Kazaam
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''Kazaam'' () is a 1996
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
film. It was directed by
Paul Michael Glaser Paul Michael Glaser (born Paul Manfred Glaser March 25, 1943) is an American actor and director best known for his role as Detective Dave Starsky on the 1970s television series, ''Starsky & Hutch''. In between his work writing and directing, Gla ...
, written by Christian Ford and Roger Soffer based on a story by Glaser, and starring
Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...
as the title character, a 5,000-year-old
genie Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic mytho ...
who appears from a magic boombox to grant a 12-year-old boy three wishes. The film was released on July 17, 1996, grossing $19 million on its $20 million budget.


Plot

A
wrecking ball A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a crane, that is used for demolishing large buildings. It was most commonly in use during the 1950s and 1960s. Several wrecking companies claim to have invented the wrecking ball. An e ...
destroys an abandoned building, the impact knocking over a magic lamp inside and causing it to land on a
boombox A boombox is a transistorized portable music player featuring one or two cassette tape recorder/players and AM/FM radio, generally with a carrying handle. Beginning in the mid 1980s, a CD player was often included. Sound is delivered through ...
. The genie inside decides to make residence inside the boombox from there on. Meanwhile, a 12-year-old boy named Maxwell “Max” Conner goes to school. He greets his friend, Jake, with a goofy face and is chastised by his teacher. Max is confronted by a gang of bullies, who hold him on the bathroom floor and spray paint his outline, in retaliation for a key he gave them for a robbery being no good. The bullies later chase Max through Brooklyn after school. Max is chased into the abandoned building, where he discovers the boombox and accidentally unleashes the genie inside. The genie, who introduces himself as Kazaam, a 3,000-year-old genie, tells Max that he is now Max's genie and proves it to him by demonstrating his powers, which results in Kazaam disappearing off the face of the earth. Max spots his father in passing during his return home from school, and finds that his mother is marrying a fireman named Travis O’Neil. Max instantly rejects Travis, and when his mother confronts him on his behavior, he counters by confronting her that she lied to him about his real father's whereabouts, and that he is actually located in the city. Max then sets out to search for his father in the hopes of rekindling their relationship. He suddenly encounters Kazaam during his travels, who pesters Max into making a wish. Max eventually finds his father, only to learn that he is a musical talent agent who specializes in unauthorized music. But he initially doesn’t care because his father, Nick Matteo by name, is overjoyed to see him again, introduces Max (Matteo) to the other employees of the agency, and gives him free VIP passes to an upcoming concert at the
nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...
he works at. Max goes to his personal secret hideout and tells Kazaam about his father. They decide to have a bike race through Max's hideout, during which Kazaam shows off his powers. Kazaam finally convinces Max to make his first wish, which consists of junk food raining from the sky. While eating all of this, Max suddenly realizes that he owns Kazaam until he makes his last two wishes. Max and Kazaam go out to see Max's father again. After getting past an intimidating bodyguard, Max and Kazaam attend the show, where the performing act (with a little needling from Max) persuade Kazaam to join in. Malik, the owner of the nightclub, shows interest in Kazaam upon the realization that he is a genie, and he hopes to control Kazaam through Max's father. The next day, Kazaam stays in Max's home and passes himself off as Max's tutor. Max confesses to Kazaam that he and his father aren't really connecting, though Kazaam attempts to shirk the issue with some rapping, revealing how he and his “best friend, Ha’ber, in 1000 BC” first became genies. Max attempts to wish for his father and mother to fall back in love, but Kazaam cannot grant this wish because he is not a djinn, and therefore not free to grant ethereal wishes. Later that day, Max witnesses his father being assaulted by Malik and his minions due to a master tape being stolen during a robbery done by Max’s bullies with reluctance from Max and goes to Kazaam for help. Kazaam just received a record deal as a professional rapper and is reluctant to help Max. So Max uses his second wish to conjure a replacement tape, though this causes an argument and a rift to form between him and Kazaam. After school, when Max's father demands his son to hand over the Record Tape that he stole last night, he does. Then he leaves realizing that he won't get a second chance with him. Later that night, Max is kidnapped by Malik and takes possession of Kazaam's boombox, with his father being held hostage as well. Malik, having taken control of Kazaam's boombox, is now in control of Kazaam himself. Max is pushed down an
elevator shaft An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They ar ...
by Malik. He summons Kazaam in the hopes that he will do his bidding. While Kazaam is initially powerless against his master, he soon breaks free from his oppression and defeats Malik and his minions. Kazaam transforms Malik into a basketball and then slam dunks him into a garbage disposal. However, he then finds Max's lifeless body, and wishes that he could have granted Max's wish to give his father a second chance at life. Then, in his sorrow, Kazaam finally becomes a djinn, and is therefore able to do this for Max. With him officially a djinn, he pulls Max out of harm's way and carried out of the burning building by Travis. Max's father then shows up and tells him that he hopes to rekindle the bonding with his son, before he takes off with authorities. Kazaam is then last seen walking off being grilled by his new girlfriend because he doesn't have a job, (having literally no idea what a job is), while at the same time, ecstatic over his newfound freedom.


