Zapped!

Last updated

Zapped!
Zapped.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRobert J. Rosenthal
Written by
  • Robert J. Rosenthal
  • Bruce Rubin
Produced byJeff Apple
Starring
Cinematography Daniel Pearl
Edited byRobert A. Ferretti
Music by
Distributed by Embassy Pictures
Release date
  • July 23, 1982 (1982-07-23)
Running time
98 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$16.9 million [2] or $6.35 million [3]

Zapped! is a 1982 American teen sex comedy film directed by Robert J. Rosenthal and co-written with Bruce Rubin. The film stars Scott Baio as a high school student who acquires telekinetic powers.

Contents

Plot

At Ralph Waldo Emerson High School, bookish student Barney Springboro performs various scientific experiments on laboratory mice until his friend, yearbook photographer Peyton Nichols, retrieves him for a class assembly. Peyton questions Barney's lack of interest in finding a girlfriend as the students rally in preparation for an upcoming baseball game against a rival high school. Afterward, Peyton seduces one of the school administrators, Corrine Updike, and Barney returns to his experiments.

At the insistence of the pesky class president, Bernadette, Peyton promises to take photographs of Barney posing with the genetically modified orchids he has been growing for the school principal, Walter Coolidge. Barney drops the beaker containing the mice's feeding solution, producing a cloud of shimmery smoke that knocks him unconscious. Sometime later, he awakens and returns home, where his uptight mother chastises him for his tardiness and antisocial behavior. As she yells, Barney's bedroom door mysteriously slams shut. During English class the next day, Barney fantasizes about a popular but vain girl named Jane Mitchell. When the teacher calls on him unexpectedly, Barney furrows his brow, causing the map above the chalkboard to fall on her head.

That afternoon, Peyton asks Jane on a date, but she reminds him that she has a college-aged boyfriend. As Barney stares at Jane's chest, her cardigan bursts open, leaving everyone confused. In the lab, Barney experiments with his new telekinetic abilities by levitating various objects across the room, unaware of Bernadette and Peyton, who are watching through the window. When his friends confront him, however, Barney convinces them to keep his powers a secret. At home, Barney propels his model spaceship through the air, imagining the crew members inside have come alive. He then animates a ventriloquist dummy, which frightens Mrs. Springboro so much that she believes her son is possessed.

On the day of the big baseball game, Barney manipulates the ball and hits the winning home run. Meanwhile, Principal Coolidge attempts to break into Barney's lab to check the growth of his orchids, but cannot obtain the key. Barney agrees to let Bernadette write a report about him for her older sister's college science journal.

Over the weekend, Barney, Peyton, and Bernadette go to a pre-graduation celebration at an amusement park, during which Peyton challenges Jane's boyfriend, Robert Wolcott, to a beer-drinking contest and a carnival game that Peyton ends up winning. While on the Tilt-a-Whirl, Barney increases the speed of Robert's compartment, causing him to vomit and lose the bet. That night, Peyton brings Jane home and seduces her by pretending to act older and more mature. Meanwhile, Barney and Bernadette have dinner and talk about former crushes. The pair spend the next afternoon together in the park before returning to Barney's lab, where they make love.

At school on Monday, Jane admits that she regrets having sex with Peyton and returns to her boyfriend. Robert, however, invites Peyton to a casino-themed college fraternity party with the hopes of winning the money that he owes him for the drinking contest. Peyton begs Barney to attend so he can manipulate the roulette wheel, but Bernadette becomes angry that he would use his powers to gamble. Meanwhile, Mrs. Updike convinces Principal Coolidge to respond to a personal advertisement in the newspaper to meet a woman for a date.

