Hairy but not hair-raising

TEEN WOLF (1985)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Teen Wolf" is innocuous teen fare, nothing special and nothing earth-shattering. I first saw this film back in 1985 when Michael J. Fox was the new breakout star with TV's "Family Ties" on the air and the glorious "Back to the Future." As time has wore on, we can be honest here, it became clear that "Teen Wolf" was not a good movie but it does have a few laughs and more than a few lulls that make it safe as a TV movie, not as a theatrical release.

The plot reads like a made-for-TV movie. Scott Howard (Michael J. Fox) is an insecure high-school teenager who plays with a losing basketball team. One day, he notices a long hair on his chest. Something else happens - his eyes glow threateningly and his voice deepens when he insists on buying alcohol despite being underage. When Scott feels pressure to make a basket at a game, his eyes glow again and presto, basketball makes it through the hoop! Of course, at one game, he transforms into a werewolf and shows the players how to shoot hoops. Guess what happens? Scott's Teen Wolf becomes a star and his team wins every game. He ignores his best friend, Boof (Susan Ursitti), in favor of a pretty blonde named Pamela (Lorie Grifin) who wouldn't give him the time of day otherwise. Scott also gets to be in a play - argh, this gets dumb and dumber as it goes along.

Aside from the anomaly of a PG-rated movie showing teens smoking marihuana, most of "Teen Wolf" floats by thanks to Michael J. Fox whose easygoing charm raises this mediocrity a couple of notches. Kudos must also go to James Hampton as Scott's father, who knows a thing or two about werewolves - his few quiet scenes with Scott are marvelous to behold. But the movie shares the old tired cliches about learning to be yourself, respect who you are and others will respect thee. The movie would've been more fun, possibly dirty fun, had it focused on pride and arrogance by showing how far Scott could take his wolf routine (it is implied that as the wolf, he has sex with Pamela). Apparently, not far enough.