didn't quite match the box office of the former it's arguably slightly the better of the two films, albeit uneven in tone.
As a big fan of Poitier, it has to be said that he's not as good a director as he is an actor, and that his light entertainment gene isn't as developed as it could be. Even dressed up in an outrageous pimp zoot suit he casts a staid presence, a straight, slightly stiff foil to Cosby and a clash of styles against Jimmy Walker's cartoonish boxer.
Back in May 1999 when I posted my original review, I described this as a "sublime vehicle" and "extremely pleasing", giving it 7/10. I can only conclude that I was fooling myself, viewing the film through youthful, Poitier-tinted sunglasses. Let's Do It Again is a decent enough film, but lacks sophistication on any real level and is, at best, undemanding entertainment.
Two years after this movie came out Cosby and Poitier would try it once more, with "A Piece Of The Action", after which Poitier would retire from acting and only make sporadic returns. As a trilogy to retire on, then it's good that Poitier left by putting smiles on people's faces, even though comedy clearly isn't his thing in front of the camera. Indeed, after a stonefaced first half, Poitier indulges in somewhat desperate mugging throughout the second half of this movie, illustrating that he had more success with comedy behind the camera... three years after his retirement from acting he directed Stir Crazy.
Trivia about the film includes a cameo from George Foreman (then a year deposed as heavyweight champion upon the film's release) and the inspiration for Biggie Smalls's nickname. Curtis Mayfield and the Staple Sisters add to a fine soundtrack that's almost as good as the sublime gospel in the first film of this unofficial trilogy.
"Invincible!"
grendelkhan19 June 2003
This is my favorite of the Bill Cosby/Sidney Poitier trilogy from the 70's. The chemistry between these two is fantastic.
Cosby and Poitier are friends and lodge brothers who are trying to save their lodge from demolition. They decide to take the meager building fund and place bets on a boxing match. The catch? The fighter they are going to bet on is a 5 to 1 underdog, and a hapless Jimmie Walker. Walker keeps getting knocked out by his sparring partners! How do they hope to win? Hypnosis!
The actors are all first rate and there is fun all around. These films were a nice contrast to the "Blaxploitation" films of the 70's, as they provided more positive roles for many black actors. John Amos and Calvin Lockhart are rival gangsters who take the bets and then go after Cosby and Poitier. Denise Nicholas shines as Cosby's wife and the always great Ossie Davis is the leader of the lodge.
Fans of the Cosby Show may be surprised by Cosby in these films. There is a great scene where Cosby and Nicholas engage in a bit of "dirty" talk in a restaurant. This is not Cliff and Claire Huxtable!
Poitier directed these films and shows great ability. The scenes are staged well and the shots are never dull. It's a shame he didn't direct more.
This film is worth it, if only for the scenes of Cosby trying to pass himself off as a gangster. His outfit has to be seen to be believed. Check this and Uptown Saturday Night and A Piece of the Action sometime.
Cosby and Poitier are friends and lodge brothers who are trying to save their lodge from demolition. They decide to take the meager building fund and place bets on a boxing match. The catch? The fighter they are going to bet on is a 5 to 1 underdog, and a hapless Jimmie Walker. Walker keeps getting knocked out by his sparring partners! How do they hope to win? Hypnosis!
The actors are all first rate and there is fun all around. These films were a nice contrast to the "Blaxploitation" films of the 70's, as they provided more positive roles for many black actors. John Amos and Calvin Lockhart are rival gangsters who take the bets and then go after Cosby and Poitier. Denise Nicholas shines as Cosby's wife and the always great Ossie Davis is the leader of the lodge.
Fans of the Cosby Show may be surprised by Cosby in these films. There is a great scene where Cosby and Nicholas engage in a bit of "dirty" talk in a restaurant. This is not Cliff and Claire Huxtable!
Poitier directed these films and shows great ability. The scenes are staged well and the shots are never dull. It's a shame he didn't direct more.
This film is worth it, if only for the scenes of Cosby trying to pass himself off as a gangster. His outfit has to be seen to be believed. Check this and Uptown Saturday Night and A Piece of the Action sometime.
Colorful and amusing, but not the laugh filled caper flick I expected.
mark.waltz31 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This film is amusing for the costumes alone, so colorful and eccentric that the outrageous quotient is off the charts. In their second of three films together, Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby are equal to Newman and Redford, and on screen chemistry and are joined by a great supporting cast, including John Amos, Calvin Lockhart, Denise Nicholas, Lee Chamberlain, Ossie Davis, and J. J. himself, Jimmie Walker.
