Cheezetastic!! I can't in good conscience pretend this is a great movie. It isn't. But, Wolf has been playing almost constantly on HBO this month, and I have noticed the strangest thing: I just can't stop watching it. This flick is fun, in spite...
[+] Read Full Review

Cheezetastic!! I can't in good conscience pretend this is a great movie. It isn't. But, Wolf has been playing almost constantly on HBO this month, and I have noticed the strangest thing: I just can't stop watching it. This flick is fun, in spite of itself.

Wolf is a bag of contradictions: Ostensibly a horror movie, it has very little gore and no genuinely scary moments. It could have been a social commentary on the cutthroat world of corporate ladder-climbing, but its approach to that subject is decidedly satirical. There are romantic elements, but not enough to qualify it as a love story (besides, the vast age difference between lead Jack Nicholson and co-star Michelle Pfeiffer makes the thought of their having a relationship ludicrous in anything other than, well, Nicholson's real life exploits). There are also elements of comedy, but the direction is straightforward and consistent- this movie takes itself deadly seriously. So, what exactly is Wolf- comedy, romance, horror,social commentary? Ahhh, who cares- it's a whole lotta fun!

Nicholson's presence alone elevates this movie above the pulpy mess it could have been. Perfectly cast, he sinks his teeth (pun intended) into the role of Will Randall, a worn-down, middle-aged publishing executive who is losing his job and his wife to a young, hungry rival, played to perfection by the reliably slimy James Spader. Nicholson abandons himself totally to this part that a lesser actor could have made a rote payday role, his performance evoking comparisons to the pathos-ridden Wolfman character brilliantly brought to life by Lon Chaney Jr. in the 1940's. But Nicholson adds another dimension to Randall, an unabashed revelry in his newfound feral nature that is clearly a wink to Jack's own famously documented untameable disposition. Michelle Pfeiffer has never been more luminously stunning, though thankfully, this film doesn't relegate her to the standard horror film trope of the bimbo in distress.

Don't watch this one for the special effects, either- they're nothing to shout about. This one is for the viewer who can appreciate world-class actors like Nicholson, Pfeiffer, Christopher Plummer, Spader (and some special, instantly recognizable supporting actors- I won't spoil the surprise, but watch for them) unashamedly chewing the scenery in the service of what could be called the movie version of the famous song by rock group Poison: They ain't lookin for nothin'/But a good time/How can I resist...