Psycho's Movie Reviews #164: Teen Wolf (1985)

Teen Wolf is a 1985 American coming-of-age romantic fantasy comedy film directed by Rod Daniel and written by Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman. Michael J. Fox stars as title character, a high school student whose ordinary life is changed when he discovers that he is a werewolf. James Hampton, Scott Paulin, Susan Ursitti, Jerry Levine, Matt Adler and Jay Tarses appear in supporting roles. Filming took place from November to December of 1984.

Teen Wolf was released on August 23, 1985, by Atlantic Releasing Corporation and received mixed reviews. It was a commercial success, grossing over $80 million on a $1.2 million budget. Due to its success, the film spawned an animated series adaptation in 1986 and a 1987 sequel that featured Hampton and Mark Holton as the only returning cast members. Teen Wolf also influenced a supernatural drama series of the same name that aired on MTV from 2011 to 2017.

Plot

Scott Howard is a 17-year-old high school student who is tired of just being average. Living in a small town in Nebraska, his only claim to popularity is playing on the Beavers. his school's unsuccessful basketball team. Scott fawns after his love interest Pamela Wells even though she is dating his rival Mick who in turn plays for the Dragons, an opposing team that bullies him on the court. Completely oblivious to the affections of his best friend Boof, Scott constantly rebuffs her advances due to their history together.

After startling changes such as long hair sprouting, hands suddenly getting hairy, he decides to quit the team, but his coach, Finstock, changes his mind. Scoring a keg with his friend Stiles for a party, Scott and Boof end up alone in a closet and Scott gets rough when they begin making out, accidentally clawing Boof's back. When he returns home, he undergoes a strange transformation and discovers he is a werewolf. His father Harold reveals he too is a werewolf, and that he had hoped Scott would not inherit the curse because 'sometimes it skips a generation'.

Scott reveals his secret to Stiles, who agrees to keep it a secret, but when Scott becomes stressed on the court, he becomes the wolf and helps win their first game in three years. This has an unexpected result of fame and popularity as the high school is overwhelmed with 'Wolf Fever'. Scott is alienated from Boof and his teammates as he begins to hog the ball during games.

Stiles merchandises "Teen Wolf" paraphernalia and Pamela finally begins paying attention to Scott. After he gets a role as a 'werewolf cavalryman' in the school play alongside her, she comes onto him in the dressing room and the two have sex. Later, after a date set up to make Mick jealous on purpose, Pamela tells Scott is not interested in Scott as a boyfriend, much to his disappointment. Harold tells Scott he is responsible for vice principal Rusty Thorne breathing down his neck due to a scare he had given him when he was in high school; advising him to be himself.

With the upcoming Spring Dance, Boof agrees to go with Scott, but only if he goes as himself. Scott goes alone as the Wolf and has a great time. Boof takes Scott out into the hallway and they kiss, which turns Scott back into himself. When they return to the dance, everyone pays attention to him which includes Pamela. An upset Mick walks up to Scott and punches him in the face; proceeding to insult Boof and taunt Scott until the Wolf angrily attacks him that results with Mick getting his shirt ripped. Scott runs out of the hall right into Thorne who threatens expulsion. Harold defends his son before going on to intimidate Thorne by growling into his face, causing the Vice Principal to wet himself.

Scott renounces using the wolf and quits the basketball team, who have come to expect it. During the championship game, Scott arrives and rallies his teammates to play without the wolf. Despite the odds, the team begins to work together and they make ground against the Dragons. During the final quarter, behind by one point, Scott is fouled by Mick at the buzzer. He makes both shots, winning the championship much to everyone's delight. Brushing past Pamela, Scott kisses Boof as his father embraces both. Mick tells Pamela that they should leave, but she tells him to 'drop dead' and storms off while everyone else celebrates the victory.

Production

Filming for Teen Wolf was one of the first scripts written by Jeph Loeb. Loeb was hired to write it because the studio, after the surprising success of the film Valley Girl, wanted to make a comedy that would cost almost nothing (the production costs amounted to about $1 million) and take very little time to film. The project came together when Michael J. Fox accepted the lead role and his Family Ties co-star Meredith Baxter-Birney became pregnant, which created a delay in the sitcom's filming that allowed Fox time to complete filming and then return to his sitcom. Filming for Teen Wolf began in November 1984 and concluded the next month. James Hampton originally auditioned for the role of Coach Bobby Finstock but was later cast as Harold Howard.