At the restaurant, Principal Coolidge discovers that his date is Rose Burnhart, and the two finally succumb to their long-time attraction by having sex under the table. During the fraternity party, Barney attempts to manipulate the roulette ball, but struggles. He realizes Robert is manipulating the wheel himself by using a button to make it stop, and Barney's attempt to balance out the cheating causes a commotion among the guests when he accidentally levitates the entire wheel. When Bernadette refuses to answer his telephone calls, he spends the night in his laboratory drinking whiskey. Hung over the next morning, he apologizes to Bernadette and arranges to meet her at the prom that evening. Before he leaves for the dance, however, Mrs. Springboro hires two priests to perform an exorcism on her son, and Barney uses his ventriloquist dummy to chase them around the house so he can get away.

Peyton and Jane are crowned prom king and queen, and Jane rejects Peyton's continued advances. Peyton realizes that Jane is nothing but a snob, because nothing he does is good enough for her. As Barney dances with Bernadette, Peyton ruins the moment by offering his friend airplane tickets to Las Vegas where they can continue gambling, but Barney rejects the offer. When Robert confronts Peyton about the roulette game, Peyton apologizes and gives him a packet of nude photographs he took of Jane. Enraged, Robert attacks, and Barney uses telekinesis to summon a large gust of wind that tears off the students' clothes and sends everybody running outside. Barney also uses his telekinesis to take down Robert and his friends and humiliate Jane by stripping off her prom dress; as she is laughed at, she runs away in shame. A wayward fire hose knocks Barney unconscious and after he wakes, he pretends he has lost his powers. However, while leaving the school, Barney grabs Bernadette by the waist and propels them through the night sky in a cloud of shimmery dust.

Cast

Production

The film used several techniques to capture the feel of its high school setting for nostalgic fans. It was filmed largely at John Marshall High School in Los Angeles during the spring of 1981 with the students as extras. The storyline rarely leaves the high school. The students talk mostly about social life and college plans, while the prom is in the gym. The senior trip is to the local amusement park. Of the major stars, however, only Felice Schachter was still a high school student when the film was shot. In fact, she missed her own prom to shoot the prom sequence in the film.

The film used a body-double for Thomas' nude scenes, [4] as she refused to remove her own clothes; further controversy was generated when a complaint was filed by Thomas about a likeness of her head being pasted onto someone else's nude body. [5]

Baio and Aames would work together again the following year on the sitcom Charles in Charge .

Music

The film's soundtrack was composed by Charles Fox and Miles Goodman as well as John M. Keane and Tom Keane of The Keane Brothers, [6] and featured performances by Joe "Bean" Esposito ("Updike's Theme") and David Pomeranz ("Got to Believe in Magic", "King and Queen of Hearts"), which were big hits in the Philippines.[ citation needed ]

Release

Box office

Zapped! was given a limited release on July 23, 1982, earning $823,548 in that weekend, ranking number 17 in the domestic box office. [7] On September 3, 1982, the film was released wide and made $3,012,431, ranking number 4 behind An Officer and a Gentleman 's sixth weekend, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 's thirteenth weekend, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High 's fourth weekend. [8] By the end of its run, Zapped! grossed $16,897,768. [2]

Critical response

Targeted towards teenage audiences, [9] Zapped! received generally negative reviews at the time of its release. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 6%, based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 2.9/10. [10] On Metacritic, the film received a score of 10 based on 4 reviews, indicating "overwhelming dislike". [11]

The film was denounced by The New York Times ' Vincent Canby, and called it "a half-baked, rather retarded parody of Carrie and a number of other films that, using the awesome power of their ignorance, drove telekinesis into the ground." [12] The Leader-Post of Regina, Saskatchewan displayed similar contempt: "Picture a bad Walt Disney film—but with more exposed flesh than you'll see in all the Disney films put together—with bits and pieces scalped from box-office hits, and you've got a pretty good idea of what this movie is all about." [13]

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggested that "it's hard to believe the writers of Zapped!, an absolutely abominable movie ... are even old enough to hold a pen." [14] The Daily Courier added that it was "so puerile and uninspired that it makes Porky's seem like Ninotchka in comparison." [15] The Montreal Gazette said that there was "nothing innately hilarious about telekinesis, but that didn't stop the creative geniuses in Hollywood from seeing if they could pervert it into a smirky adolescent experience." [16] A review from the smaller Beaver County Times said, "it's enough to make [Baio's] young fans go Zzzzzz." [4] A review that was published in the Toledo Blade was only slightly less negative, stating that it "has its moments, but they tend not to hang around together." [17]

