The Wiz poster / banner
Oh my God! This is one of the weirdest films I have ever seen. The Wiz is an all-African American retelling of The Wizard of Oz, set in 1970’s Harlem. Dorothy, played by Diana Ross, is a kindergarten teacher who lives with her Aunt Emma and from what I can tell hates everyone in her family. Her dog Toto gets loose during a snowstorm one evening, and somehow a tornado (in Harlem) sweeps Dorothy to the magical spray-painted world of Oz. Except unlike the original where Oz is a world unlike anything young Dorothy had ever seen, Oz in this film is just Harlem. Sure everyone sings in this world, but its still just Harlem!
It is hard to look at this film without a critical eye, because it is really bad. The editing is chopping (even for a musical) and it severely handicaps the plot and pacing. The writers and director seem to solely rely on our knowledge of the original Wizard of Oz, wasting little time making sense of the story. The film’s villain is only mentioned once (I am not even kidding) until the “epic” battle at the end of the second act.
The Wiz film cast
The songs for the most part were ok, but the majority of them all sound like “Cheer up Charlie” and you know what that means: Fast Forward! Toto is a little shit in this film too! In The Wizard of Oz Toto is an instigator for sure, but still charming. In this movie he runs on screen for a few moments to start some shit for poor Dorothy, and then runs off screen again. I swear Dorothy goes 15 minutes in some spots without ever seeing Toto or even wondering where he is. Speaking of Dorothy, I hate to say it, but Diana Ross is a horrible actress. She gives the character of Dorothy about as much pathos as Ben Affleck provides his character in Armageddon.
Michael Jackson in The WizAlthough I am pretty sure I hated this flick, I can understand its appeal. It has real camp charm, and anyone who grew up watching it probably has fond memories (Beth). The set design, art direction, and costumes are really spectacular. They spent a lot of time and effort giving this film a distinct look, and that effort is apparent on screen.
It is too bad I didn’t like this film more; I wanted to enjoy my time in black Oz. But, without even comparing it to the original 1939 classic, or the 1985 horror sequel Return to Oz, I can tell you this is not a good film. It is a disjointed, confused, re-imagining of a simple story lazily given a fresh coat of “urban.” But, it has Michael Jackson playing the Scarecrow, so you know I had to buy it!
If you have seen and like The Wiz, I would appreciate it if you left a comment explaining yourself, and tell me why I am wrong or at least what I missed.
***SORRY NO TRAILER***