The character's names are just as colorful as their outfits with monikers like Kansas City Mack, Bootney Farnsworth, Bubbletop Woodson, and even the name of a future rapper Biggie Smalls. As they did in their other films Poitier and Cosby are con artists who bite on more than they can handle, ultimately being muscled in on by the mob led by John Amos.
This film takes a while to get going in the comedy, although there is a very funny scene in the beginning with Cosby working in a construction site being distracted by Jayne Kennedy and humorously crashing. In this one, Cosby steals show, singing terribly off key in efforts to get money for a phony charity and hiding under the bed where a couple are about to make love and trying to cover when he is caught. Walker doesn't really do much, but some wacky special effects showing him training for boxing are very funny. A typical 70's popcorn film that is actually better in the second half so it takes a while to get into it.
The character's names are just as colorful as their outfits with monikers like Kansas City Mack, Bootney Farnsworth, Bubbletop Woodson, and even the name of a future rapper Biggie Smalls. As they did in their other films Poitier and Cosby are con artists who bite on more than they can handle, ultimately being muscled in on by the mob led by John Amos.
This film takes a while to get going in the comedy, although there is a very funny scene in the beginning with Cosby working in a construction site being distracted by Jayne Kennedy and humorously crashing. In this one, Cosby steals show, singing terribly off key in efforts to get money for a phony charity and hiding under the bed where a couple are about to make love and trying to cover when he is caught. Walker doesn't really do much, but some wacky special effects showing him training for boxing are very funny. A typical 70's popcorn film that is actually better in the second half so it takes a while to get into it.
Enjoyable but not as good as their previous pairing.
planktonrules7 August 2022
This is the second of three pairings of Sidney Poitier with Bill Cosby. All were comedies and were made in the 1970s. The first film, "Uptown Saturday Night" was a lot of fun...I wonder if the pair can manage to be as good in "Let's Do It Again".
Clyde and Billy (Poitier and Cosby) are two friends who live in Atlanta and are members of a fraternal order, The Brothers and Sisters of Shaka. They are in charge of handling the money for the organization's building fund and they have a scheme to greatly increase these funs by gambling on a boxing match in New Orleans. Their plan is a bit cartoonish, as they sneak into the underdog's room and hypnotize him into believing he will win the fight. Surprisingly, the guy manages to win...and Clyde and Billy are thrilled with their winnings....at least until the gangsters they bet with assume they somehow cheated. What's next? See the film....and understand that just like their previous movie, things will snowball quickly!
The funniest thing about the movie is having Jimmy Walker play the boxer...a guy who seems about as likely a boxing champ as Peewee Herman! Otherwise, the humor is a bit silly and forced. Now this isn't to say it's a bad film...but it just doesn't have the cleverness and fun in their first film.
Clyde and Billy (Poitier and Cosby) are two friends who live in Atlanta and are members of a fraternal order, The Brothers and Sisters of Shaka. They are in charge of handling the money for the organization's building fund and they have a scheme to greatly increase these funs by gambling on a boxing match in New Orleans. Their plan is a bit cartoonish, as they sneak into the underdog's room and hypnotize him into believing he will win the fight. Surprisingly, the guy manages to win...and Clyde and Billy are thrilled with their winnings....at least until the gangsters they bet with assume they somehow cheated. What's next? See the film....and understand that just like their previous movie, things will snowball quickly!
The funniest thing about the movie is having Jimmy Walker play the boxer...a guy who seems about as likely a boxing champ as Peewee Herman! Otherwise, the humor is a bit silly and forced. Now this isn't to say it's a bad film...but it just doesn't have the cleverness and fun in their first film.
Let's Do It Again and Again and Again
view_and_review15 September 2018
This movie was brilliant, funny, and had a dynamite soundtrack.
As I was watching I kept waiting for the movie to devolve into a joke. Maybe because it looked low budget, maybe because Jimmy Walker was in it being his same hamming self, or maybe because it was done in 1975. Whatever the reason I was steadily anticipating failure and delightfully it never happened. It remained fresh, funny, and intelligent throughout.
Now, I can't conclude this review without mentioning one of the characters: Biggie Smalls (Calvin Lockhart).