Cast

*
Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...
as Kazaam *
Francis Capra Francis Capra (born April 27, 1983) is an American actor. He has played the roles of Max Connor in ''Kazaam'', and Eli "Weevil" Navarro in the TV series ''Veronica Mars''. Personal life Capra attended Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School ...
as Maxwell "Max" Connor *
Ally Walker Allene Damian "Ally" Walker (born August 25, 1961) is an American actress. She made her television debut in the NBC daytime soap opera '' Santa Barbara'' (1988) before landing the leading roles on the short-lived dramas '' True Blue'' (1989–199 ...
as Alice Connor * James Acheson as Nick Matteo * John Costelloe as Travis O'Neil *
Marshall Manesh Marshall Manesh (born August 16, 1950) is an Iranian-American actor. Biography When Manesh was young, his father died; he was raised by his mother, from whom he feels he got his strength to make it in show business. He went to the United S ...
as Malik * Fawn Reed as Asia Moon * Mother Love as Mrs. Duke *
Wade Robson Wade, WADE, or Wades may refer to: Places in the United States * Wade, California, a former settlement * Wade, Maine, a town * Wade, Mississippi, a census-designated place * Wade, North Carolina, a town * Wade, Ohio, an unincorporated communi ...
as Elito * Jake Glaser as Jake *
Efren Ramirez Efrain Antonio Ramírez (born October 2, 1973) is an American actor and DJ, best known for playing Pedro Sánchez in the 2004 indie film ''Napoleon Dynamite''. He later reprised his role in the 2012 animated series of the same name. Early ...
as Carlos *
Steven Barr Steven Barr is an American actor who voiced Urdnot Wrex in the ''Mass Effect ''Mass Effect'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson, Drew Karpyshyn and Preston Watamaniuk. The franchise depicts a distant futu ...
as Sam * Deidra Roper as Spinderella *
Da Brat Shawntae Harris-Dupart (born April 14, 1974), better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she began her career in 1992, the year she signed with So So Def Records. Her debut album ''Funkda ...
as Herself *
Deborah Rennard Deborah Rennard is an American actress, writer and producer, best known for her role as Sly Lovegren in ''Dallas'' (1981–1991). Life and career Rennard was born in Los Angeles, California. In 1981 she was cast in a recurring role on ''Dalla ...
as Malik's Date


Production

Based on an initial idea by director Paul Michael Glaser, it went from idea to production in 10 weeks and was originally set up at
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
, before going into Turnaround where it was acquired by Disney.


