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The Wizard (1989)
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Overview
User Rating:
Your Rating:
Director:
Writer (WGA):
David Chisholm (written by)
Release Date:
15 December 1989 (USA)
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Tagline:
They're on a cross-country adventure to the world's greatest video championship. It's more than a game...it's the chance of a lifetime. See more »
Plot:
A boy and his brother run away from home and hitch cross country with the help of a girl they meet to compete in the ultimate video game championship. Full summary » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
Video Game
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Championship
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Cross Country
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Boy
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Gambling
See more »
Awards:
4 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(28 articles)
Director Carl Franklin to Helm Corrupt Cop Drama 'City Of Night'
(From The Playlist. 30 May 2012, 8:45 AM, PDT)
Carl Franklin to Direct Thriller City Of Night
(From Collider.com. 29 May 2012, 6:34 PM, PDT)
Carl Franklin to Direct City of Night
(From MovieWeb. 29 May 2012, 4:35 PM, PDT)
(From The Playlist. 30 May 2012, 8:45 AM, PDT)
Carl Franklin to Direct Thriller City Of Night
(From Collider.com. 29 May 2012, 6:34 PM, PDT)
Carl Franklin to Direct City of Night
(From MovieWeb. 29 May 2012, 4:35 PM, PDT)
User Reviews:
Love Nintendo, and (sorry) love this movie
See more (91 total) »
Cast
(in credits order) (verified as complete) | Luke Edwards | ... | Jimmy Woods / The Wizard |
 | Vince Trankina | ... | Tate (as Vincent Leahr) |
| Wendy Phillips | ... | Christine Bateman |
| Dea McAllister | ... | Councelor |
 | Sam McMurray | ... | Bateman |
 | Beau Bridges | ... | Sam Woods |
 | Fred Savage | ... | Corey Woods |
 | Christian Slater | ... | Nick Woods |
| Will Seltzer | ... | Putnam |
| Roy Conrad | ... | Bus Clerk |
 | Jenny Lewis | ... | Haley |
| Roderick Dexter | ... | Trucker #1 |
| Ray Bickel | ... | Trucker #2 |
| Chuck Skinner | ... | Grease Monkey |
| W.K. Cowan | ... | Salesman #1 |
| William C. Thompson | ... | Salesman #2 |
| Sonny Dukes | ... | Biker |
| T. Dan Hopkins | ... | Old Navajo |
 | Jason Oliver | ... | Tough Teen #1 |
| Rowdy Metzger | ... | Tough Teen #2 |
| Preston Lee | ... | Tough Teen #3 (as Preston Scott Lee) |
 | Beth Grant | ... | Diner Manager |
| Gregor Hesse | ... | Younger Boy |
| Jackey Vinson | ... | Lucas |
| Tom Kerley | ... | Pinball Teen |
| Frank McRae | ... | Spankey |
| Gene Skillen | ... | Stickman |
| Blair Anthony | ... | Hotel Security |
| Thomas Stanczyk | ... | Rick the Video Counselor |
| Jacqueline Lear | ... | Bubblegum Girl |
| Valana C. Hatter | ... | Diner Waitress |
| Terri Lynn Neish | ... | Poolside Waitress |
 | Lee Arenberg | ... | Armageddon Registrar |
 | Steven Grives | ... | Armageddon Announcer |
| Marisa DeSimone | ... | Mora Grissum |
| Zed Frizzelle | ... | Lucas' Buddy |
 | Jim Pirri | ... | Studio Tour Guide |
| David D'Ovidio | ... | Armageddon Official |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
 | Tobey Maguire | ... | Lucas' Goon at Video Armageddon (uncredited) |
Directed by | |||
| Todd Holland | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| David Chisholm | (written by) | |
Produced by | |||
| David Chisholm | .... | producer | |
| Lindsley Parsons Jr. | .... | executive producer | |
| Daniel Schneider | .... | associate producer | |
| Ken Topolsky | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| J. Peter Robinson | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Robert D. Yeoman | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Tom Finan | |||
Casting by | |||
| Sally Lear | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Michael L. Mayer | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Robert Sissman | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Claire Jenora Bowin | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Scilla Andreen | (as Scilla Andreen-Hernandez) | ||
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Mark Hansson | .... | dga trainee | |
Art Department | |||
| Richard F. Anderson | .... | carpenter | |
| Jonathan R. Hodges | .... | property master | |
| Quinn Monahan | .... | on-set dresser | |
| Stephen Tibbo | .... | swing | |
Sound Department | |||