"Biggie Smalls is the illest Your style is played out like that "Whatchu talkin' bout Willis"
The only Biggie Smalls I'd ever known was the Notorious B.I.G. I had no idea that he borrowed/stole/appropriated the name Biggie Smalls from this movie. That makes one more reason this movie was worthwhile.
As I was watching I kept waiting for the movie to devolve into a joke. Maybe because it looked low budget, maybe because Jimmy Walker was in it being his same hamming self, or maybe because it was done in 1975. Whatever the reason I was steadily anticipating failure and delightfully it never happened. It remained fresh, funny, and intelligent throughout.
Now, I can't conclude this review without mentioning one of the characters: Biggie Smalls (Calvin Lockhart).
"Biggie Smalls is the illest Your style is played out like that "Whatchu talkin' bout Willis"
The only Biggie Smalls I'd ever known was the Notorious B.I.G. I had no idea that he borrowed/stole/appropriated the name Biggie Smalls from this movie. That makes one more reason this movie was worthwhile.
Tepid, but with good moments
guisreis30 January 2024
Not a bad movie, but mildly funny and entertaining crime action comedy directed and starred by Sidney Poitier and co-starred by Bill Cosby. The opening scenes heightened my expectations, as I firstly saw stunning Jayne Jennedy and awesome cameo of big George Foreman in the bluecollar scenes. However, nothing that would eventually happen would be related to those very first scenes. The gambling mob film is silly, with camp cartoon-like events, but has good moments, and Denise Nicholas in the ending was great. By the way, there is no rigged fight if the boxer were not drugged or hurted, and if none of them lose intentionally.
Fantastic movie
zonkerjohn6 April 2021
This movie was great from start to finish. I really don't understand why there are just 17 user reviews as I write this. The acting was first rate. Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier were excellent, and Calvin Lockhart and John Amos were very good in their respective roles. This is not to take away from the rest of the cast.
Sidney Poitier did a fine job with the directing. Curtis Mayfield wrote a first rate film score for this movie, including the hit "Let's Do It Again".
It was a funny movie also. Generally, when I like a comedy, it is more for the plot in general as opposed to the actual comedy, but this made me laugh out loud quite several times.
But the biggest thing? It was just a well written, CLEVER script that kept you wanting more. When you have boxing, gambling, underdogs, and hypnotiism with good writing, its a cant miss. I have seen it at least a dozen times, and never tire of it.
Sidney Poitier did a fine job with the directing. Curtis Mayfield wrote a first rate film score for this movie, including the hit "Let's Do It Again".
It was a funny movie also. Generally, when I like a comedy, it is more for the plot in general as opposed to the actual comedy, but this made me laugh out loud quite several times.
But the biggest thing? It was just a well written, CLEVER script that kept you wanting more. When you have boxing, gambling, underdogs, and hypnotiism with good writing, its a cant miss. I have seen it at least a dozen times, and never tire of it.
Worst Actor Ever!
jtaylorcom10 September 2021
Excellent and vastly underrated comedy. Walker fantastic.
willwebbesq31 October 2001
Jimmy Walker has never been given the proper acclaim for his comedic talents. Watch this film for proof of the previous sentence. He is a treat as Bootney Farnsworth. I've seen this film 7-8 times and I still laugh out loud every time Walker is on screen. And to top it all off, you get on of the best performances of Bill Cosby's career and a great, though subtle, portrayal of a church elder/hypnotist.
The funniest movie I ever saw
pbennett1323 December 2002
I've seen this movie along with Uptown Saturday Night countless times and, this one being the better of the two, and I still crack up. Bill & Sidney are great together and it's a shame they haven't collaborated since the 70's.
Jimmy Walker is simply "down right NAYISTEE!! with laughs".
I'm waiting for the DVD.
Jimmy Walker is simply "down right NAYISTEE!! with laughs".
I'm waiting for the DVD.
My Professor!
jenkatecarl13 December 2006
I'm a Dramatic Writing student at NYU and Richard Wesley is our chair! I took his Film Story Analysis class this semester which was a lot of fun (movies every week!) and today was the last class so he showed this film of his. (We all stayed past the end of class to finish it.) Haha I loved it so much and couldn't even tell it was from the 70's. Such timeless humor. I also didn't know that Richard invented the name "Biggie Smalls" which was too cool. All year he showed us films in order to show how professionals work their screenplays, but he saved the best for last! Thanks Wesley for your awesome movie and class! See you tomorrow! Haha.
