by Universal Studios
| Average Rating: |
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| Sales Rank: | 6388 (lower is better) |
| Price Used: | $6.99 |
| Shipping: | Free Shipping on most orders over $25* |
| Availability: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| Director: | Todd Holland |
| Release Date: | 2006-08-22 |
| Label: | Universal Studios |
| UPC: | 025192932427 |
| Binding: | DVD |
| Published By: | Universal Studios |
| ASIN: | B000FVQLM0 |
| Category: | DVD |
Actors and Actresses
Editorial Reviews and Product Descriptions
Description
Fred Savage stars in this warm-hearted family adventure that features the excitement and thrills of video game competition. Corey (Savage) refuses to let his emotionally disturbed younger brother Jimmy (Luke Edwards) be institutionalized, and the two run away together. They soon join forces with a resourceful girl (Jenny Lewis), who notices that Jimmy has a special talent: he is a "wizard" at video games and gets the high score on absolutely everything he plays. Evading their parents and a sinister bounty hunter, the trio head for a climactic showdown at the video game championships in California. Co-starring Beau Bridges and Christian Slater, it's an inside look at the world of video gamers that will have you cheering the whole way.
Amazon.com
Less raunchy than Tommy and more conventional than Tron, The Wizard also revolves around gaming. There's even a Bridges on board. In Tron it was Jeff, in The Wizard it's Beau. As opposed to the rock opera’s pinball-playing "deaf, dumb, and blind kid," however, quasi-catatonic Jimmy (Luke Edwards) is a video game wiz. While the nine-year-old lives with his mother, half-brothers Corey (Fred Savage, circa The Wonder Years) and Nick (Christian Slater, fresh from Heathers) live with their father, Sam (Bridges). When Jimmy, who recently lost his sister, is placed in a home, Corey busts him out for a trip to California. (Today, Jimmy's condition would be labeled post-traumatic stress disorder.) As they're leaving Utah, they join forces with gaming enthusiast Haley (Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis), who suggests LA's National Video Game Championships. So, off they go by foot, skateboard, and the kindness of strangers. Sam, Nick, and obnoxious bounty hunter Putnam (Will Seltzer) are close behind. The outcome may be a foregone conclusion--the fractured family makes their peace--but The Wizard still offers a nostalgic, Nintendo-laden look at 1980s gamer culture (Power Glove, Super Mario Bros. 3, etc.). Plus, sharp-eyed viewers will spot Toby Maguire milling around before the showdown at Universal Studios Theme Park. If not for the hitchhiking, gambling, and reckless automotive destruction--after Putnam takes a knife to Sam's tires, Sam smashes his headlights with a shovel--the movie would be appropriate for all ages. In other words, it earns its PG rating. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Customer Reviews
Nostalgia time! - Reviewed on 2008-10-16
This movie tells the story of a quiet little boy who wants to go to California. His half brother played by Fred Savage decides that they are going to run away. The quiet kid is going to get sent to a mental institution or something, and Savage can't deal with it. Savage's older brother is played by Christian Slater, and Beau Bridges plays his dad. Christian Slater doesn't really have a huge role, but it's nice to see him among the cast, because he has always been one of my favorite actors because of movies like Pump up the Volume, Heathers and True Romance. I imagine the only reason he isn't one of the stars of the movie is because he hadn't become a star yet himself. Fred Savage is annoying at times, but he still gives a pretty good performance. and Beau Bridges is great. I always love seeing him. Ok, so back to the story. Fred Savage finds out his little brother is a great video game player, and when they meet a girl played by Jenny Lewis, they decide to go to a Nintendo tournament. The Nintendo tournament I thought was way too short, but it's still cool. As I remember it, this movie had exclusive footage of a new game, Super Mario Bros 3. Quite exciting for a 7 or 8 year old. I can't believe I remember this movie so well. There's just movies like that. And I was amazed at how much I liked it seeing it 18 years later. This was definitely on my list of top 5 favorite movies when I was little.
3.5/5
I didn't even know this movie was on DVD, until I saw it at the store in a double feature with another kid type movie called Cloak and Dagger. I was so happy to find this DVD.
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Book Subjects
- Adult Language
- Adventure
- Adventure Drama
- Childhood Drama
- Children's/Family
- Color
- Comedies
- Comedy
- Comedy Video
- Drama
- Excellent For Children
- Family
- Family-Oriented Adventure
- Feature
- Feature Film-comedy
- Mental Illness
- Mild Violence
- Mischievous Children
- Movie
- Profanity