Irishchatter
I just thought it would be good but I just was left annoyed and disappointed because Diana Ross & Michael Jackson were on this. I didn't think their characters were that bad but the songs they were singing and dancing weren't at all that great. It's like this, the songs were meant to be all happy and cheery, I didn't feel that. I felt the songs are just there to forget about. Years later, you wouldn't hear them mentioned at all on any media you use today. It must've been a bad start for Michael Jackson's film career. He should probably have saved himself by saying no to this film even if the fans wouldn't want that but it's not a good movie really..I wouldn't be wasting time looking at this movie for 2 hours straight!
Davis P
The Wiz is a 1978 Africa American adaptation of the 1939 classic film, the Wizard of Oz. It stars Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and Richard Pryor. The musical numbers are very catchy and well choreographed. I really liked Diana Ross, she has a beautiful voice and was really suited for the role, my one and only complaint about Diana Ross was that a few times I felt like she was a little too wimpy, I just felt like a few times she went a little overboard with that persona. Michael Jackson was perfect as the Scarecrow! No complaints at all for him. I also loved the sets and style the movie possessed! Everything seemed so colorful and unique. The urban/modern setting was also neat to see. I think this movie would be a good choice for family movie night, there's really just one scene that might be objectionable to families, and that's when the people are freed and they emerge from their ugly rags and are in white cloths resembling underwear. Other then that, I would definitely recommend this to a family audience. My only other complaint, is I feel like the musical number in the city of Oz was a little too long and drug on a bit longer than it should have. 7/10
Lee Eisenberg
I understand that Sidney Lumet's Motown-themed adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" is one of those movies that people usually either love or hate. I suspect that a lot of people found it odd that he went from "Network" to a musical. As for me, I found "The Wiz" an OK movie. It's a fun movie, more than anything. I should say that it's a little harder to like the movie once you learn that it basically espouses Werner Erhard's shadowy EST movement by talking about understanding one's true self. On its own "The Wiz" is a good time. Diana Ross (as Dorothy) and Michael Jackson (as the scarecrow) get top billing, but I liked Richard Pryor's performance as the wizard the most.So that's it. I liked the movie. It does exactly what it intends to do.
jennymel7
I chose to share this film with my daughters (ages 4 & 8) because in the midst of the Oz nostalgia, they needed to know it was first a story that could be interpreted many ways. While most reviews here are negative ranging from bad acting (to totally agree with watching Ms. Ross well up a few too many times), to racist (please keep in mind that this is an artistic adaptation of a book written in a time less educated than the ones we live in now and adapted in this format in a time period when black culture was establishing a sense of itself in the popular collective), this film is a delight. The music is exquisitely crafted, from disco anthems to blues-laden songs so catchy they become tunes you hum to yourself to yourself when you least expect it ("slide some oil" while cooking anyone?). Loved it and will watch over and over (although that will likely be my daughter's choice!)
AD