Classic of classics
shammyshamnine27 September 2018
I watched this with my son the other day. I've seen the film about 10 times now (in on my 50s and my son who's just turned 21 have never seen this film before. So when I suggested that he watch it with me, obviously he was reluctant to say the least. He was saying that he don't like to watch them old people movies. Anyway halfway through the film and he was glued to his seat and by the end of the movie he was saying "now that's a cool movie dad". I smiled saying this kind of films never grow old.
Nuff said.
Funny light-hearted comedy
stevenfallonnyc8 January 2006
I remember actually seeing "Let's Do It Again" in the theater with a friend when I was very young, and I also remember the audience (mostly kids) laughing like crazy. Sure enough, having just watched this film again for the first time in 30 years, it holds up as a decent enough comedy full of familiar TV and movie faces to anyone who was a 70's kid.
Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby are fantastic and have great chemistry, no doubt about it. This leads to many funny scenes, such as them hiding behind the couch in the woman's apartment. Cosby, however, is a little more the star here, and gets to showboat on his own a bit more than Poitier. The dirty-talk scene in the restaurant with Cosby and his very hot wife is hilarious.
There are even more hot girls to look at besides Cosby's wife, such as the one in the beginning at Cosby's work (with an amazing pair of legs), and the molls of both gangsters. Jimmy Walker is decent, and the film thankfully keeps his schtick at its useful minimum. His dad on Good Times, John Amos, is fine as a tough-guy gangster. Ozzie Davis, good as he is, bores the viewer with his character, which is a necessary character for a few scenes but who no one really wants to see. And Calvin Lockhart is always fun to watch in anything he does.
I'm surprised that no one told Cosby that with that beard, he looks 55 years old. This won't be a film that you have repeat viewings with, but it's a good 70's comedy without a doubt.
Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby are fantastic and have great chemistry, no doubt about it. This leads to many funny scenes, such as them hiding behind the couch in the woman's apartment. Cosby, however, is a little more the star here, and gets to showboat on his own a bit more than Poitier. The dirty-talk scene in the restaurant with Cosby and his very hot wife is hilarious.
There are even more hot girls to look at besides Cosby's wife, such as the one in the beginning at Cosby's work (with an amazing pair of legs), and the molls of both gangsters. Jimmy Walker is decent, and the film thankfully keeps his schtick at its useful minimum. His dad on Good Times, John Amos, is fine as a tough-guy gangster. Ozzie Davis, good as he is, bores the viewer with his character, which is a necessary character for a few scenes but who no one really wants to see. And Calvin Lockhart is always fun to watch in anything he does.
I'm surprised that no one told Cosby that with that beard, he looks 55 years old. This won't be a film that you have repeat viewings with, but it's a good 70's comedy without a doubt.
Classic Movie In A Period Where Filmmakers Should Not Do It Again
agillylan16 November 2002
What is surprising is Oscar-winning actor Sidney Poitier didn't have an even more extensive directing career (at least 9 films to his credit) because "Let's Do It Again" is deftly crafted and funny.
Believe it or not, that's quite impressive in an era (1970s so-called Blaxploitation films) hard pressed to find material suitable to African American actors and comedians. In fact by the mid 1970s a few "Let's Do It Again" cast members joined the NAACP in blasting Hollywood for the evident paucity of material and roles for talented blacks because much of what emerged was exploitive stereotypes and had the effect of mainstreaming distorted ethnic and racial images.
In this movie, however, a bearded Bill Cosby (Billy Foster), clean-shaven Poitier (Clyde Williams) team up as do-good Atlanta fraternal order brothers who play the odds to "con" threatening criminal punks so they could cheerfully give gambling winnings to a pet charity. Of course, they have to impossibly hypnotize Jimmy Walker's reluctant and unlikely bone thin boxer (Bootney Farnsworth) enabling him to successfully fight heavier and craftier opponents; convince their beautiful but reluctant wives to go in on the con and, after pulling off a preposterous megabucks "sucker bet" caper, escape the played mobsters by hoofing it through a series of apartment buildings. In one of the cinema's longest and funniest foot chases ever, the duo dashes through an unlocked apartment door running smack into a dining room not quite interrupting a family dinner. The folks seated around the dining table are incredulous for a quick moment and, well, maybe we should leave a few surprises.
