Kazaam

Plot synopsis:
The film begins with a very big wrecking ball destroying an abandoned building. The impact knocks over a magic lamp inside of the building, causing it to land on a boombox. The genie inside decides to make residence inside the boombox from there on in.
Meanwhile, a boy named Max (Francis Capra) goes to school. He greets his friend, Jake (portrayed by Jake Glaser, director Paul Michael Glaser's son), 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. The bullies chase Max through Brooklyn. 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 (Shaquille O'Neal), 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 returns home to find that his mother is marrying a fireman named Travis. It is revealed that his mother lied to him about his real father's whereabouts, and that he is actually located in the city. Max set out to search for his father in the hopes of rekindling some sort of bond between them. 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.
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 is introduced by his father to the other employees of the agency and invited to a nightclub. The owner of the nightclub, Malik (Marshall Manesh), 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. 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 and goes to Kazaam for help. Kazaam just received a record deal as a professional rapper and is unable to help Max out. Max is kidnapped by Malik and takes possession of Kazaam's boombox. After pushing Max down an elevator shaft, Malik 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 girlfriend because he doesn't have a job, while at the same time, ecstatic over his newfound freedom.

Tags: fantasy

Review:
Saturday morning jumped out of bed And put on my best suit Got in my car and raced like a jet All the way to you Knocked on your door with heart in my hand To ask you a question 'Cause I know that you're an old-fashioned man, yeahCan I have your daughter for the rest of my life?
Shaq's awesomely realistic portrayal of a rapping genie is the best thing to be displayed on screen in decades, rivaling performances of Al Pacino, Kerry Grant, Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, and all of the other great actors of our time.
I only wish this movie was five hours long...or at least make at least five sequels..with shaq singing and rapping in all films..what an awesome movie.
Most likely the best performance of Shaq's career, this film changed the way I looked at life.
At least with the movie it's over soon.The acting in this is terrible, which i expected from a film with Shaq who plays a magical rapping genie that comes out of an old ghetto blaster (which there was probably a good reason he was trapped in there).
Shaquille O' Neal plays a rapping genie helping a kid(his name....who cares) to re-unite with his work~a~holic father.
OK, this movie is deeply flawed, mild in entertainment, but with all of these rappers and basketball stars (Omarion in "You Got Served, Darius Miles in "The Perfect Score) in movies playing rappers and basketball stars, at least Shaq attempts to be a genie,and TRIES to stretch his acting ability by being something he's not.
In short, the movie was about a 5,000-year-old genie stuck in a boom box who befriends the lonely 12-year-old boy who finds him and whose only (real) wish is for his parents to get back together.If you take it for the light-hearted comedy for which it was intended and not expect "classic cinema", then IMO, it is well worth a look.I give it 6 out of 10..
Like Howard the Duck, Kazaam was a movie I loved as a child but looking back on it I was shocked at how low my taste buds were as a kid.
The characters I really dislike here, the kid is annoying, the villain is one of the lamest I have seen in a long time while Shaquille O'Neal's Genie with his awful rapping(then again I dislike rap intensely, and that is the least problematic of his performance) grated on me fast.
I recommend watching this movie with your kids for a great family bonding time.
the way the movie starts with the young boy getting the crap beatin out of him then finding this magic genie BOOMBOOK!, WAS GREAT!!!
Shaq might be a legendary basketball player, but this movies is by no means a slam dunk.The plot might be by the numbers, but the film's real problem is the soul-less performances given by the cast, the deeply un-funny comedy and the compilation of yelling non-sence that the movie refers to as rap music..
The story is good, it is entertaining and funny so for a kids movie it's dang great!
I wish they had Max as a black kid just to make it seem more true to life but otherwise this was a great movie!
I'll admit that Shaq's acting is bad and he should stick to rapping and the NBA, the other characters acting weren't that awful.The movie has a nice fell to it while watching, the scenes and designs are cool.
Shaq did a good job acting, and there isn't another movie that is like it.
The good thing about watching movies years after they come out is that you can form a nuanced opinion without the influence of the cultural reception at the time.
Physically-incapable-of-acting basketball star Shaq is the title character, a genie that lives in a boombox.
The protagonist of the movie is Max, a bratty kid that finds Kazaam in an abandoned building.
Kazaam and Max make an unlikely pair, not just because a 7 foot tall black man follows a little white boy around New York like a lost puppy, but also because Kazaam wants to go through the three wishes to gain his freedom (and hopefully get far, far away from this kid), and Max, in a completely realistic and tightly written portrayal of the selfish child that he is, decides that he doesn't want to use any of the magic wishes his genie is begging him to make.
The "plot" of the film revolves around Max learning that his mother lied to him all these years and that his father actually lives in the city, so he goes off to see his father for the first time in however many years (Kazaam is along for the ride).
There's another sleazebag that figures out Kazaam is a genie and plots to steal him out from under Max.If you found Shaq's non-acting to be distressing, prepare yourself for the 
He's a "rapping" (actually a RHYMING) genie that moved into a boombox and is summoned when a boy named Max (played by a young Francis Capra) stumbles upon him after being chased by bullies.