In 2014, Baio remembered the film fondly: "Great movie. Loved it then. Love it today. I get more people asking about that movie than anything, no lie. And I had a ball making that. A cute, fun teen movie, and it made money. And it had Scatman Crothers! He was a good guy, and supposedly he smoked pot every day. That's what I was told, but I don't actually know. But I got to work with Willie [Aames], and it was a great experience ... Good people. Good crew. Good director." [18]

Accolades

Aames was nominated by for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor at the 3rd Golden Raspberry Awards for his performance in Zapped!, as well as his performance in Paradise , but lost to Laurence Olivier in Inchon .

Home media

Zapped! was initially released on VHS, CED videodisc, and on LaserDisc by Embassy Pictures in 1983, and later reissued by MGM Home Entertainment on VHS. It was released on DVD on February 12, 2008. In June 2008, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment issued it as a double feature with Making the Grade .

Sequel

Zapped! sold heavily on home video.[ citation needed ] In 1990, it was followed by a direct-to-video sequel, Zapped Again! (with only Sue Ane Langdon returning from the original cast).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Baio</span> American actor (born 1960)

Scott Vincent Baio is an American actor. He is known for playing Chachi Arcola on the sitcom Happy Days (1977–1984) and its spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi (1982–1983), the title character on the sitcom Charles in Charge (1984–1990), Dr. Jack Stewart in the medical-mystery-drama series Diagnosis: Murder (1993–1995), and the title role of the musical film Bugsy Malone (1976), his onscreen debut. Baio has guest-starred on various television programs, appeared in several independent films, and starred on the Nickelodeon sitcom See Dad Run (2012–2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie Aames</span> American actor, film and television director (born 1960)

Willie Aames is an American actor, film and television director, television producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for playing Tommy Bradford, one of the children of Tom Bradford, on the 1970s television series Eight Is Enough, TJ Latimer in Family, Buddy Lembeck on the 1980s sitcom Charles in Charge, and the title character in the direct-to-video series Bibleman (1995–2003). He is also credited as Willie Ames.

<i>10 Things I Hate About You</i> 1999 American film by Gil Junger

10 Things I Hate About You is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Gil Junger in his film directorial debut and starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. The screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith is a modernization of William Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew, retold in a late-1990s American high school setting. The film follows new student Cameron James (Gordon-Levitt) who is smitten with Bianca Stratford (Oleynik) and attempts to get bad boy Patrick Verona (Ledger) to date her antisocial sister Kat (Stiles) in order to get around her father's strict rules on dating. Named after a poem Kat writes about her romance with Patrick, the film was mostly shot in the Seattle metropolitan area, with many scenes filmed at Stadium High School in Tacoma, Washington.

<i>The Vanishing</i> (1993 film) 1993 American film

The Vanishing is a 1993 American psychological thriller film directed by George Sluizer and starring Jeff Bridges, Kiefer Sutherland, Nancy Travis, and Sandra Bullock. It is a remake of Sluizer's 1988 French-Dutch film of the same name.

<i>Shes All That</i> 1999 film by Robert Iscove

She's All That is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Robert Iscove. It stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard, and Paul Walker. After being dumped by his girlfriend, Zack Siler boasts he could make any girl at his high school popular. It is a modern adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion and George Cukor's 1964 film My Fair Lady.

<i>Charles in Charge</i> American comedy television series

Charles in Charge is an American sitcom television series that premiered on October 3, 1984, on CBS. The series was a production of Al Burton Productions and Scholastic Productions in association with Universal Television and starred Scott Baio, who had previously starred in Happy Days, in the title role. Willie Aames, who had previously been a cast member on Eight Is Enough, also starred as Charles’ best friend Buddy Lembeck.

