Teen Wolf (1985)

Spoilers

3 / 4 Stars

Link to the Talking Cinema podcast deep dive

I was born in the 70s, but 80s pop culture raised me. And Michael J. Fox was one of the biggest stars of the 80s. You can make a case he was the biggest star for people under 25. He had a hit tv show, Family Ties, that was 2nd in the ratings behind The Cosby Show.

He starred in Back to the Future, which came out before Teen Wolf (the movie we are reviewing today). Back to the Future was the biggest movie of the year, 1985, with many other big movies came out that year with big-name stars (Rambo II, Rocky IV, Beverly Hill Cop).

Michael J. Fox was as big a star as Eddie Murphy, Sylvester Stallone, Bill Cosby, and Harrison Ford. Michael J. Fox was a big deal.

So being 10 years old, a movie with Michael J. Fox coming out, was a big deal. It didn’t matter what critics thought of the movie. It didn’t matter how bad the production of the movie was. This movie was a must-watch, all because of Michael J. Fox. It was a time when stars still mattered, and it drove people to the theaters.

This movie is a great time capsule of the 80s. Or, at the very least, how movie studios portrayed life in the 80s. From the clothes people in the 80s wore, the haircuts we had in the 80s, and the cars we drove. The movie also has a happy ending. Classic 80s. With the star/hero choosing the cute/nerdy girl over the hot girl (though in this movie, the cute girl is the hotter, or at least that is what I think).

Like many movies from the 80s or any movie from the viewer’s pre-teen era, the movie is different on rewatch. The flaws are more pronounced. It makes you think, why did you even like this movie. But at the same time, the nostalgia buffer is still strong. And after 10 minutes, I was into the rhythm of the movie. And this movie is easygoing. You don’t need to think too hard to follow. If anything, you don’t need to think at all. And there is a place for movies where you don’t have to think.

Favorite Scenes

The basketball scenes. They are so terrible that actually become good. The time and score on the scoreboard make no sense. It defies reality. There could be 15 min time elapsed and only 10 points scored by each team. There could be 4 min elapsed and 30 points in total by each team.
The basketball play on both teams is so bad. But with a small budget and 3 weeks to film - they most likely had no time to get these actors to play better basketball.
The party scene where Stiles MCs the game. There is taking off your clothes and tying them up while they get loose. Kissing in the closet. Eating food that is put into a girl’s clothes.
Selling teen wolf apparel in the hallways at school
Stiles just named Scott the Wolf as the teen wolf and TW. He does it so casually.
The cute friend of Scott’s is named Boof. Does she have no name?
The score? It isn’t very good, but it’s one of those things that is so bad that it is good.

Flaws

Boof is hotter than Pamela. I mean, they could have put oversized glasses on Boof. Maybe put in her some badly matched clothes.

The side plot never wraps up with Lewis ignoring Scott but coming back to celebrate at the movie’s end. I feel bad for Lewis, but he will probably be a stud in his 30s.

The comic acting by most of the cast outside of Michael J. Fox, Jerry Levine (Stiles), James Hampton (Howard - Scott’s dad), and Susan Ursitti (Boof) - everybody else is just bad.

Favorite Lines

Harold Howard: “Listen son. You’re going to be able to do a lot of things the other guys aren’t.

Scott Howard: “Oh yeah, like chase cars, and bite the mailman?”

“It doesn’t matter how you play the game, it’s whether you win or lose. And even that doesn’t make all that much difference.”

“What is it, gambling? Drugs? You know I’d really like to help you but I’m kind of tapped out this month. The IRS is coming down on me like it’s some personal vendetta against Bobby Finstock.”