The movie doesn't escape the "Mack" flamboyance of the decade, nor did it avoid the annoying 70s "wah-wah" disco soundtrack but it doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator evident in other movies whose stars were African American. On the other hand, performances by Denise Nicholas (Beth Foster), Calvin Lockhart, (Biggie Smalls) deliver a sense of dignity that would not have emerged under the hands of any lesser director in that era.
In the pre-Huxtable Cosby universe, a comic actor shines. Of course, Cosby had resisted such notions during his successful run of the NBC-TV series, playing down and turning away Emmy nominations for Best Actor. In the younger Cosby's personna, there is none of the self-mocking. He's not playing a cuddly version of himself. He's perhaps funnier than anything he presented to the generation who grew up with the Huxtables and "Ghost Dad" (also directed by Sidney Poitier), which makes it plausible for younger viewers to dust off this more than quarter-century old relic and get a kick out of what Poitier was able to do with Timothy March and Richard Wesley's story and script.
Aside from not descending into the group of movies that fall under the category of 70s "exploitation flicks", there is no social comment here. "Let's Do It Again" will give us a grittier maybe funnier Cosby than anything Generation Xers are likely to remember. If you want to escape, indulge in popcorn and have a laugh, this is a fun film.
Believe it or not, that's quite impressive in an era (1970s so-called Blaxploitation films) hard pressed to find material suitable to African American actors and comedians. In fact by the mid 1970s a few "Let's Do It Again" cast members joined the NAACP in blasting Hollywood for the evident paucity of material and roles for talented blacks because much of what emerged was exploitive stereotypes and had the effect of mainstreaming distorted ethnic and racial images.
In this movie, however, a bearded Bill Cosby (Billy Foster), clean-shaven Poitier (Clyde Williams) team up as do-good Atlanta fraternal order brothers who play the odds to "con" threatening criminal punks so they could cheerfully give gambling winnings to a pet charity. Of course, they have to impossibly hypnotize Jimmy Walker's reluctant and unlikely bone thin boxer (Bootney Farnsworth) enabling him to successfully fight heavier and craftier opponents; convince their beautiful but reluctant wives to go in on the con and, after pulling off a preposterous megabucks "sucker bet" caper, escape the played mobsters by hoofing it through a series of apartment buildings. In one of the cinema's longest and funniest foot chases ever, the duo dashes through an unlocked apartment door running smack into a dining room not quite interrupting a family dinner. The folks seated around the dining table are incredulous for a quick moment and, well, maybe we should leave a few surprises.
The movie doesn't escape the "Mack" flamboyance of the decade, nor did it avoid the annoying 70s "wah-wah" disco soundtrack but it doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator evident in other movies whose stars were African American. On the other hand, performances by Denise Nicholas (Beth Foster), Calvin Lockhart, (Biggie Smalls) deliver a sense of dignity that would not have emerged under the hands of any lesser director in that era.
In the pre-Huxtable Cosby universe, a comic actor shines. Of course, Cosby had resisted such notions during his successful run of the NBC-TV series, playing down and turning away Emmy nominations for Best Actor. In the younger Cosby's personna, there is none of the self-mocking. He's not playing a cuddly version of himself. He's perhaps funnier than anything he presented to the generation who grew up with the Huxtables and "Ghost Dad" (also directed by Sidney Poitier), which makes it plausible for younger viewers to dust off this more than quarter-century old relic and get a kick out of what Poitier was able to do with Timothy March and Richard Wesley's story and script.
Aside from not descending into the group of movies that fall under the category of 70s "exploitation flicks", there is no social comment here. "Let's Do It Again" will give us a grittier maybe funnier Cosby than anything Generation Xers are likely to remember. If you want to escape, indulge in popcorn and have a laugh, this is a fun film.
well done, very funny
vchimpanzee6 April 2003
Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier play working class men who want to get rich. They come up with $20,000 for a scheme, but $18,000 of that comes from their lodge's building fund. The men take their wives to New Orleans and, while there, they see an opportunity in an inept boxer, played by Jimmie Walker, who has the opportunity to win the middleweight title. Poitier hypnotizes the boxer and makes him very confident, and the men pose as New York millionaires and place bets with a bookie (well played by John Amos) who later figures out what they did and wants to take advantage of the situation, possibly bringing down rival Biggie Smalls.