Soundtrack


Reception

On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, ''Kazaam'' has an approval rating of 5% based on 37 reviews and an average rating of 2.82/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Crafted from a mix of genre clichés, ''Kazaam'' doesn't know what kind of film it wants to be, and Shaq's larger-than-life charisma is stifled by rote filmmaking and an unimaginative story." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a score of 24 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film a grade of "B+" on scale of A+ to F.
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
gave the film 1.5 stars, writing: "Shaq has already proven he can act (in ''
Blue Chips ''Blue Chips'' is a 1994 American sports drama film, directed by William Friedkin, written by Ron Shelton and starring Nick Nolte as a college coach trying to recruit a winning team. His players were portrayed by actors as well as real-life baske ...
'', the 1994 movie about college basketball). Here he shows he can be likable in a children's movie. What he does not show is good judgment in his choice of material. ..the filmmakers didn't care to extend themselves beyond the obvious commercial possibilities of their first dim idea."
Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune''. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted a series of movie review programs on television from 1975 until his d ...
of the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' awarded the film one star and described the film as "the kind of project someone probably told Shaq would sell to kids. It's marketing, not moviemaking." Shaquille O'Neal's performance in the film was considered poor and has since been referenced in a number of movies, mainly either criticizing his acting or gloating about it. The film grossed $18.9 million against a $20 million production budget. In a 2012 interview with '' GQ'' magazine O'Neal said, "I was a medium-level juvenile delinquent from Newark who always dreamed about doing a movie. Someone said, 'Hey, here's $7 million, come in and do this genie movie.' What am I going to say, no? So I did it."


"Shazaam"

Many people falsely remember the existence of a '90s film titled ''Shazaam'', starring comedian and actor Sinbad as a genie. However, no such film ever existed, and it is possible people are misremembering ''Kazaam'' as the aforementioned film. The false memories of ''Shazaam'' can be further explained as a
confabulation In psychology, confabulation is a memory error defined as the production of fabricated, distorted, or misinterpreted memories about oneself or the world. It is generally associated with certain types of brain damage (especially aneurysm in the a ...
of real memories, possibly including: the comedian wearing a genie-like costume during a TV marathon of
Sinbad the Sailor Sinbad the Sailor (; ar, سندباد البحري, Sindibādu al-Bahriyy; fa, سُنباد بحری, Sonbād-e Bahri or Sindbad) is a fictional mariner and the hero of a story-cycle of Persian origin. He is described as hailing from Baghdad ...
films in 1994, and a late 1960s animated series about a genie called ''
Shazzan ''Shazzan'' is an American animated television series created by Alex Toth and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that aired on Saturday mornings on CBS from September 9, 1967 to January 20, 1968, and continued in reruns until September 6, 1969 ...
''. In April 2017, Sinbad collaborated with internet comedic group
CollegeHumor CollegeHumor is an Internet comedy company based in Los Angeles. Aside from producing content for release on YouTube, it was also a former humor website owned by InterActiveCorp ( IAC) until January 2020, when IAC withdrew funding and the websi ...
in a 2.5-minute short parody as homage to those who falsely remember the film that he allegedly starred in. On the VHS tape of ''Kazaam'', there is a trailer/coming attraction for the Sinbad film, ''
First Kid ''First Kid'' is a 1996 American slapstick comedy film directed by David Mickey Evans and starring Sinbad and Brock Pierce. It was mostly filmed in Richmond, Virginia. Plot Sam Simms is a Secret Service agent assigned by his superior Wilkes ...
''. In the animated series ''
Inside Job An insider threat is a malicious threat to an organization that comes from people within the organization, such as employees, former employees, contractors or business associates, who have inside information concerning the organization's security ...
'', Season 1 Part 2: Episode 7, titled ''Project Reboot'', there is a reference to the nonexistent film ''Shazaam'' where it serves as an example of alternate timelines the main characters find themselves in.


See also

* List of Shaquille O'Neal films


References


External links

* * {{Shaquille O'Neal 1996 films 1990s English-language films Films about wish fulfillment Films about dysfunctional families Films directed by Paul Michael Glaser Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in New York City Touchstone Pictures films Interscope Communications films PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films Genies in film Films set in Brooklyn Films scored by Christopher Tyng Films produced by Scott Kroopf