The Wiz [G]

Dorothy is 24 and still living at home with her Auntie Em and Uncle Henry. Afraid to try anything new, Dorothy is thrust headlong into the world of Oz where she encounters new and strange people. Desperate to get home, Dorothy sets off on a journey to see the Wiz, the almighty and powerful wizard of Oz. Along the way she meets people who are just as alone as she is and, all together, they follow the yellow brick road to make their wishes come true. 

I don’t really know what was going through my mind this afternoon, but I saw this DVD and I thought, “I’ll watch that tonight.” An interesting Motown take on L. Frank Baum’s classic tale of magic and adventure, The Wiz is a strange film filled with catchy tunes, strange characters, and singer/actors. 

Dorothy is 24 years old and still living at home with her Auntie Em and Uncle Henry. Afraid to try anything new, Dorothy has grown up shy and distant. But when her dog Toto escapes into a snowstorm, Dorothy is forced to face her fears by being thrust headlong into the world of Oz. Finding herself surrounded by strange people and creatures, Dorothy wishes for nothing more than to get home, but there is only one person in all of Oz that has the power to grant her wish: the great and terrible Wiz. Desperate to get home, Dorothy sets off down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City to ask the Wiz to send her home. Along the way she meets people who are just as needy as she is, and together they form a unique group of companions, all together off on an adventure that will change their lives. 

I think the only thing that this movie had going for it was the soundtrack. The songs were brilliant. Very catchy, with a wonderful Motown sound. 

The film had a very interesting cast of singer/actors, some of which should stick to singing. 

Diana Ross plays Dorothy and I’m sorry to say that she over-acted everything. As powerful and wonderful as her voice is, the combination of her singing and acting shouldn’t have gone on screen. 

Michael Jackson, one the other hand, who plays the Scarecrow, was the most adorable thing in the film. Constantly quoting famous authors whose clippings he has been stuffed with, Michael gave a very heart warming and gorgeous performance. Loved it. 

Starring other familiar faces such as Ted Ross as the Cowardly Lion, Nipsey Russel as the Tinman, Richard Pryor as the Wiz, and Lena Horne as Glinda the Good, The Wiz was a somewhat interesting, but wholly silly take on L. Frank Baum’s classic story. If you go your entire life without seeing this film, you’re not missing anything.