Rabid for the Letterman
Teen Wolf (1985)
directed by Rod Daniel
rating: 2 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from Netflix
Teen Wolf isn’t a horror film. Not remotely. I probably should have known. As an allegory about adolescence, it plays like an early attempt to crib from comic books. Only today we root for the mutants, not Professor X, so the point of the movie – that Michael J. Fox “be himself” by denying his werewolf heritage – feels like a social campaign to drive campus freaks back into the closet.
Even worse, the movie concludes with nearly ten minutes of interminable basketball clips meant to showcase team spirit. No eleventh hour change of heart, no wolfing out to reclaim the campus bombshell. Just human concentration, a stupid extra point, and a bland little kiss from eager-to-please Boof. *
Scott Howard’s gifts are something of a contradiction. On the one hand, he’s physically “different” from his classmates; on the other hand, the perks of his mutation include championships and drama queens. He’s adored right off the bat as Teen Wolf, by everyone except the boyfriend of the girl who likes her sex a little rough, and by longtime pal Boof, who really enjoys shooting hoops with Scott’s dad.
I’m going to say that the decision to make a werewolf good at sports is probably close to the mark, in which case his amplified physical condition isn’t going to present much of a marketable commodity outside of a sports career. If you’re a basketball star, being young is as good as it gets. Embrace it! You don’t have to be a dick, but Scott isn’t, for the most part. Just a middle-class kid from middle America aware for the first time that he has options outside of his home town.
* Let me add that I really like the team's coach, who doesn't care about winning and insists, correctly, that the best way to enjoy a game is for everyone to have fun. Which is impossible with a ball hog on the court. But still.
directed by Rod Daniel
rating: 2 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from Netflix
Teen Wolf isn’t a horror film. Not remotely. I probably should have known. As an allegory about adolescence, it plays like an early attempt to crib from comic books. Only today we root for the mutants, not Professor X, so the point of the movie – that Michael J. Fox “be himself” by denying his werewolf heritage – feels like a social campaign to drive campus freaks back into the closet.
Even worse, the movie concludes with nearly ten minutes of interminable basketball clips meant to showcase team spirit. No eleventh hour change of heart, no wolfing out to reclaim the campus bombshell. Just human concentration, a stupid extra point, and a bland little kiss from eager-to-please Boof. *
Scott Howard’s gifts are something of a contradiction. On the one hand, he’s physically “different” from his classmates; on the other hand, the perks of his mutation include championships and drama queens. He’s adored right off the bat as Teen Wolf, by everyone except the boyfriend of the girl who likes her sex a little rough, and by longtime pal Boof, who really enjoys shooting hoops with Scott’s dad.
I’m going to say that the decision to make a werewolf good at sports is probably close to the mark, in which case his amplified physical condition isn’t going to present much of a marketable commodity outside of a sports career. If you’re a basketball star, being young is as good as it gets. Embrace it! You don’t have to be a dick, but Scott isn’t, for the most part. Just a middle-class kid from middle America aware for the first time that he has options outside of his home town.
* Let me add that I really like the team's coach, who doesn't care about winning and insists, correctly, that the best way to enjoy a game is for everyone to have fun. Which is impossible with a ball hog on the court. But still.
posted by NPK at 12:01 AM
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