| Lawrence L. Commans | .... | boom operator | |
| J. Paul Huntsman | .... | supervising sound editor | |
| Mortesa Rezvani | .... | sound mixer | |
| Brad Sherman | .... | sound effects editor | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Josh Hakian | .... | special effects supervisor | |
Stunts | |||
| Clay Boss | .... | stunts | |
| Gilbert B. Combs | .... | stunts | |
| Kerrie Cullen | .... | stunts | |
| Jeffrey J. Dashnaw | .... | stunts | |
| Steve M. Davison | .... | stunts | |
| Gardner Doolittle | .... | stunt performer | |
| Andree Gibbs | .... | stunts | |
| James M. Halty | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| James M. Halty | .... | stunts | |
| Billy Hank Hooker | .... | stunts | |
| Tommy J. Huff | .... | stunts | |
| John Meier | .... | stunts | |
| Paula Marie Moody | .... | stunts | |
| Larry Nicholas | .... | stunts | |
| Bobby Porter | .... | stunts | |
| George A. Sack Jr. | .... | stunts | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Richard Arsenault | .... | video playback engineer | |
| David E. Elkins | .... | first assistant camera: second unit | |
| Wes Houle | .... | gaffer: second unit | |
| Wes Houle | .... | set electrician | |
| Bob Leitelt | .... | dolly grip | |
| Zeph R. Makgetla | .... | assistant camera | |
| Willie Mann | .... | best boy grip | |
| Chris Morley | .... | gaffer | |
| Vince Onken | .... | electrician | |
| Les Percy | .... | key grip | |
| Charles Smith | .... | grip | |
Editorial Department | |||
| John Nicolard | .... | color timer | |
| Suzanne Spangler | .... | assistant editor | |
Music Department | |||
| Michael Dittrick | .... | music editor | |
| Katherine Quittner | .... | music editor: temp score (uncredited) | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Howard Bachrach | .... | transportation captain | |
Other crew | |||
| Alitzah | .... | adr loop group | |
| Richard Arsenault | .... | video | |
| David Combs | .... | studio teacher | |
| John Glaeser | .... | assistant production office coordinator | |
| Jonathan Glassner | .... | story editor | |
| Andy Spilkoman | .... | production assistant | |
Production CompaniesDistributors
- Universal Pictures (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
- Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1990) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
- Pioneer LDC (1992) (Japan) (theatrical)
- Union Générale Cinématographique (UGC) (1992) (France) (theatrical)
Additional Details
Also Known As:
See more »
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
USA:100 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Canada:G (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1994) | Iceland:L | New Zealand:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:6 | UK:PG | Australia:PG
Filming Locations:
Company:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The truck that Spanky Frank McRae borrows from "Old Pete" is the same truck driven by Lincoln Hawk Sylvester Stallone for most of the movie Over the Top (1987). You can even see "Hawk Hauling" on the door as Spanky climbs of the cab during the rescue of Jimmy from Runaway recovery expert Putnam.See more »
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Haley said that Jimmy had trouble with the games "Rampage" and "Dr. Chaos", but those two weren't part of the Playchoice 10 series. Rampage was a self-cabinet arcade game, while Dr. Chaos was NES-only.See more »
Movie Connections:
Featured in "The Nostalgia Critic: Free Willy (#3.30)" (2010)See more »
Soundtrack:
My WaySee more »
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.See more (91 total) »
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An 
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The fond memories I had of this flick from my youth were not disappointed when I finally caught up with it again recently.
Its simply a great kids adventure. Many claimed at the time that it was little more than a rather enormous advert for Nintendo, and it is. But they bothered to make a decent movie out of it as well. I remember how excited I was at the prospect of Super Mario Bros 3, and this movie plays up to those expectations very entertainingly.
If you love videogames, the film is a fascinating cultural artifact. If you are a youngster, you should thoroughly enjoy a very well maintained adventure, with surprisingly few flaws.
It may sound pretentious, but for what it is, it is near flawless. Go figure!