Search - The Wizard on DVD

Three for the Road - Eighties Style!

JGC | 10/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The Wizard" is somewhat of a cult 80's movie that is fantastic to watch. Actually, I should qualify that. The movie is dated. I think even for '89 it was terribly dated. But if you were a child of the 80's then you could certainly relate to this movie and you will appreciate everything it stands for.

"The Wizard" stars The Wonder Years star, Fred Savage as Corey Woods. Corey is trying to save his younger brother from being institutionalized. Luke Edwards plays The Wizard, aka Jimmy Woods; an emotionally crippled little boy who has trouble articulating his thoughts.

The first 10 or 15 minutes of the movie are somewhat slow-moving. But it really picks up once Corey and Jimmy hit the road and meet Haley. Eighties tween-movie maven, Jenny Lewis plays the part of the very grown-up Haley extraordinarily. They all finally come up with a plan once they see Jimmy ace a video game at a bus station.

So, Jimmy, Haley and Corey all set out to hitch across 3 states (UT and NV) to make it to the video game championships (in CA.) I know this is a little far-fetched and maybe even a little screw-ballish. But think of it from a kid's perspective (after all this is a kid's movie.) Along the way, they have a few adventures in Reno while Jimmy bones up on his gaming. They also have to dodge Tate. Vince Trankina plays Tate, a smarmy detective hired by Jimmy's parents to track him down. It was so funny when Haley screamed, "he touched my breasts" and the security men all carry him out of the casino before he could run off with Jimmy!

They all finally make it to CA, with the help of a trucker that Haley has befriended. Once at the championships, Corey's father and brother also show up looking for them (Christian Slater played Nick & Beau Bridges played Sam Woods.) It gets a little confusing, Jimmy is Corey and Nick's half-brother from Sam's second marriage to Jimmy's mother. It's a shame Christian Slater's part wasn't any bigger because he played a really good tough older brother.

As a kid, my favorite scenes were during the video game tournament. Because, it was the first time I ever saw Super Mario Bros. 3. Eighteen years later, compared to even the most basic games it's like watching an antiquated dinosaur; but it's still fun to watch because it brings back fond memories.

Anyway, the rest of the movie is pretty much predictable. There was a cute moment at the end when it was explained why Jimmy really wanted to go to California in the first place. Also, it loosely made viewers think that Haley was going to live with Corey and his father; at least that was the impression that I got.

"The Wizard" is a great picture for kids because there isn't any violence or profane language. I also recommend this movie to anyone that likes classic video games or to anyone that just likes corny 80's films. If you liked this movie, then you'd probably also like: Baby Boom, Heathers (THX Version), The Princess Bride (20th Anniversary Edition), Troop Beverly Hills, The Witches, Mermaids, Adventures in Babysitting, The Karate Kid (Special Edition), Who's That Girl? and The Best of the Wonder Years.

Also known as "The Joystick King," "The Wizard" was just added to Comcast's on-demand menu. And for 100 minutes I got to forget about my everyday-problems and remember what it was like to be a kid again."

Fun movie, moving movie, all that stuff

JGC | 10/04/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"i remember when this movie came out, man, makes me feel old. okay, this is back when fred savage was cute and jenny lewis was just a little thing. it was also my first glemse of luke edwards.
this is not a movie about video games though video games have so much to do with the film.
3 kids embark on a cross country trip to a NES championship. 2 brothers are being separated. ones mentally ill but has a strong knack for video games.
this movie will make you laugh and its also got its serious scenes.
its a kids movie, an adults movie and its not corney. its definatly one of those "takes you back in time" movies. makes me miss those days. also made me want to go back and find a vintage NES player cause mines busted. back when video games were actually fun stradegy games. now the closest i get to my youth is playing old video games at the movie theatre because have you noticed, there arent even arcades anymore, there use to be arcades at every mall and now their all closing down."