The Wizard (1989) Review
Jan 5, 2021 20:25:20 GMT -5
Post by anayo on Jan 5, 2021 20:25:20 GMT -5
Background:
Recently at Goodwill I found a two-in-one DVD combo containing Cloak and Dagger (1984) and The Wizard (1989). I bought it and proceeded to watch The Wizard with chibby because he’s the only person I know irl who would enthusiastically sit through something like that.
Summary:
The Wizard is a movie about Fred Savage and his brother, who is either autistic or has PTSD or something and is therefore withdrawn and rarely speaks. Soon, though, Fred Savage learns that his brother is the Rainman of video games, conquering any title with ease. So they hatch a plan to go to Los Angeles, compete in a Nintendo tournament, and win a cash prize.
Stuff I Already Knew about The Wizard:
Although I was an early 90’s kid growing up with many 80’s films, I wasn’t even aware of this movie’s existence until I got online in the 2000’s. The main thing I remember is a YouTube clip of a kid with a leather jacket and a righteous blonde mane playing Nintendo with a motion-sensitive glove controller. He turns to the camera and coolly proclaims, “I love the Power Glove. It’s so bad.” Later in the 2010’s James Rolphe covered The Wizard, covering most of its highlights in video essay form.
My impressions:
My reaction during act one was, “What Nintendo-playing kid in the 80’s would sit through this?” For a children’s flick revolving around video games, I expected it to open in an arcade, or even the game section of a Toys R’ Us. Instead The Wizard opens to Fred Savage’s little brother ponderously walking toward the camera on a desert road. This is followed by grown-up drama wherein a man and a woman wring their hands over how Fred Savage’s laconic brother keeps trying to run away from home. Later, we learn that Fred Savage’s dad is bad at cooking, and his older brother is a James Dean wannabe who has trouble connecting with Dad.
Eventually - maybe or 30 or 40 minutes in - it becomes apparent that this is about kids running off without any parental supervision; the fulfillment of an immemorial juvenile fantasy, although in a much plainer form than later, more weaponized specimens like Home Alone (1990). Once the movie became about the kids’ plan to win it big at the Nintendo tournament I was invested and wanted to see where it led. But it took so long to establish that premise. I’m certain if you showed this to kids today they would wander away after 20 minutes. Maybe the media landscape was so different in ’89 and there was such a drought of video game related content that kids hyped themselves into persevering through the first act? I’d really like to hear about this from someone who was a grade school-age Nintendo lover back then.
Everything in this movie that isn’t video game related is an inept mess. The villain is some kind of private investigator hired to go find Fred Savage’s brother and bring him back home. The guy just isn’t appealing or fun to watch. I couldn’t remember his name, so I just called him “Hairline”. Hairline tries to sabotage Fred Savage’s dad by slashing his tires. The movie played it straight, grounding itself in reality by that point, so I was taken aback by this. But they paint over it with wacky music reminiscent of the Benny Hill theme, like that would magically make it funny. The romance scene between Fred Savage and his red-haired love interest is so catastrophically awkward that it almost works. It’s still painful to watch, though. Fred Savage’s Dad and brother have some kind of trouble forming a relationship with each other, which is apparently solved by going on a road trip to find Fred Savage and… playing Nintendo at a motel? I guess? That character arc doesn’t seem to go anywhere at all. The dialog is weird, too. Like when Fred Savage says, “He’s really gonna wax your tail.” I wonder if kids really talked that way in the 80’s, or if the dialog was written by Baby Boomers who forced the Gen X cast to parrot 60’s slang on camera. It would be great if someone who watched this back in the day out could weigh in on this. At least Fred Savage himself is photogenic and charming.
The reason to watch The Wizard now is ironically its most crass and cynical parts, namely Nintendo product placement trying to pass for scenes in a movie. These are a time capsule of the late 80’s Nintendo-dominated gaming world. The highlights include the aforementioned Power Glove scene, where Lucas radiates so much stone cold kickassery that the universe almost implodes; a scene where Fred Savage’s love interest calls the Nintendo Power hotline, providing a fascinating glimpse into the actual interior of a call center where game counselors would walk kids through their Nintendo games over the phone; and the final Nintendo tournament in LA where they unveil Super Mario Bros. 3. This last scene unlocked my memory floodgates of early 90’s Nickelodeon game shows, which I would vicariously watch as kids my age with tacky haircuts and garishly pastel clothes competed for prizes on TV. I used to wish so badly I could compete with them! I don’t think The Wizard has aged as well as other kids’ movies from that era, such as the first live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989). But it does remind me of that time period and the stuff kids considered to be cool back then. If you’re into that, The Wizard is still worth checking out.
