The Wizard (1989 film)
| The Wizard | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for The Wizard. | |
| Directed by | Todd Holland |
| Written by | David Chisholm |
| Produced by | David Chisholm Ken Topolsky |
| Starring | Fred Savage Luke Edwards Christian Slater Beau Bridges Jenny Lewis Will Seltzer Tobey Maguire James Slice Frank McRae |
| Cinematography | Robert D. Yeoman |
| Edited by | Tom Finan |
| Music by | J. Peter Robinson |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures (North America) Carolco Pictures (International) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $14,278,900 (USA) |
The Wizard (also known as Joy Stick Heroes[1] in Germany), is a 1989 adventure dramedy film starring Fred Savage, Luke Edwards, and Jenny Lewis. The film follows three children as they travel to California so the youngest, who has a condition that makes him emotionally withdrawn, can compete in a video game tournament. The film was also well known for being North America's introduction to what would become one of the best-selling video games of all time, Super Mario Bros. 3.[2] As well as revealing the second warp whistle location.
Plot
Jimmy (Edwards) is a young boy who has suffered from an unnamed, but serious mental disorder ever since his twin sister drowned in a river. He doesn't interact with anyone, spending most of his time building things out of blocks or boxes, and he always carries his lunch box with him. He's determined to go to "California", at first the only word he can say since the tragedy. The trauma of the drowning and Jimmy's condition has broken up his family: he lives with his mother and stepfather, while his half-brothers Corey (Savage) and Nick (Christian Slater) live with their father Sam (Beau Bridges). When Jimmy is put into an institution, Corey breaks him out and runs away with him to California. Jimmy's mother and stepfather hire Putnam (Will Seltzer), a greedy and sleazy runaway-child hunter, to only bring back Jimmy, who competes with Corey's father and older brother to find the boys and sabotage each other's efforts.
Along the way, they meet a girl named Haley (Lewis), who is on her way home to Reno. Discovering that Jimmy has an innate skill at playing video games, Haley (who nicknames him "the Wizard") tells them about "Video Armageddon", a video game tournament with a cash prize of $50,000. She then agrees to help the two reach Los Angeles to participate in it for a cut of the money. By doing so, they hope to prove that Jimmy doesn't need to live in an institution. The trio hitchhike across the country, using Jimmy's skill and appearance to hustle people out of their money by playing video games. Along the way, they encounter Lucas Barton (Jackey Vinson), a teenage boy who shows off his Power Glove and his skills at Rad Racer, declaring he is also entering the tournament.
They finally arrive in Reno, where it is revealed that Haley wants her share of the prize money to help her father buy a house. With the help of an acquaintance trucker, Spankey (Frank McRae), they use money won at the craps tables to train Jimmy on several games in the Reno arcades, using Nintendo PlayChoice-10 machines. At the tournament, which is held at Universal Studios Hollywood, Jimmy qualifies as a finalist after a preliminary round of Ninja Gaiden. The rest of the family convenes at the tournament, as well as Putnam, who chases the kids through the park and almost causes Jimmy to miss the final round. Jimmy competes with two other finalists, including Lucas, in a game of Super Mario Bros. 3, which at the time had not been released in the United States, and wins the tournament at the last second after finding a Warp Whistle.
On the way back home, the family passes by the Cabazon Dinosaurs, a tourist trap, and Jimmy becomes so excited and restless that they pull over. He runs from the car up into one of the dinosaurs, his family in pursuit. Inside, Jimmy takes from his lunchbox one of his pictures of his sister, taken at the foot of the dinosaur with the rest of the family during a vacation, and Corey realizes that he simply wanted to leave his sister's mementos in a place where she would be happy. He leaves the lunchbox inside the dinosaur, and together the family returns home.
Music
The film has the song You Don't Get Much by BoDeans at the starting credits, and the song I Live By The Groove by Paul Carrack during the scenes where Jimmy is learning to play new games. It also features Send Me An Angel by the Australian band Real Life.
Reception
The movie received a mixed reception from some critics, who considered it little more than a 100-minute commercial for Nintendo games and Universal Studios Hollywood. Roger Ebert, for example, found the movie's situations implausible, "insanely overwritten and ineptly filmed." [3] while Washington Post staff writer Rita Kempley opined that the movie was "tacky and moribund."[4] Despite these reviews, The Wizard has developed a cult following and has even spawned a reunion in Austin, Texas at The Alamo Drafthouse. This reunion movie screening was attended by Fred Savage, Luke Edwards, and Director Todd Holland who answered questions by reunion attendees. [5]
Release history
The Wizard was released on VHS and Laserdisc three times, in 1990, 1992 and 1997. It was first released on DVD in Region 2 on February 2, 2001 and finally in the US and Canada (Region 1) on August 22, 2006.[6]
References
- ^ http://www.amazon.de/Joy-Stick-Heroes-Fred-Savage/dp/B000059Z3H
- ^ "Gamecubicle.com Super Mario Sales data". Retrieved 2007-10-09.
- ^ "rogerebert.com". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
- ^ "Washington Post". The Washington Post. December 15, 1989. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- ^ http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8619004&publicUserId=4547783
- ^ http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/23491/wizard-the
