The Wizard

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The Wizard

PG

Released Dec 15, 1989

1h 39m

Kids & Family

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

29%

Tomatometer

24 Reviews

60%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

After his little brother, Jimmy (Luke Edwards), is put in a mental institution, Corey (Fred Savage) breaks him out and the pair run off together to California. On their travels, Corey meets a girl named Haley (Jenny Lewis) and discovers that Jimmy is a master at playing video games. With talents like his, he could easily win the top prize of $50,000 at Video Armageddon. While the three travelers hitchhike to the competition, the boys' parents hire a bounty hunter to track them down.

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Neil Jillett

The Age (Australia)

The Wizard is fairly inoffensive stuff, if you do not object to heavy doses of American materialism and sentimentality and the notion that running away from home is a normal way for a child to respond to a minor disagreement with a father.

Dec 13, 2024

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Janet Maslin

New York Times

Video-addicted kids may well find this exciting, but for anyone old enough to stay out later than 9 P.M. it's a distinct bore.

Rated: 1/5

May 20, 2003

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

It was only after the three kids arrived safely at the championships that I began to question the ethics of the film, which is, among other things, a thinly disguised commercial for Nintendo video games and the Universal studio tour.

Rated: 1/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Tom Ryan

The Sunday Age

That the film is able to link family renewal and the product it is so capably marketing should only serve to remind us of what a valuable selling-point the family can be.

Dec 13, 2024

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Tom Ford

Toledo Blade

The Wizard would have been better on the TV screen, where its programmed predictability would have more closely paralleled that of the games themselves.

Aug 3, 2022

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Sebastian Zavala Kahn

Más Gamers

It's turned into a cult classic, especially for video-game and 80s fans. "The Wizard" is pure nostalgia; uneven and confusing, but fascinating. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 2.5/5

May 16, 2020

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Ken W

Gyatt damn. I just left a 45-minute write-up on the site, and the submission error'd out and is unretrievable... all that wasted time. :( Always copy your work into Notepad before your do an online submission kids, unless you want to risk losing your work. Sorry, not writing the review again. Just don't watch the movie unless you really have nothing better to do with your time. Yes, it's that bad and totally did not live up to the hype.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/30/25

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Michael W

This video game movie was really good. Fred Savage, Luke Edwards, Jenny Lewis, Christian Slater, Beau Bridges, and the rest of the cast did a fantastic job in this movie. The story of the movie was dramatic, heartfelt, and humorous. It's about a special kid that has what it takes to be a video game wizard and play in a contest to see what he's really capable of. If you haven't seen this movie yet, check it out sometime. It's a great movie for an entire family.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/15/25

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Nick H

This movie should be titled “How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Capitalism.” I love the Power Glove. It’s so bad. Also, the kid casino is supremely messed up.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/25

Full Review

Chris C

As a now grown adult, it’s easy to look back on The Wizard and dismiss it as a cheesy product of the late '80s (of which I think a lot of you have done), but to those of us who grew up in that era, the movie was something special. For teens obsessed with video games, it wasn't just a film—it was a reflection of our world. The Wizard was our gateway into the gaming culture that was just taking off, giving us a glimpse into Nintendo, the Power Glove (as impractical as it was), and a love for the arcade-style competition that laid the groundwork for today’s gaming culture. It also showed us the excitement of early technology and the thrill of discovery, like the reveal of Super Mario Bros. 3, a moment that’s burned into gaming history. While some reviews from modern audiences might rate it poorly, they’re missing the context. Sure, it’s a bit cheesy now, but the film captured the excitement, the budding addiction, and the promise of what gaming could become. For many of us, The Wizard wasn't just a movie—it was a symbol of how we got into gaming. It foreshadowed the technological leaps we’d see, even paving the way for things like VR. Rating it poorly in hindsight is like judging old tech by today’s standards. As a cult classic, The Wizard deserves more respect, especially from those who lived through the early days of gaming.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/16/24

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Maks P

California!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/14/24

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J T

Great movie! Would definitely recommend

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/05/24

Full Review

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Todd Holland

Director

Fred Savage

Corey Woods

Beau Bridges

Sam Woods

Christian Slater

Nick Woods

Jenny Lewis

Haley

Luke Edwards

Jimmy Woods

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Synopsis

After his little brother, Jimmy (Luke Edwards), is put in a mental institution, Corey (Fred Savage) breaks him out and the pair run off together to California. On their travels, Corey meets a girl named Haley (Jenny Lewis) and discovers that Jimmy is a master at playing video games. With talents like his, he could easily win the top prize of $50,000 at Video Armageddon. While the three travelers hitchhike to the competition, the boys' parents hire a bounty hunter to track them down.

Director: Todd Holland
Producer: David Chisholm, Ken Topolsky
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 15, 1989, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.3M
Runtime: 1h 39m
Sound Mix: Surround

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