Highly enjoyable comedy starring Michael J. Fox as a teenager who transforms into a werewolf. I was expecting the story to be about his struggle to conceal his true identity, but the brilliance of the plot comes from the fact that everyone he knows simply accepts his transformation, which makes him a better basketball player, a better dancer and a cooler guy all round. Suddenly he’s not average anymore. In fact, he does so well as a wolf that he then has to prove himself as...himself.
There are plenty of surreal and witty moments, but it’s also a standard American school comedy-drama with all the usual loyal friends, jealous enemies, feuding girlfriends and grudge-bearing teachers. Michael J. Fox is always easy to relate to and easy to like. There’s just something about him.
This film came out a month after Back to the Future, when Foxmania was at its height, so it couldn’t really fail. It made $80 million from a budget of just $1.2 million. It certainly doesn’t look expensive (much of it takes place on a basketball court), but that gives it a kind of immediacy too. With the exception of one Beach Boys hit, the pop soundtrack was seemingly commissioned especially for the film – third-rate MTV rockers and clunky ballads that are perfect for this particular story. Some of the songs are played in their entirety, giving the whole thing the feel of an extended promo video.
It’s silly, but gloriously so. It doesn’t get bogged down in explaining the wolf origins or even attempt to make sense of them, and is all the better for that.
A truly entertaining and satisfying 92 minutes.
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