Accidental Innuendo: The last line of "Slide Some Oil To Me": "Let me lubricate my mind."
Ending Fatigue: After Evillene is killed, there's not much story left to tell, but it still takes several songs to get to the end. The screen adaptations each cut three numbers from this stretch (though Schumacher and Fierstein made different choices on the second song worth removing). Made more bearable for viewers who consider at least one of the two songs that survive all versions of this stretch, "Believe in Yourself" and "Home", the musical's Awesome Music.
Minority Show Ghetto: The musical seems to fall out and in of this, depending on the quality of the production. On the positive end of the spectrum, the original Broadway version ran for four years, and the 2015 TV special scored NBC their strongest Thursday night ratings in at least two years. On the negative end, the 1978 movie bombed so hard that it killed Blaxploitation, and the 1984 Broadway revival closed after only 10 days (reviews claim that too little time had passed since the end of the original Broadway run to necessitate a revival, and that the production values also seemed cheaper).
They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Some fans of the play have expressed these sentiments towards the screen adaptations, since neither of them seem 100% faithful to the show.
The movie
Audience-Alienating Premise: Between the thirtysomething Diana Ross' overly-emotional take on Dorothy, the story now taking place in a grimy, desolate, colorless world where Oz is effectively New York City with all of its worst aspects on display, and several questionable song numbers it's little wonder that the film adaptation failed to find an audience upon its initial release.
Base-Breaking Character: Nipsey Russell's Tin Man's talk-singing made some viewers deem the actor an inappropriate choice (especially since he seems like the only one of Dorothy's friends to get two songs all to himself), while others try to defend him by arguing that the talk-singing further highlights the tragedy of the Tin Man's inability to feel.
Cult Classic: Although a major critical and financial failure upon its release, it has since found an appreciative fanbase—especially in the Black community—that has embraced a lot of the film's more redeeming qualities.
Ensemble Dark Horse: The Scarecrow is often considered to be the best character in the whole film, thanks largely to Michael Jackson's sweet-natured portrayal, and knack for physical comedy. Even reviews critical of the film cited the Scarecrow as one of its bright spots.
Most of the Sinister SubwayAnimate Inanimate Objects attack the heroes in suiting ways: the Scarecrow considers himself to be filled with garbage, and thus is almost Eaten Alive by sentient toothy trash cans; the Tin Man is made of a conducting material and thus the electrical panel giving him a high-voltage attack is painful to him; Dorothy is unwilling to change her life and wants to always stay in the same small, familiar spaces, thus getting surrounded by the subway pillars that want to crush her to death can be seen as a metaphor of the way she's trapping herself.
The Scarecrow gives a strong hint how smart he really is early on: his song "You Can't Win" has the chorus "You can't win, you can't break even, and you can't get out of the game." This is accepted as a good layman's explanation for the Laws of Thermodynamics.
Harsher in Hindsight: Dorothy's goodbye to her friends at the end as they fade to black is all the sadder when you realize that Diana Ross has outlived each one of her main co-stars from the movie. Even sadder is the Scarecrow's last line to Dorothy considering what would happen to the actor who played him.
Scarecrow: Success, fame, and fortune, they're all illusions. All there is that is real is the friendship that two can share.
Just Here for Godzilla: Many people only watched this movie to see Michael Jackson. Some posters of the movie also make him larger and more visible than the main character Dorothy played by Diana Ross.
Informed Wrongness: We're supposed to think Dorothy is being antisocial during the Thanksgiving party, but she's clearly just helping to get everything ready. Even when she leaves during Aunt Em's song, she's going to get a cake. She even gets a bottle for her cousin's baby. Similarly, the whole subplot of her not wanting to leave her job at a kindergarten to teach at high school. While Aunt Em claims it pays better, the jobs require different skillsets. There's also the issue of how a kindergarten teacher would even qualify to teach high school.note In addition to the various certifications, a kindergarten teacher has to teach a variety of subjects while a high school teacher needs to specialize in one.
It's terribly obvious how far out of his comfort zone Sidney Lumet was, showing no idea of how to stage musical numbers despite the songs themselves still being pretty good. The worst offender is filming "Ease on Down the Road" from behind the actors, in a wide shot with a completely static camera that creates the impression of watching a live performance from the very last row of the balcony - and on the wrong side of the stage.
The very Wangst-y way the Tin Man weeps, complete with Ocular Gushers, over his lost love Teeny. It's meant to be comedic, but it just comes off as awkward, especially when it's used as Swiss-Army Tears to save the Lion and Dorothy's lives.
The film way overdoes the whole gimmick of the heroes having what they thought they were missing all along, to the point where it makes no sense that they would ever think they didn't have it.
The second half of the "Brand New Day" number, where the Winkies unzip their clothes and all dance in loincloths.
Glinda attempting to perform "Believe in Yourself" as a gospel number can fall under this or Narm Charm, depending on how strongly you think Lena Horne's hamminess and un-convincing lip-syncing overshadow the song's message.
Narm Charm: Yes, it's not the most cheery and colorful movie one would expect from an Oz project, at times it gets uniquely creepy and bizzarre and it gets slow paced and melancholic, but it's these oddities and its moody approach that make it special and really stick out among other Oz media in the eyes of those who are fans of it.
