I see no reason to debate the 4% rating Larry Peerce’s Wired has on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a bad movie in almost every regard and deserving of its critical admonition, but I can’t bring myself to hate it outright. There’s something oddly endearing about its half-baked approach and hackneyed dialogue. Repeated eye-rolls aside, I found myself eager to see in what unique way each scene would be butchered next, then imagine how much I would admire Wired if it were an early French New Wave film like Last Year at Marienbad or The 400 Blows. But, alas, we’re instead stuck with what we’ve been given: a film that was so poorly received, it never even got a home video release.
Based on Bob Woodward’s 1984 book of the same name, Wired attempts to tell the story of comedian and actor John Belushi’s rise to fame and eventual death at the age of 33. To do so, Peerce takes us on a scattered journey that mixes A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life into a mish-mash of bad dialogue and unclear motivation. Wired rips through Belushi’s life with no regard for storytelling panache or logic, leaving one to wonder what the point of it all is. This isn’t so much the story of a life, but an amalgamation of poorly plotted scenes strung together with only a chubby, often belligerent “funny guy” to unify them.
A fresh-faced Michael Chiklis plays Belushi and doesn’t do a half-bad job with what he’s given to work with, which isn’t much. Legend has it, the film was so opposed by Dan Aykroyd and others who knew Belushi that they actively tried to block its release and distribution. Further, Chiklis found himself (unjustly, in my opinion) on the receiving end of the controversy, going from promising young talent to “can’t get arrested” for nearly two years its production.
But, while I understand the less-than-thrilled reaction from Belushi’s friends and family, the portrayal of their loved one is more incomplete than it is negative. There’s no motivation, no psychology, no substance – just a comedian, an under-explained habit, and a bunch of yelling.
An honest exploration of addiction and celebrity is what Belushi deserves – on top of celebrating his life and accomplishments – but not what Wired is. There’s an art film hiding inside somewhere, but the incompetence of its production derails any attempts at sincerity, brevity, or artful observance. However, as bad as it is, some out there will find value in great (and unintentionally funny) lines about Belushi needing his punk tapes, and his awkward introduction to Heavy Metal metal music by Dan Aykroyd (Gary Groomes), among other oddities.
If I’m being honest, though, what irks me the most is that they skipped over the part where Belushi invites FEAR to play on SNL. What a rip-off!
Watch the full movie below if you dare.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.