Recently at Goodwill I found a two-in-one DVD combo containing Cloak and Dagger (1984) and The Wizard (1989). I bought it and proceeded to watch The Wizard with chibby because he’s the only person I know irl who would enthusiastically sit through something like that.
Summary:
The Wizard is a movie about Fred Savage and his brother, who is either autistic or has PTSD or something and is therefore withdrawn and rarely speaks. Soon, though, Fred Savage learns that his brother is the Rainman of video games, conquering any title with ease. So they hatch a plan to go to Los Angeles, compete in a Nintendo tournament, and win a cash prize.
Stuff I Already Knew about The Wizard:
Although I was an early 90’s kid growing up with many 80’s films, I wasn’t even aware of this movie’s existence until I got online in the 2000’s. The main thing I remember is a YouTube clip of a kid with a leather jacket and a righteous blonde mane playing Nintendo with a motion-sensitive glove controller. He turns to the camera and coolly proclaims, “I love the Power Glove. It’s so bad.” Later in the 2010’s James Rolphe covered The Wizard, covering most of its highlights in video essay form.
My impressions:
My reaction during act one was, “What Nintendo-playing kid in the 80’s would sit through this?” For a children’s flick revolving around video games, I expected it to open in an arcade, or even the game section of a Toys R’ Us. Instead The Wizard opens to Fred Savage’s little brother ponderously walking toward the camera on a desert road. This is followed by grown-up drama wherein a man and a woman wring their hands over how Fred Savage’s laconic brother keeps trying to run away from home. Later, we learn that Fred Savage’s dad is bad at cooking, and his older brother is a James Dean wannabe who has trouble connecting with Dad.
Eventually - maybe or 30 or 40 minutes in - it becomes apparent that this is about kids running off without any parental supervision; the fulfillment of an immemorial juvenile fantasy, although in a much plainer form than later, more weaponized specimens like Home Alone (1990). Once the movie became about the kids’ plan to win it big at the Nintendo tournament I was invested and wanted to see where it led. But it took so long to establish that premise. I’m certain if you showed this to kids today they would wander away after 20 minutes. Maybe the media landscape was so different in ’89 and there was such a drought of video game related content that kids hyped themselves into persevering through the first act? I’d really like to hear about this from someone who was a grade school-age Nintendo lover back then.
Everything in this movie that isn’t video game related is an inept mess. The villain is some kind of private investigator hired to go find Fred Savage’s brother and bring him back home. The guy just isn’t appealing or fun to watch. I couldn’t remember his name, so I just called him “Hairline”. Hairline tries to sabotage Fred Savage’s dad by slashing his tires. The movie played it straight, grounding itself in reality by that point, so I was taken aback by this. But they paint over it with wacky music reminiscent of the Benny Hill theme, like that would magically make it funny. The romance scene between Fred Savage and his red-haired love interest is so catastrophically awkward that it almost works. It’s still painful to watch, though. Fred Savage’s Dad and brother have some kind of trouble forming a relationship with each other, which is apparently solved by going on a road trip to find Fred Savage and… playing Nintendo at a motel? I guess? That character arc doesn’t seem to go anywhere at all. The dialog is weird, too. Like when Fred Savage says, “He’s really gonna wax your tail.” I wonder if kids really talked that way in the 80’s, or if the dialog was written by Baby Boomers who forced the Gen X cast to parrot 60’s slang on camera. It would be great if someone who watched this back in the day out could weigh in on this. At least Fred Savage himself is photogenic and charming.
The reason to watch The Wizard now is ironically its most crass and cynical parts, namely Nintendo product placement trying to pass for scenes in a movie. These are a time capsule of the late 80’s Nintendo-dominated gaming world. The highlights include the aforementioned Power Glove scene, where Lucas radiates so much stone cold kickassery that the universe almost implodes; a scene where Fred Savage’s love interest calls the Nintendo Power hotline, providing a fascinating glimpse into the actual interior of a call center where game counselors would walk kids through their Nintendo games over the phone; and the final Nintendo tournament in LA where they unveil Super Mario Bros. 3. This last scene unlocked my memory floodgates of early 90’s Nickelodeon game shows, which I would vicariously watch as kids my age with tacky haircuts and garishly pastel clothes competed for prizes on TV. I used to wish so badly I could compete with them! I don’t think The Wizard has aged as well as other kids’ movies from that era, such as the first live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989). But it does remind me of that time period and the stuff kids considered to be cool back then. If you’re into that, The Wizard is still worth checking out.