Padding: As per the significant changes made to accommodate both Ross and the shift to a modern setting, a whole subplot of Dorothy being pressured to move out of her house and to make a living for herself on her own terms is set up purely to showcase her emotional insecurity before being whisked away to Oz, with little to no resolution after she finds her way home. One could argue that the Dorothy does gain a character arc. In this version, the finale could be interpreted as Dorothy finally gaining confidence. Images of people she's met and lessons she's learned in Oz flash past her during "Home", indicating she'll retain what she's learned in Oz and be more brave at home.
Diana Ross, who in her thirties seems out of place in the shoes of the much younger Dorothy despite her singing chops. Ross was initially refused the part but eventually won it after persisting in her negotiations with the producer, with her age singled out as having rendered her unconvincing in the role of an emotionally distraught young woman.
Nipsey Russell as the Tin Man, as his singing was not quite up to par with that of his co-stars.
Richard Pryor as the Wiz, as it meant the character's songs had to be cut, especially fan-favorite "So You Wanted To Meet The Wizard."
Shoot the Money: The lengthy Emerald City production number seems intended to show off the Real Life designer clothes of its residents as much and as long as possible.
Special Effects Failure: The giant puppets, the electrical wiring and even the moving pillars from the Sinister Subway scene are pulled off with relatively simple effects but still manage to be eerie and intimidating... but the toothy trash cans lose it when it's clear that Michal Jackson and Ted Ross are just fake-struggling against cheap, hollow props.
Unintentional Period Piece: On top of being a product of a time when Blaxploitation films were popular in the U.S., the film has an unmistakable 1970s feel throughout, from its tone, to the fashions, to the disco and funk-heavy soundtrack, among other things.
Vindicated by History: The film did terribly in theaters, being panned by critics and only making $13.6 million worldwide against a production budget of $24 million. But that all changed when it came out on VHS in the early 1980s (and again in the 1990s), and was also aired often on many Black-focused stations such as BET.note The film often aired near Thanksgiving, since this was when the early scenes of the movie were set with Dorothy's family. This led Black audiences to discover or rediscover the musical, now having access to see the show on VHS (when they might not have been able to go to live theater or wouldn't have seen it in theaters). Many Black people came to adore it despite the flaws due to the Black-led cast, popular songs from the accessible soundtrack including "You Can't Win" as a single, and the popularity of Ross and Jackson in Black culture. Black adults passed the love of a Black-led film with multiple Black movie and music stars to their children and family. Many a black child of the Gen X and early Millennial generations can tell the story about the first time they saw the movie and fell in love with the "Black" Wizard of Oz—some may have even seen The Wiz before they saw 1939's The Wizard of Oz.
Wangst: Diana Ross portrays Dorothy as an overwrought wreck who will go into hysterics at the drop of a hat. Don't do a Drinking Game of how many times Dorothy sobs piteously. You'll be passed out after 30 minutes.
What Do You Mean, It's for Kids?: Oz features hookers, brutal torture sequences, an opium den, and a (mostly) clothing-optional musical number. Nonetheless, the MPAA still rated the movie G for General Audiences.
The Scarecrow starts out being tortured by the crows and is similarly abused throughout the movie. Being played by a 19-year-old Michael Jackson helped.
At the end, the Wiz reveals he lives a lonely, fearful life, and begs Dorothy and her friends not to leave:
The Wiz: "Please... please don't... don't go. I li... I live here all alone... in terror... that someone will find out that I'm a fraud. Please... just stay with me a little while and talk. You can talk to me crazy... call me names..."
The TV version
Award Snub: Despite positive reviews, the telecast failed to earn an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Special Class Program. It also failed to break the streak of NBC musicals earning zero Emmy nominations for acting. Instead, it had to settle for six technical nominations — before winning for Outstanding Costumes For A Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Program.
Growing the Beard: For NBC's attempts to bring back the live TV musical. After its previous productions of The Sound of Music and Peter Pan were largely seen as hot messes buoyed by the occasional good performance, The Wiz got strong reviews just in time for other networks to try the concept out.
Jerkass Woobie: Evillene tries to paint herself as one when she scolds Dorothy for killing her sister, taking said sister's shoes, then rallying her new friends to help her also kill Evillene. However, Evillene's threats to stew Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion, and her plans to enslave everyone in Oz, make it harder to pity her when Dorothy does kill her.
Older Than They Think: Oz having a crossdressing Wizard dates back to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which the Wizard dons several disguises, one of which makes the male Wizard seem like a lovely maiden.
One-Scene Wonder: Glinda makes the most of what little screentime she has compared to Addaperle and Evillene, from when she descends from the sky in a Big Entrance, to when she belts out a show-stopping performance of "Believe in Yourself".
The Scrappy: Common as the Emerald City guard, pointed out by every review as sticking out horribly in an otherwise well-cast production. At least his costume was pretty cool.
Slow-Paced Beginning: It takes about four minutes to reach the first songnote "The Feeling We Once Had", sung by Stephanie Mills as Aunt Em, most of that time spent delivering talky exposition regarding Dorothy's new backstory.
Like Peter Pan Live!, the strings helping the actors and acrobats fly proved impossible to hide at certain scenes.
When Dorothy says goodbye to the Good Witches, a magical whirling sound emits, implying they magically disappear during Dorothy's close-up. However, a viewer might notice Amber Riley walking normally off the set. Unlike most of the original broadcast's bloopers, this one stayed on the DVD.
