The Wiz

Watch: The Wiz

5/18/20252h 14m

Theatrical (limited) Release (US)

~ The wiz! The stars! The music! Wow! ~

Overview:

Dorothy Gale, a shy kindergarten teacher, is swept away to the magic land of Oz where she embarks on a quest to return home.

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$24,000,000.00

Revenue:

$21,049,053.00

Key words:

new york city
dreams
melancholy
musical
based on play or musical
dog
disco
based on movie
wizard
harlem, new york city
funk
african american
whimsical
commanding
familiar
joyful
african american lead
african american musical

Cast

Diana Ross

~ as ~

Dorothy

Michael Jackson

~ as ~

Scarecrow

Nipsey Russell

~ as ~

Tinman

Ted Ross

~ as ~

Lion

Mabel King

~ as ~

Evillene

Theresa Merritt

~ as ~

Aunt Em

Thelma Carpenter

~ as ~

Miss One

Lena Horne

~ as ~

Glinda the Good

Richard Pryor

~ as ~

The Wiz

Stanley Greene

~ as ~

Uncle Henry

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 1 year(s) ago
6
Whilst I think this really does work on stage, I really didn't much rate this African-American take on the timeless "Wizard of Oz" tale. It seems much more intent on making a political statement than it does on entertaining anyone, and given I'm not from the community it was made by and for, I felt a bit like I was not really invited to the party. The story itself sees a slightly older "Dorothy" (Diana Ross) chasing her dog through a heavy snowfall. She gets hopelessly lost and next thing she is in a mysterious land ("Oz") and must find the legendary wizard if she is ever to sing her way back to Harlem. The snag with this plot here is that her life in New York was none too enjoyable, so after a while here making new friends - including Michael Jackson's "Scarecrow", and singing and dancing her way through life, I did wonder what she actually wanted to get back for. The remainder of the story largely follows the gist of the original Baum novel, peppered with some of Quincy Jones best efforts, and so no there's not a jot of jeopardy as she plods along the yellow brick road towards a typically theatrical, power ballad, denouement. There's no question Ross can sing, but somehow nobody here ever imbues thire songs with much personality or character. They are just repetitions of the vinyl versions with little to personalise them for the big screen. It's not a bad film, and it does try to take some risks with the creativity, but for me I just didn't feel at all engaged.