<i>Not Another Teen Movie</i> 2001 film by Joel Gallen

Not Another Teen Movie is a 2001 American teen parody film directed by Joel Gallen and written by Mike Bender, Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson, Phil Beauman, and Buddy Johnson. It features Chyler Leigh, Chris Evans, Jaime Pressly, Eric Christian Olsen, Eric Jungmann, Mia Kirshner, Deon Richmond, Cody McMains, Sam Huntington, Samm Levine, Cerina Vincent, Ron Lester, Randy Quaid, Lacey Chabert, Riley Smith and Samaire Armstrong.

<i>Paradise</i> (1982 film) 1982 Canadian film

Paradise is a 1982 Canadian adventure-romance film written and directed by Stuart Gillard. It stars Phoebe Cates, Willie Aames, and Tuvia Tavi. The original music score was composed by Paul Hoffert with the theme song written and produced by Joel Diamond and L. Russell Brown and sung by Phoebe Cates.

<i>The Rage: Carrie 2</i> 1999 American supernatural horror film by Katt Shea

The Rage: Carrie 2 is a 1999 American supernatural horror film directed by Katt Shea, and starring Emily Bergl, Jason London, Dylan Bruno, J. Smith-Cameron and Amy Irving. The film is a sequel to the 1976 horror film Carrie based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Stephen King, and serves as the second film in the Carrie franchise. The film was originally titled The Curse and did not have connections to the Carrie novel or film, but was eventually rewritten to be a direct sequel to the 1976 film. Its plot follows the younger half-sister of Carrie White (Bergl), also suffering with telekinesis, who finds that her best friend's suicide was spurred by a group of popular male classmates who exploited her for sexual gain.

<i>Valley Girl</i> (1983 film) 1983 film by Martha Coolidge

Valley Girl is a 1983 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge and written and produced by Wayne Crawford and Andrew Lane. Loosely based on the tragedy Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the film centers on the romance between a valley girl and a city punk. Michelle Meyrink, Elizabeth Daily, Cameron Dye and Michael Bowen appear in supporting roles.

<i>American Pie</i> (film) 1999 American film

American Pie is a 1999 American coming-of-age teen sex comedy film directed and co-produced by Paul Weitz and written by Adam Herz. It is the first film in the American Pie theatrical series and stars an ensemble cast that includes Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Alyson Hannigan, Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Seann William Scott, Eugene Levy, Shannon Elizabeth, and Jennifer Coolidge. The film's story centers on a group of five classmates who attend the fictional East Great Falls High School. The youths make a pact to lose their virginity before their high school graduation.

<i>Zapped Again!</i> 1990 film by Doug Campbell

Zapped Again! is a 1990 American direct-to-video science fiction comedy film directed by Doug Campbell and starring Todd Eric Andrews and Kelli Williams. It is a sequel to Zapped! (1982).

<i>The Game Plan</i> (film) 2007 film by Andy Fickman

The Game Plan is a 2007 American sports family comedy film directed by Andy Fickman and with a screenplay by Nichole Millard and Kathryn Price from a story by Millard, Price and Audrey Wells. The film stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, in the lead role; Madison Pettis; and Kyra Sedgwick. It follows a professional quarterback who finds out he has an eight-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

Felice Schachter is an American actress, best known for her roles as Nancy Olson on The Facts of Life and Bernadette in the cult teen comedy Zapped!.

<i>The Jane Austen Book Club</i> (film) 2007 film by Robin Swicord

The Jane Austen Book Club is a 2007 American romantic drama film written and directed by Robin Swicord. The screenplay, adapted from the 2004 novel of the same name by Karen Joy Fowler, focuses on a book club formed specifically to discuss the six novels written by Jane Austen. As they delve into Austen's literature, the book club members find themselves dealing with life experiences that parallel the themes of the books they are reading.

