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The Toy

The Toy

Comedy · Family · 1982

On one of his bratty son Eric's annual visits, the plutocrat U.S. Bates takes him to his department store and offers him anything in it as a gift. Eric chooses a black janitor who has made him laugh with his antics. At first the man suffers many indignities as Eric's "toy", but gradually teaches the lonely boy what it is like to have and to be a friend.

Movie details

The Toy

“When Jackie Gleason told his son he could have any present he wanted, he picked the most outrageous gift of all...Richard Pryor.”

1982 Comedy · Family 1h 42m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.9 / 10

Community rating

On one of his bratty son Eric's annual visits, the plutocrat U.S. Bates takes him to his department store and offers him anything in it as a gift. Eric chooses a black janitor who has made him laugh with his antics. At first the man suffers many indignities as Eric's "toy", but gradually teaches the lonely boy what it is like to have and to be a friend.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Toy?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Cheaper by the Dozen

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Richard Donner

Written by

Carol Sobieski

Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor

Jack Brown

Jackie Gleason

Jackie Gleason

Ulysses Simpson 'U.S.' Bates

Ned Beatty

Ned Beatty

Sydney Morehouse

Scott Schwartz

Scott Schwartz

Eric Bates

Teresa Ganzel

Teresa Ganzel

Fancy Bates

Wilfrid Hyde-White

Wilfrid Hyde-White

Barkley

Tony King

Tony King

Clifford

Court is in session

Put The Toy on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Popcorn Loyalist

“It owes the canon nothing.”

The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.

The prosecution The Big-Idea Head

“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”

It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.