In 1996, there were two movies released on the big screen starring basketball legends. One featured a Chicago Bull, and another starred the Orlando Magic’s Shaquille O’Neal.
One is a great movie, the other is not. This week ‘To Touchstone and Beyond’ looks back at Kazaam.
The Plot
Max, played by Francis Capra, is struggling with life. The teen is not only being bullied in school, but his mom Alice, played by Ally Walker, wants to marry her boyfriend Travis, played by John Costelloe. Max is having a rough go, but when he falls through the decaying floors of an abandoned building, he unlocks a secret that will change his life forever.
Thanks to Max, Kazaam, played by Shaquille O’Neal, a thousand-year-old genie, is freed from a boombox and is ready to grant the young boy three wishes. As Max deals with the incessant pestering of Kazaam to make his three wishes, the boy finds his father but doesn’t have the picturesque reunion that he hopes will occur. Max and Kazaam get sucked into a dangerous world where gangsters employ his dad Nick, played by James Acheson, and their lives are in jeopardy.
Malik, played by Marshall Manesh, discovers that Kazaam is a genie, and looks to exploit Max and Nick so that he can gain three wishes from Kazaam. As the film nears the end Max makes a final wish which comes from his heart and helps redeem his father.
By the end of the film both Max and Kazaam are freed from their burdens and start to recognize the wonderful things that they have in their lives.
Best Moments on Screen
Shaq looks like he is having a great time on screen. From his first moment on screen to the last Shaq brings a joyful presence to the movie. One cannot help but appreciate the energy that he is bringing to the production.
Worst Moments on Screen
The film is populated with a lot of unlikeable characters. Max is not likeable and does little to help the audience connect with him and understand his behavior. He is awful to his mother, rude to Travis, who is a great guy, and spends most of his time trying to either impress or avoid the thugs that are bullying him at school. Francis Capra does an admirable job trying to make us like the character, but I feel like his character arc could have used a fine tuning in the script.
Ally Walker is a great actress who gets nothing to do in this film except to be the world’s worst mom. Max has snuck out multiple times, skipped school, and is generally showing erratic behavior throughout the film. His mom tries to confront him, even ground him, but Max walks all over her and ignores any authority that she shows. Ally Walker deserved better.
Kazaam suffers from an overconfidence in the concept of the film. On paper, I’m sure the movie looked good, but when it was adapted to the screen, there is little magic in this magical movie.
Film Facts
- Shaquille O’Neal has no regrets about starring in Kazaam. He stated in a 2012 interview that this was a dream from boyhood to star in a movie. When he was offered a great salary, he couldn’t turn down the chance to fulfill a dream.
- While Shaq has no regrets about starring in Kazaam. he has often poked fun at how bad the movie is.
- Kazaam is often linked with the ‘Mandala Effect’ or false memory phenomenon. Many people have claimed on the internet that they have seen shots from an alternative movie in a parallel world called Shazaam which stars comic Sinbad as the genie. This is not true.
- Marshall Manesh, who plays the villain Malik, went on to play Ranjit the limo driver in the television series How I Met Your Mother.
- Kazaam is the last film that Paul Michael Glaser directed. He has spent the early 2000’s directing television.
- Director Glaser also played Detective David Starsky in the 1970’s classic cop drama Starsky & Hutch.
- Francis Capra didn’t know who Shaq was when he signed on to the film. He thought the basketball legend was a football player.
- Apparently, Shaq and Francis Capra bonded on set over their love of video games especially a mutual love of Mortal Kombat.
See It/Skip It?
Skip It!!!!!!!!!!! Kazaaam was a dud at the box office and was ravaged by critics when the film was released at the theatres. Twenty-four years later, the film is still bad, and not worth watching. Kazaam is available on Disney+ but skip this movie. Not even Shaq’s giddiness of being on screen is worth the investment. If you are hankering for a genie movie then watch either Aladdin movies, but not Kazaam.
Next week on ‘To Touchstone and Beyond’ we look at Rushmore.
Director: Paul Michael Glaser
Production Company: Touchstone Pictures
Principal Cast:
- Shaquille O’Neal as Kazaam
- Francis Capra as Max Connor
- Ally Walker as Alice Connor
- James Acheson as Nick
- John Costelloe as Travis
- Marshall Manesh as Malik
Release Date: July 17, 1996
Budget: $20 million
Box Office Gross Domestic = $18,937,262