The Wizard (1989)

I love the Power Glove. It's so bad. This week we're plugging in our NES cartridges and heading cross-country for The Wizard (1989) — the gloriously shameless, utterly endearing, feature-length Nintendo advertisement that somehow also managed to be one of the most beloved cult films of an entire generation's childhood.Directed by Todd Holland, the film follows three kids on a road trip to California to compete in a massive video game tournament called Video Armageddon — brothers Corey (Fred Savage) and Jimmy (Luke Edwards), a withdrawn boy processing the trauma of his sister's death who turns out to be a supernatural genius at video games, joined by a street-smart girl named Haley (Jenny Lewis) who spots Jimmy's talent and points them toward a $50,000 prize. Hot on their trail: their father Sam (Beau Bridges), older brother Nick (Christian Slater), and the most punchable bounty hunter in cinema history. Also — in his very first film role ever — a young Tobey Maguire blinks and you'll miss him.We're breaking down everything: the Power Glove scene, the infamous "he touched my breast" line that parents everywhere panicked about, the film's extraordinary legacy as the official North American introduction of Super Mario Bros. 3 to the world, why critics absolutely savaged it on release while kids made it a genuine cult phenomenon, and what it says about the golden age of Nintendo that a studio essentially made an $8 million toy commercial and an entire generation still gets emotional watching it. We're also talking about Jenny Lewis — yes, that Jenny Lewis, future frontwoman of Rilo Kiley and indie rock legend — as a kid hustler absolutely carrying half this movie.Is The Wizard a good film? Objectively, probably not. Is it an absolutely perfect time capsule of late 80s childhood, gaming culture, and the height of Nintendo mania? Without a single doubt.Whether you're an 80s nostalgia fanatic, a retro gaming enthusiast, a Nintendo history buff, a Fred Savage fan, a Jenny Lewis devotee, a lover of gloriously cynical product placement, or just someone who grew up arguing about whether the Power Glove was actually cool — this episode is mandatory listening.Topics covered: The Wizard 1989 | Fred Savage | Luke Edwards | Jenny Lewis | Christian Slater | Beau Bridges | Tobey Maguire film debut | Nintendo NES | Super Mario Bros 3 first appearance | Power Glove | Video Armageddon | 80s kids movies | retro gaming movies | Nintendo history | cult classic family films | 80s nostalgia | best Nintendo games | video game movies | Todd Holland director | product placement in movies | Jenny Lewis Rilo Kiley | movie review podcast | film analysis | best 80s road trip movies | childhood nostalgia films | most iconic 80s movie moments | Universal Studios HollywoodSubscribe, rate, and leave us a review — and tell us: did you think the Power Glove was cool? Be honest. We won't judge you.YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@RegularorMentholContact us: [email protected]