Kazaam (1996)

A 12-year-old boy accidentally releases a 5,000-year-old genie from a magic boombox and must navigate the consequences of his wishes.

The story

After a wrecking ball causes a magic lamp to fall onto a boombox, a genie named Kazaam begins to reside inside it. Meanwhile, a boy named Max Conner faces various challenges at school, including dealing with bullies. Seeking refuge in an abandoned building, Max accidentally releases Kazaam. The genie demonstrates his powers before disappearing. Upon discovering his mother plans to marry a man named Travis and seeking his real father, Max encounters Kazaam again. The genie pesters Max into making a wish, leading to a series of events where Max must manage Kazaam's abilities while dealing with his family's secrets.

First release year

1996

Runtime (minutes)

94

Production countries

United States

Original languages

English

Directors

Paul Michael Glaser

Writers

Christian Ford · screenplay; Roger Soffer · screenplay; Paul Michael Glaser · story

Cast and characters

Shaquille O'Neal · Kazaam; Francis Capra; Ally Walker; James Acheson

Genres

musical; fantasy; comedy

Themes

wish fulfillment; dysfunctional families

Tone and mood

fantasy; comedy

Premise and plot tags

genies in film; musical

Reported review scores

Rotten Tomatoes · score: 5% · review count: 38; Metacritic · score: 24 · scale: 100 · review count: 14; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F

Production trivia

The film's origins began with director Paul Michael Glaser taking his son to the NBA All-Star game.; The script was written in six and a half weeks with production commencing after ten before going into Turnaround where it was acquired by Disney.; Many people falsely remember a similar 1990s film titled Shazaam, starring comedian and actor Sinbad as a genie.

Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.

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