Throughout the movie, Shaq becomes a subject of slavery as Max owns him until his three wishes are granted.
Shaq had tried to make other crossover efforts, like his work in Shaq-Fu for the NES and his plethora of unbearable rap albums, and later, the epic serving of horrible film-making that is Steel.There's not a single good thing to be said about this movie.
Although, once the thrill of mocking it is done, you still become overwhelmed by its terribleness.If you see it on TV, try this: consider, as your watching the film, removing from it all the scenes in which Shaq uses his magical genie powers.
There was a genie played by Shaq His name was Kazaam, and he was whack His rhymes were corny, this lines were bad some stupid kid cryin over his stupid dad bad actin, bad casting, bad special effects whats next?
this movie sucks Prolly didn't make 20 bucks he lives in a boombox not a lamp hurts like a cramp like a wet food stamp...Yeah, you get it, a stupid rhyming genie who can't act, in a stupid movie with horrible special effects.
And who would expect much acting prowess from a man who calls himself "Shaqdiesel."Anywhoo, as long as you acknowledge that this is going to be a horrible movie, bereft of anything worthy of even seeing a movie, t'is a good way to let your brain turn to jello, like, say, after studing for finals or writing a 10 page paper in 3 hours ;-).---P.R..
The main plot of the film involves this kid, played in that all-too-typical and annoying-kid fashion by the great-grandson of Frank Capra (where in which the kid is yelling out his dialog angrily), who comes upon a genie who's been trapped in a boom-box.
Then "hiarity ensues" as the kid makes the Shaq-genie his quasi-slave as he waits on his last two wishes as he tries to make amends with his shady-gang-type absentee father.This really sappy, contrived son and father story would be bad enough, as there are certain lines that have been uttered in a million other movies (i.e. the "two chances in life" speech from father to son).
One might ask if the people making the movie, who were obviously doing it at the behest of the popularity of a BASKETBALL player who wanted to go on the Michael Jordan acting bandwagon, if it would be anywhere near decently entertaining or convincing.
I'm only giving this movie a 1 because I think that this one deserves such a low rating not based only on Shaq's bad performance (either on the set or on the court or on the album).
Personally, giving the overall movie a rating of 2.6 is a little harsh,don't ya think?It wasn't that bad,but then again I enjoy ALL movies and I only know of a few that was a waste of film!It all depends on the viewer and their perspective of things.Im an artist so naturally Im a little more open minded than some,but honestly,what did you TRULY expect from this movie?What would YOU have done differently?This is a general question.For me,once you can answer that, then you'll see how ridiculous panning this movie is.lol ^_^.
OK so after watching this invigorating movie and wasting an hour and so many minutes off my life here is the basic summary: Genie comes out of ghetto boom box, gives this kid with shaggy hair 3 wishes, the kid wastes his wishes on i forget what, shaq sucks at rapping, and i guess thats it.So mainly I laughed, I cried......but mainly I laughed at the shear comedy that came from the wonderful acting skills of an nba player/rapper and boy with shaggy hair.I highly recommend this movie for college kids sitting around drinking some beers with their close friends and are in serious need of a good laugh.I'm going to give it a 3 out of 10 only b/c the movie is based off of 3 magical wishes.If I had 3 wishes one would be to erase this horrible movie and for everyone to pretend like Hollywood didn't waste money on making this..
I'm only giving this one a 10 because I don't think that this one deserves such a low rating based only on Shaq's bad performance.(either on the set or on the court) Just take a look at the great camera work, superb sfx and other performances and let yourself be entertained.
My 12 year old son and I just squirmed and couldn't look at the screen when Shaq started rapping and we kept wondering why Max didn't wish for Kazzam to fix that front tooth of his!
I can't believe that Shaq was actually good in this movie.
If you are a fan of really bad movies, and you think there funny, you will the great acting of Shaq.
If you are a fan of really bad movies, and you think there funny, you will the great acting of Shaq.
Shaq had to of been the worst actor i have ever seen next to Dennis Rodman who also made a few bad movies.
Shaq had to of been the worst actor i have ever seen next to Dennis Rodman who also made a few bad movies.
This movie proves that Shaq is better at making free-throws(ha!) than acting.
* A boom box that shoots a shower of sparks * A grown man showering in front of a child * A rapping genie, that despite boasting his lyrical skills, always starts every rhyme with "I am Kazaam" * More than an hour of your life wastedThese are what you have to look forward to in watching this.I'm troubled that anyone thought this would make money, or legitimize Shaq's rapping career in the minds of children.If you have a choice between sitting in gridlock traffic for 9 hours, 10 straight hours of oral surgery or watching Kazaam, Kazaam wins by a slight margin.
Shaq can't act, people don't know how to direct, and I am Kazaam!
I just remember thinking, "Who put Shaq in this movie???" The whole story seemed stupid too.
