Grade: (A)
One of the classic comedies out there that delivers a richly creative story with a charming performance from Fox.
Synopsis
A socially awkward high-school kid finds his seemingly common life turned upside down when he discovers his family ancestry passes down a trait that turns him into a werewolf.
My Thoughts
I grew up on this movie so it is possible my opinion could be bias, but regardless I feel it still delivers one of the purely creative comical stories from the decade. When most people are asked about their opinions on “Teen Wolf” they refer back to the MTV series but to the older crowd, the mention of the name still conjures thoughts of the furry kid who plays basketball and dances on the rooftop of his friends van.
Michael J. Fox embodied the role of Scott Howard and despite the ridiculous premise, Fox’s performance gives the plot a feeling of realness. He sells the kid-next-door persona and was able to create a character people could sit back and connect to with his charming onscreen presence.
Jerry Levine as the high-school party boy Stiles was also a creatively unique character that represented an over-the-top version of a kid in school we all knew. His t-shirts and attire were hilarious in their own right not to mention many of the antics the script has him taking part in that also deliver plenty of laughs during the scenarios we can relate to from growing up.
“Teen Wolf” may be an absurd premise but in the 80’s there were dozens of ridiculous plots that turned out to be fun, enjoyable comedies that could make you laugh out loud during a feel-good story-line. The script took itself serious for such a crazy theme and it works, you can connect to the characters and root for the awkward kid trying to find his way in the social world of high-school.
This film is also a great throwback to the 80’s with a familiar soundtrack and all the crazy fashion styles and trends. If we have learned anything from the 80’s it is that you can take a ridiculous premise and make it part of a real story people can relate to oddly enough. Fox pulls off the duel role with ease, as the shy and clumsy Scott as well as the self-confident wolf whose strengths are all of Scott’s weaknesses.
There was also a fun high-school love story that people can easily connect with. There was always that one special guy or girl we knew growing up that seemed just out of reach and there was also someone we can remember that would have been perfect despite their hiding behind the just friends label. You can sit back watch this movie and root for Scott and Boof to get together and the way the script builds this love dynamic was surprisingly enjoyable and not over done.
In the end “Teen Wolf” is one of the classic comedies from the era and one of the bright performances in the career of Michael J. Fox. There were a range of comedic deliveries in this film and just watching it takes me back to my nostalgic school days, minus the wolfing out of course. This script tells a good-spirited tale and will pull your interest even if the synopsis sounds crazy. If you want an enjoyably fun and subtly well written comedy that can brighten your day then try this one out if somehow you have managed to miss this hit.
