Zapped! (1982)

User Rating:

4.0/10   

Director:

Robert J. Rosenthal

Writers:

Robert J. Rosenthal (writer)
Bruce Rubin (writer)

Release Date:

23 July 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

An A+ Comedy That Makes the Grade!

Plot:

A teenager science-nerd gains telekinetic powers.

Plot Keywords:

High School | Telekinesis | Teen Comedy | Nude In Public | Prom

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Scott Baio	...	Barney Springboro
Willie Aames	...	Peyton Nichols
Robert Mandan	...	Walter J. Coolidge
Felice Schachter	...	Bernadette
Scatman Crothers	...	Dexter Jones
Roger Bowen	...	Mr. Springboro
Mews Small	...	Mrs. Springboro (as Marya Small)
Greg Bradford	...	Robert Wolcott
Hilary Beane	...	Corinne Updike
Sue Ane Langdon	...	Rose Burnhart
Heather Thomas	...	Jane Mitchell
Hardy Keith	...	Roscoe Brown
Curt Ayers	...	Art
Merritt Butrick	...	Gary Cooter
Jennifer Chaplin	...	Melissa Granger

Also Known As:

The Wiz Kid (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R | USA:PG (original version)

Filming Locations:

John Marshall High School - 3939 Tracy Street, Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Apple

Trivia:

The movie poster artist was Michael Backus. He was paid $5,000. The artist's signature appears on the "Zapped!" poster as (1) An 'MJB' monogram on Scott Baio's pink polo shirt (2) a 'Backus' signature on the Gilbert Stewart George Washington portrait and (3) 'Backus' on the ruler flying through the air. It was his first commercial assignment and it launched Backus Studios.

Goofs:

Continuity: When in the barrels at the amusement park, Robert's hands change position.

Quotes:

Robert Wolcott: Ready buddy?
Peyton Nichols: Ready Freddie!
Robert Wolcott: Don't you ever call me that. Call me that again, and I'll kill you!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pineapple Express (2008)

Soundtrack:

Just For Fun

Scott Baio rules!

And I ain't joshin'.

Why Scott Baio gets the proverbial shaft when great actors are discussed is beyond me. Here's a cat who has dated all the hottest tail and was the driving force behind what is arguably the edgiest, most acerbic teen flick ever in "Zapped!" ... yet he is often mentioned in the same breath with the two-headed Corey Monster (Haim and Feldman) and his frequent, far less dramatically astute compatriot, Mr. Willie Aames. Such degradation is tantamount to a travesty.

This movie is a cutting comedic triumph. Baio's character makes incisive observations about the empty rhetoric of adolescence, and challenges authority not only with his telekinetic powers, but alcohol, tobacco and sex. And let's examine the telekinesis closer -- is it just another one of those blessing-and-a-curse afflictions that finds the right guy or girl? Absolutely not. We're talking about a uniquely Zen ideal, a manifestation of a young man's private internal nirvana in the laboratory of the local high school. Beakers move, brooms sweep up debris, roulette wheels spin out of control, dad tosses liquid laxative all over himself uncontrollably ... this is a celluloid incarnation of unrivaled genius.

Alas, who am I kidding? This movie is stupid bad. And yet I still love it, dammit. So sue me.