Underneath all the "controversy" about the rich whitey "buying" the po' black man as a toy for his son, there's actually a very touching story about a kid and his dad who don't know how to communicate their feelings.
All this "slave" stuff seems a bit silly - in the early '80s, Richard Pryor was probably the most popular (and funniest) comedian out there, so who better to play the role of Jack Brown? They needed someone with great comic timing, who is fantastic delivering funny lines and doing slapstick, and who can emote as good as anyone then when a dramatic scene called for it. Who would have been a better choice than Pryor? No one.
The bratty kid and his "toy" Pryor raise heck in every scenario, from a dinner party, to a democrat KKK fundraiser, to a printing press room, and just about everywhere in the dad's mansion. Along the way, Eric the kid learns more and more about how to be a decent person from Jack, who is trying to get a job from the kid's dad (the amazing Jackie Gleason) who owns the local newspaper, among everything else.
Ned Beatty shines as always as one of Gleason's flunkies, showing that he was one of those guys who could play just about every kind of role.
Pryor of course is absolutely hilarious as Jack, paid to befriend the kid, and take the brunt of the kid's jokes and pranks, always with hilarious results.
Sure this isn't the funniest film ever made, but this is a very likable film for anyone that puts the prejudices against it aside and just chills and enjoys it.