The beaver mascot logo used in the film was the Oregon State University Beavers logo, in use by the university at that time.

Release/Reception/Box Office

Released August 23, 1985, Teen Wolf debuted at No. 2 in its opening weekend, behind Back to the Future (also starring Michael J. Fox). After its initial run, the film grossed $33,086,661 domestically, with a worldwide gross of about $80 million. Teen Wolf was first released on DVD via MGM in a "Double Feature" pack with its sequel Teen Wolf Too on August 27, 2002. The film was later released on Blu-ray on March 29, 2011. The only special feature available on any of the releases is the film's theatrical trailer. The film was reissued on Blu-ray Disc on August 8, 2017, by Scream! Factory, with a remastered transfer and a new "making of" featurette.

The film's critical reception was at best mixed. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 42% of 33 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 5.1 out of 10. The consensus summarizes: "Though Michael J. Fox is as charismatic as ever, Teen Wolf's coming-of-age themes can't help but feel a little stale and formulaic." On Metacritic, the film has a 25 out of 100 rating based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavourable reviews".

Vincent Canby of The New York Times gave the film a negative review calling it "aggressively boring". He went on to say that "the film is overacted by everybody except Mr. Fox, who is seen to far better advantage in Back to the Future."

Colin Greenland reviewed Teen Wolf for White Dwarf #75, and stated that "Anxious that their movie should be perfectly wholesome, clean and bloodless, writers and director forgot Scott was supposed to be a werewolf, and made him a basketball star instead."

Budget $1.2 million

Box office $80 million

My Review

This was one of those movies that I remember watching a few times back when I was a kid and back when Michael J Fox was still acting and I must say it is one of those eighties movies that I still have a fondness for, even though now I would probably not watch it again because despite all of the fondness that I have for the film, there is nothing really all that much about it that makes it stand out all that much. It's not as if it is The Terminator with a classic Arnold Schwartzenegger one liner, or any number of other classic eighties movies that I remember with fondness because, well, there isn't all that much about it that would make it a classic.

Basically it is about a boy in high school who suddenly discovers that he is a werewolf, and that it is something that runs in the family. After the initial shock, he suddenly becomes really popular, and is able to take on an opposing basketball team all by himself. In fact at the beginning of the film it is very clear that the schools basketball team basically blows, and it is not until one game when he finds himself at the bottom of a stacks on that he becomes the wolf, and then goes on to win the game – single handedly.

Some have suggested that this is a subtle exploration of the nature of High School in your average American town (or suburb, or what not – it is not really made all that clear, but you could suggest that this could occur in any high school in any part of America – except for the fact that werewolves are creatures of myths and legend). Some have also suggested that it is about how, unless we are sporting heroes, or there is something important about us, that we are damned to spend our lives in obscurity. Yeah, I can see that in this film, and I can also see it as some form of subtle criticism of the American way of life (not that there is much that you can criticise), and that one is defined based not only upon how many people know who you are, but also how many people like and look up to you.

It could also be considered some form of morality tale, in that we don't need magical powers to be able to win, all we need to do is to work as a team and believe in ourselves. Well, that is all well and good, but it suggests that by doing that then we can go from being a basketball team that blows to a basketball team that can win a championship – the problem is that it never actually works out that way. Still, this is a Hollywood movie, and in the end, the hero gets the girl – the right girl, not the snivelling bitch that leads you on because you are a famous person, and she can only define herself based upon what that famous person thinks of her, and that they win the basketball game, and the evil vice-principle (it is always the vice-principle that is evil, isn't it) is put into his place, and then the movie ends. I guess that suggests that everything is sorted and everybody lives happily ever after – until they made a sequel, that is.

Teen Wolf is not a perfect film by all means, some of the editing could have flowed better, the story while having some great nice and starting off with very few problems is basic and meanders a bit towards the end and the film could have been longer(just). That said, the film apart from some lacking editing looks good, with nice scenery and lighting, while the soundtrack is superb. There may be the odd cheesy line, but overall the script is solid, and while somewhat predictable the ending is nice. The characters have a certain charm about them, and while the actors are not award-worthy perhaps they all do very likable jobs especially Michael J.Fox. All in all, not a masterpiece, but I liked it. 7/10