Wired Movie Review

There are lousy movies and then there is Wired, the film that will set the standard for bad screen biographies for years to come. Remember Reefer Madness? Cocaine Fiends? Maniac? Wired may be even more laughable than watching all three of those turkeys on a triple bill at the grungiest flea pit you can imagine. It's hard to believe that, in 1964, Larry Peerce directed One Potato, Two Potato, one of the best movies about an interracial marriage ever made. And he was attracted by the Earl MacRauch SCRIPT for Wired? Here's the premise: Michael Chiklis as John Belushi comes back to Earth as a ghost with guardian angel Ray Sharkey. He revisits all his old haunts (yes, producer Ed The Royal Love Story of Charles and Diana Feldman compares Wired to a Frank Capra comedy so maybe the screenwriter is a public domain channel junkie hooked on It's a Wonderful Life). Belushi watches himself with Dan Ayckroyd, with hip wife Judy, and with Billy Preston who plays himself. Meanwhile, Washington Post reporter Bob Wood-ward is doing some SERIOUS journalism. How serious? “Well, John, I think I'll play an after-the-fact voyeur while Cathy Smith gives you the fatal injection, how about THAT?” This, and I am not kidding, is the climax of the picture. Watch Belushi plead for a hit. Watch Cathy Smith try to find a vein on her own discolored arm before she shares her stash with her groveling victim. Watch Belushi shiver, listen to his death rattle, and then, as an extra special added attraction, see and hear him scream, “How about you, Woody? Want a hit?” UNBELIEVABLE. Even if you get off on crawling into the grave with dead movie stars via the constantly updated classic Too Stupid to Live—sorry!—Too Young to Die, Wired isn't worth 112 minutes of your time. Mis-cast Michael Chiklis, who is not without talent, went on to star in the title role of ABC's The Commish (1991–95) opposite Theresa Saldana. Mary Lambert's Siesta, Alan J. Pakula's See You in the Morning, plus Wired win my nomination for a triple bill in hell. woof!

1989 (R) 112m/C Michael Chiklis, Ray Sharkey, Patti D'Arbanville, J.T. Walsh, Gary Groomes, Lucinda Jenney, Alex Rocco, Jere Burns, Billy Preston; D: Larry Peerce; W: Earl MacRauch; C: Tony Imi; M: Basil Poledouris. VHS, LV