Cosby is his usual self, only hipper (especially when he dresses in wild outfits to pretend to be rich). It's a real pleasure to see Poitier in a role that you can laugh at, since most of his characters have been so sophisticated. The two men together are great, especially when they are trying to get out of jams. I especially enjoyed seeing Cosby pretend to be a big-time gangster while talking on the phone. Walker, of course, was one of the best buffoons in 1970s TV, and he doesn't disappoint here. Even when his character is confident and talented, he still has that cartoonish quality about him.
Curtis Mayfield's music, with vocal performances by the Staples Singers, added a lot to the movie.
It wasn't quite a family movie, but it was quite clean compared to similar movies being made today, with very little cursing and not much to really object to.
I had a good time.
Cosby is his usual self, only hipper (especially when he dresses in wild outfits to pretend to be rich). It's a real pleasure to see Poitier in a role that you can laugh at, since most of his characters have been so sophisticated. The two men together are great, especially when they are trying to get out of jams. I especially enjoyed seeing Cosby pretend to be a big-time gangster while talking on the phone. Walker, of course, was one of the best buffoons in 1970s TV, and he doesn't disappoint here. Even when his character is confident and talented, he still has that cartoonish quality about him.
Curtis Mayfield's music, with vocal performances by the Staples Singers, added a lot to the movie.
It wasn't quite a family movie, but it was quite clean compared to similar movies being made today, with very little cursing and not much to really object to.
I had a good time.
Always good for laughs...
chrislewis-7026 October 2004
Although not as good as its predecessor, "Uptown Saturday Night", this sequel always provides some good laughs, especially if you overlook the wide-eyed Amos & Andy style acting of the principals (the worst perpetrator, oddly enough, being the typically stoic Sidney Poitier). Minstrel-esque hamming for the camera aside, this one is just plain fun to watch. Calvin Lockhart and John Amos are great comedic villains, almost playing their roles straight amidst the tom-foolery surrounding them.
As an African-American who grew up in the 70's, this and all the other Blaxploitation films provides a nostalgic, although somewhat exaggerated, look at life in the Black community. Put "Let's Do It Again" on a triple-bill with "Car Wash" and "Cooley High" and you'll have an entertaining blast from the past.
As an African-American who grew up in the 70's, this and all the other Blaxploitation films provides a nostalgic, although somewhat exaggerated, look at life in the Black community. Put "Let's Do It Again" on a triple-bill with "Car Wash" and "Cooley High" and you'll have an entertaining blast from the past.
Classic Movie In A Period Where Filmmakers Should Not Do It Again
agillylan16 November 2002
What is surprising is Oscar-winning actor Sidney Poitier didn't have an even more extensive directing career (at least 9 films to his credit) because "Let's Do It Again" is deftly crafted and funny.
Believe it or not, that's quite impressive in an era (1970s so-called Blaxploitation films) hard pressed to find material suitable to African American actors and comedians. In fact by the mid 1970s a few "Let's Do It Again" cast members joined the NAACP in blasting Hollywood for the evident paucity of material and roles for talented blacks because much of what emerged was exploitive stereotypes and had the effect of mainstreaming distorted ethnic and racial images.
In this movie, however, a bearded Bill Cosby (Billy Foster), clean-shaven Poitier (Clyde Williams) team up as do-good Atlanta fraternal order brothers who play the odds to "con" threatening criminal punks so they could cheerfully give gambling winnings to a pet charity. Of course, they have to impossibly hypnotize Jimmy Walker's reluctant and unlikely bone thin boxer (Bootney Farnsworth) enabling him to successfully fight heavier and craftier opponents; convince their beautiful but reluctant wives to go in on the con and, after pulling off a preposterous megabucks "sucker bet" caper, escape the played mobsters by hoofing it through a series of apartment buildings. In one of the cinema's longest and funniest foot chases ever, the duo dashes through an unlocked apartment door running smack into a dining room not quite interrupting a family dinner. The folks seated around the dining table are incredulous for a quick moment and, well, maybe we should leave a few surprises.
The movie doesn't escape the "Mack" flamboyance of the decade, nor did it avoid the annoying 70s "wah-wah" disco soundtrack but it doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator evident in other movies whose stars were African American. On the other hand, performances by Denise Nicholas (Beth Foster), Calvin Lockhart, (Biggie Smalls) deliver a sense of dignity that would not have emerged under the hands of any lesser director in that era.
