| Review | Teen Wolf (1985) | Director | Rod Daniel |
|---|---|
| Writers | Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman |
| Cast | Michael J. Fox, James Hampton, Susan Ursitti, Jerry Levine, Matt Adler, Lorie Griffin, James MacKrell, Mark Arnold, Mark Holton, Doug Savant and Jay Tarses |
“I’m sick of being so average” – Scott
I may be stretching the cult angle of my review site by putting the spotlight on “Teen Wolf” which was basically a mainstream comedy with little to no horror overtones. But it’s a mini-favourite of mine with one of my favourite actors and I also think it has aged pretty well while including everything that was pure 80’s as far as these teenage comedies go. It has a couple of spooky moments (for a kid at least) and some silly and sexist humour that shouldn’t offend anyone though (at least when compared to teen comedies like “Revenge of the Nerds” (1984) and “Private Resort” (1985), for example).
Teenager Scott Howard (Fox) has some growing pains. Living with single dad Harold (Hampton) and working part time in his hardware store; Scott is already fearing mediocrity and dreading it. He’s playing for the lousy school basketball team who haven’t won a game in years (and begin the film by losing 71-12) and pining for popular girl Pamela (Griffin) who won’t give him a second look. His lifelong friend Boof (Ursitti) adores him but he doesn’t think of her in the same way. He just ain’t as popular or successful as he’d like to be.
Then Scott finds out that he’s a werewolf. Turns out it’s in the family as his dad’s the same. One night when playing for his team he accidentally changes in front of the entire audience. Everything changes for Scott. In werewolf mode he starts playing great basketball, leading the team to a championship game. His social status rockets, he starts smooching with Pamela and everything looks on the up thanks to his newfound condition which he can summon at will. But has this new popularity caused Scott to lose sight of what he’s truly all about?
I’ve always liked this film and there are a few reasons why I consider it a bit more noteworthy than many other 80’s feel good comedies that basically recycle the same message of staying true to who you are.
One; it’s got the irresistible Michael J. Fox in his prime. This guy was truly something else when it came to talent and charisma and Fox is certainly firing on all cylinders here. In the very, very long Making of… documentary just about everybody involved comments on how his lead performance elevated the film and the evidence is there for all to see.
Two; the film has its heart in the right place and focuses on the correct things. Yes, it’s a silly werewolf comedy but it touches on important subjects, does it well and treats it’s characters (even secondary ones) with a good deal of respect. That’s another thing the very, very long Making of… documentary gets across well and that was how this basically silly idea was handled. One idea was to go nuts with juvenile and sexually explicit R-rated humour about a werewolf going nuts with gals and pals, another was to jettison the whole comedy route and create a drama piece with loaded metaphors for otherness and piling on social problems. The one they went with probably turned out best as it’s about self-discovery, self-reliance, self-worth and meaningful relationships and laced it with a dose of good natured jokes.
Three; the werewolf really is secondary to Scott’s acceptance of himself, of others and reliance on teamwork. There are some good comic scenes dealing with the beast that’s surfacing and when the werewolf is out and about. It’s quite noteworthy that the werewolf basically exits the picture in very low-key fashion and doesn’t resurface for the (very predictable but thoroughly enjoyable) basketball finale.
The cast is right on the money, too. Fox is just brilliant, but others compliment him very well. Hampton is really likeable as his dad, Ursitti adorable as Boof and Levine is terrific as his best friend. But a complete scene stealer is Tarses as the basketball coach with some laugh out loud moments and great delivery of some really funny dialogue.
Physical Copy
My copy of “Teen Wolf” is the region A Collector’s Edition Blu-ray issued by Scream Factory in 2017. It’s first rate when it comes to A/V quality as is the norm from this label. Among the special features is the aforementioned very, very long Making of… documentary (143 minutes!) which gathers a huge number of relevant participants but sadly no Michael J. Fox. It’s an enjoyable sit-through and certainly chock full of info concerning the film.
Why physical copy?
I always encourage the acquisition of physical copies as I dread the day when films will only exist as files on computers and through streaming services. The companies that put the effort into making the discs, create new artwork or reproduce the originals, issue booklets and much more deserve all the financial support they can. Therefore I will always mention the Blu-rays or DVD’s (and yes; also if I review something streamed through Netflix or the like) even though I gain nothing from it personally.
