[Uptown Saturday Night] has no pretense of relevance whatsoever. It doesn't have a drop of blood, no obscenity, nudity or any of the other ingredients usually considered essential for a successful Black-oriented movie. What it does have is frivolity. The only real concern of the Uptown folks—aside from having a good time—is a winning $50,000 lottery ticket that has been stolen by a greedy gang….

Uptown Saturday Night is Poitier's most ambitious directorial assignment to date. After a dazzling debut with Buck and the Preacher and the rather soggy A Warm December, he has undertaken a highly complex endeavor full of crowd scenes, intricate effects and delicately timed dialogs, and brought them all together. I would hesitate to say he has accomplished a masterwork, however. He does evoke shining performances from most of the stars…. But Director Poitier fails to fully develop Calvin Lockhart, who seems to...