<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street</i> (2010 film) American supernatural slasher film by Samuel Bayer

A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 2010 American supernatural slasher film directed by Samuel Bayer, written by Wesley Strick and Eric Heisserer, and starring Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy, Thomas Dekker, and Kellan Lutz. Produced by Michael Bay and Platinum Dunes, it is a remake of Wes Craven's 1984 film of the same name, as well as the ninth overall installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The film is set in a fictitious town in Ohio and centers on a group of teenagers living on one street who are stalked and murdered in their dreams by a disfigured man named Freddy Krueger. The teenagers discover that they all share a common link from their childhood that makes them targets for Krueger.

<i>Prom</i> (film) 2011 film directed by Joe Nussbaum

Prom is a 2011 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Joe Nussbaum written by Katie Wech and produced by Ted Griffin and Justin Springer. It was released on April 29, 2011, by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was the first major production that was filmed with Arri Alexa cameras to be released in theatres.

<i>Tween Academy: Class of 2012</i> 2011 Filipino film

Tween Academy: Class of 2012 is a 2011 Filipino teen comedy film directed by Mark A. Reyes V. It was produced by GMA Pictures and SM Development Corporation. The film was based on the series Tween Hearts, and stars Joshua Dionisio, Barbie Forteza, Jake Vargas, Bea Binene, Joyce Ching, Kristofer Martin, Lexi Fernandez, Derrick Monasterio and Louise delos Reyes, all in different roles, with Alden Richards and Elmo Magalona joining the cast. The film was released August 24, 2011.

Leslie Margolis is an American author and novelist, whose works are more targeted towards children. Her book, Boys Are Dogs, was adapted into a film entitled Zapped, by Disney. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

<i>Hes All That</i> 2021 film by Mark Waters

He's All That is a 2021 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Mark Waters, from a screenplay by R. Lee Fleming Jr. The film is a gender-swapped remake of the 1999 film She's All That, which was a modern adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's 1914 play Pygmalion and George Cukor's 1964 film My Fair Lady. It stars Addison Rae, Tanner Buchanan, Madison Pettis, and Peyton Meyer, as well as Rachael Leigh Cook and Matthew Lillard, who starred in She's All That, appearing in different roles.

References

  1. ↑ "ZAPPED (15)". British Board of Film Classification . October 4, 1983. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Zapped! (1982)". Box Office Mojo . Internet Movie Database . Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  3. ↑ Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 292. ISBN   9780835717762. Please note figures are for theatrical rentals in US and Canada
  4. 1 2 Gaul, Lou (September 3, 1982). "'Zapped' deserves to get zonked", The Beaver County Times , Retrieved December 15, 2010
  5. ↑ "Heather Thomas". The Spokesman-Review. January 6, 1982. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Zapped! (1982): Music". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for July 23-25, 1982". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for September 3-6, 1982". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  9. ↑ Bentley, Rick (September 4, 1982). Embassy's 'Zapped' Follows The Summer Film Formula, Kentucky New Era , December 15, 2010
  10. ↑ "Zapped!". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Zapped!". Metacritic .
  12. ↑ Canby, Vincent (August 27, 1982). Zapped, The New York Times , Retrieved December 15, 2010
  13. ↑ Selberling, Irene (16 September 1982). Zapped was a good idea that didn't work out, Leader-Post , Retrieved December 15, 2010
  14. ↑ Uricchio, Marylynn (August 23, 1982). Juvenile 'Zapped' fails to make grade, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , Retrieved December 15, 2010
  15. ↑ Freedman, Richard (December 2, 1982). 'Zapped' rehashes old Flubber formula, The Daily Courier , Retrieved December 15, 2010
  16. ↑ Bailey, Bruce (November 3, 1982). 'Zapped' should whisk itself off screen, The Gazette , Retrieved December 15, 2010
  17. ↑ Romano, Carlin (September 8, 1982). As A Parody, 'Zapped' Reveals A Few High Spots, The Blade (Toledo) , Retrieved December 15, 2010
  18. ↑ Will Harris, "Scott Baio talks Chachi, Bob Loblaw, and Howard Cosell", The AV Club (3 April 2014) accessed 7 April 2014
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.