If I had gotten a boom box when I was a kid I would be appreciative, much less a genie inside.I fell asleep during 2 attempts to watch this movie.
this movie is the best film that i have watched shaq gave a performance that truely deserves an oscar nomination the move is must see.not just for all you basketball lovers out there like me but for those who enjoy superb acting.
Not that any other acting in this movie was any better.The rap song added absolutely nothing to this movie.The movie also gives you a good old ridiculously sappy ending that tries to change your mood after watching this type of trash.Just skip this movie and rent Babe for the kids again.* out of *****.
Can casting directors not see that this never works?Okay, wait, this film was horrible to start with.The plot is just cheesy, and is covered up with a sappy ending, one of those melodramatic ones they throw in at the end of a few family films to try and cover up how horrible the movie was to the adult audiences.The rap song sung by Max and the genie adds nothing to this bloody horrible movie.
A rapping genie who knows kung fu and lives in a boom box played by none other than Shaquille O'Neal, what more could you want in a comedy?!
Kazaam forgets about Max once the boy's father takes a liking to him as a new possible rap talent as he tries his hand at a music career at his nightclub.
Kazaam is really one of those good/bad movies that emerged in the 90s.
Roger Ebert gave the film 1.5 stars, writing: "Shaq has already proved he can act (in Blue Chips, the 1994 movie about college basketball).
So I did it." Though more suited in appearing as a film cameo, Shaq's last leading role would be in the following year as John Henry Irons/Steel in the critically-acclaimed box office bomb 'Steel', nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actor.If Kazaam is wishful thinking in the power to begin anew, than it should have stayed bottled up and lost for one-thousand and one nights deep beneath the sands of the Arabian desert.
Kazaam lacks imaginative stamina and, compared with Shaq's larger-than-life charisma, the film does not know what it wants to be either due to stifled, routine filmmaking and terrible rapping.
Shaq as a genie didn't even make me laugh as much as it made me feel uncomfortable every time I saw that stupid smile of his staring at the kid.
Kazaam becomes Max's Genie and follows him around until he can grant the kid three wishes.
The ending is pretty serious for a "children's movie." I hope parents don't take their kids to see this awful film.
All that is followed by no less than six other subplots, none of worth repeating, remembering or writing about.Again, there's so many things wrong with this "family-friendly" kid movie, but probably the most despicable is how creepy the adult Kazaam acts around his "master," the 12-year-old boy.
First there was his silly game, Shaq-Fu, which was a Mortal Kombat rip off, then there was his illustrious music career, which in turn gave him the chance not only to star, but to executive produce his two 'big' movies.Steel came after this, and is decidedly better than this, but there is something really weird about Kazaam, it's bad, sometimes hilariously bad, but the studio must have had a little faith in the film, being released in the summer, just a couple of weeks after Independence Day.So Max finds Shaq, hates his mother and step dad to be, finds his real dad, who hates him, and in turn, influences Shaq to hate everybody via the power of rap, and his magical boom box.The first wish Max should have asked for was to repair that distracting crooked tooth to be corrected, and to get some manners, because Max has to be one of the most unbearable child characters I've seen in a while.
Shaq's just not an actor, he's a physical specimen, he's a monster basketball player who you don't want to play against, but acting isn't his thing and if that was his real rapping, then that also is really bad.
If you like Shaq and just want to see his presence or are curious to see his very short rap career, then, watch the movie.
Now, I can enjoy stupid movies; films that are so bad they become funny, this one though was painfully unfunny.
That Shaq can't rap doesn't exactly make it any better.This whole thing feels like a bad 90's music video - starring an untalented rapper - drawn out to a full length feature..
Why would someone make a film with Shaq as a Genie?.
No wonder it's on IMDb's Bottom 100 list.I'll start off with the good parts: It did have some funny moments like the scene with the flying french toasts and the scene where Max and Kazaam are having a bicycle race.The bad parts: Everything else in this movie was boring and bad.Shaq as a genie is just plain awful.
Is it me, or is this film about slavery?Overall, "Kazaam", is an awful movie that's not even worth watching.
She said she didn't remember since she saw it as a kid so we all decided to go for the bait and see if Kazaam really does deserve one of the worst movies in cinema titles.
A employee of the nightclub shows interest in Kazaam upon the realization that he is a genie, and hopes to control Kazaam through Max's father.Between the awful acting, the terrible script and the lousy effects, this movie is just plain bad.
As far as his acting goes, he wasn't great but had such a nice personality in the film that it's hard to hate him--even if they made him do a lot of very stupid things.So is the movie as excruciatingly awful as you've probably heard?
However, later in the film, the bad becomes horrid--as Kazaam seems too concerned with himself to help the kid when he's really needed.
Then, in an ending that makes this perhaps the worst kids film ending in history, Kazaam becomes god or something and it all was like a drug-induced hallucination!
Kazaam is bad and this movie makes me really mad!
Let me give a quick summery of the film: A rotten, rude kid named Max stumbles upon a radio that contains Kazaam: a rapping genie.
I admit that it never looked like an Oscar-worthy movie, but EVERYTHING about this waste of film is horrible.
Shaq should have put the time had used to make this movie toward practicing free throws.