In the pre-Huxtable Cosby universe, a comic actor shines. Of course, Cosby had resisted such notions during his successful run of the NBC-TV series, playing down and turning away Emmy nominations for Best Actor. In the younger Cosby's personna, there is none of the self-mocking. He's not playing a cuddly version of himself. He's perhaps funnier than anything he presented to the generation who grew up with the Huxtables and "Ghost Dad" (also directed by Sidney Poitier), which makes it plausible for younger viewers to dust off this more than quarter-century old relic and get a kick out of what Poitier was able to do with Timothy March and Richard Wesley's story and script.
Aside from not descending into the group of movies that fall under the category of 70s "exploitation flicks", there is no social comment here. "Let's Do It Again" will give us a grittier maybe funnier Cosby than anything Generation Xers are likely to remember. If you want to escape, indulge in popcorn and have a laugh, this is a fun film.
Believe it or not, that's quite impressive in an era (1970s so-called Blaxploitation films) hard pressed to find material suitable to African American actors and comedians. In fact by the mid 1970s a few "Let's Do It Again" cast members joined the NAACP in blasting Hollywood for the evident paucity of material and roles for talented blacks because much of what emerged was exploitive stereotypes and had the effect of mainstreaming distorted ethnic and racial images.
In this movie, however, a bearded Bill Cosby (Billy Foster), clean-shaven Poitier (Clyde Williams) team up as do-good Atlanta fraternal order brothers who play the odds to "con" threatening criminal punks so they could cheerfully give gambling winnings to a pet charity. Of course, they have to impossibly hypnotize Jimmy Walker's reluctant and unlikely bone thin boxer (Bootney Farnsworth) enabling him to successfully fight heavier and craftier opponents; convince their beautiful but reluctant wives to go in on the con and, after pulling off a preposterous megabucks "sucker bet" caper, escape the played mobsters by hoofing it through a series of apartment buildings. In one of the cinema's longest and funniest foot chases ever, the duo dashes through an unlocked apartment door running smack into a dining room not quite interrupting a family dinner. The folks seated around the dining table are incredulous for a quick moment and, well, maybe we should leave a few surprises.
The movie doesn't escape the "Mack" flamboyance of the decade, nor did it avoid the annoying 70s "wah-wah" disco soundtrack but it doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator evident in other movies whose stars were African American. On the other hand, performances by Denise Nicholas (Beth Foster), Calvin Lockhart, (Biggie Smalls) deliver a sense of dignity that would not have emerged under the hands of any lesser director in that era.
In the pre-Huxtable Cosby universe, a comic actor shines. Of course, Cosby had resisted such notions during his successful run of the NBC-TV series, playing down and turning away Emmy nominations for Best Actor. In the younger Cosby's personna, there is none of the self-mocking. He's not playing a cuddly version of himself. He's perhaps funnier than anything he presented to the generation who grew up with the Huxtables and "Ghost Dad" (also directed by Sidney Poitier), which makes it plausible for younger viewers to dust off this more than quarter-century old relic and get a kick out of what Poitier was able to do with Timothy March and Richard Wesley's story and script.
Aside from not descending into the group of movies that fall under the category of 70s "exploitation flicks", there is no social comment here. "Let's Do It Again" will give us a grittier maybe funnier Cosby than anything Generation Xers are likely to remember. If you want to escape, indulge in popcorn and have a laugh, this is a fun film.
Let's Do It Again
Coxer9925 May 1999
Cosby and Poitier shine in this comedy/adventure about two brothers who try to pull off a con in the hope of raising money for a new temple. The results are perfect with both raising lots of laughs in the tradition of the great Amos 'n' Andy. A great buddy picture!
Dyn-O-mite...not so much...
JasparLamarCrabb29 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
The follow-up to UPTOWN Saturday NIGHT, LET'S DO IT AGAIN re-teams Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier as a couple of lodge members determined to save their club by hypnotizing a scrawny boxer into becoming a fight champ. TV-star Jimmie Walker plays the boxer and he has about as much personality as a TV-dinner. The laughs comes not via Walker, although his character's name is priceless, or the idiotic plot, but almost single-handedly from Cosby, who's given one of his rare chances to break loose in a movie. It's a shame he's spent the last twenty five years squandering his comic sensibility on vapid sitcoms. Poitier directed, the funky music score is by Curtis Mayfield and the excellent title song is performed by the Staple Singers.
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