The Wiz main backdrop
The Wiz main poster

6.0/10 • 262

1978-10-242h 14m

MusicFantasyAdventure

The wiz! The stars! The music! Wow!

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

Directors
Sidney Lumet
Characters
L. Frank Baum
Editors
Dede Allen

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Diana Ross

    Diana Ross

    Dorothy

  2. Michael Jackson

    Michael Jackson

    Scarecrow

  3. Nipsey Russell

    Nipsey Russell

    Tinman

  4. Ted Ross

    Ted Ross

    Lion

  5. Mabel King

    Mabel King

    Evillene

  6. Theresa Merritt

    Theresa Merritt

    Aunt Em

  7. Thelma Carpenter

    Thelma Carpenter

    Miss One

  8. Lena Horne

    Lena Horne

    Gilda the Good

  9. Richard Pryor

    Richard Pryor

    The Wiz

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Mar 30, 2024

6/10

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.

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$24,000,000.00
Revenue
$21,049,053.00
Keywords
new york citydreamsmelancholybased on play or musicaldogdiscobased on moviewizardharlem, new york cityfunkafrican americanwhimsicalcommandingfamiliarjoyfulafrican american leadafrican american musical