WOLF
A film review by James J. DiBenedetto
Copyright 1994 James J. DiBenedetto
Directed By: Mike Nichols Starring: Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader
It's not the best werewolf movie ever made. It's not the best movie of the year. It's not even the best movie I've seen this week. But WOLF is an intelligent and entertaining film, well worth seeing.
The plot is a relatively straightforward one: Will Randall is driving home from Vermont when he hits an animal. He gets out to investigate, examining his victim by the light of the (naturally) full moon. And guess what? It's not, as Will (Jack Nicholson) probably suspected, a dog, but a wolf. And, as Will probably didn't suspect, it's still alive, which it demonstrates by biting Will on the hand. The next morning, Will goes into work, and into a situation to which being bitten by a wolf might be preferable. He's being squeezed out in a corporate takeover, with his job being handed to his "protege," Stuart (James Spader). This unhappy transition is confirmed that evening, at a party given by the unpalatable billionaire Mr. Alden. After receiving his news, Will gets another shock - something's happening to him, and in the midst of his surprise and pain, he meets the lovely Laura Alden (Michelle Pfeiffer).
From there, things are somewhat predictable, and I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone, so I'll leave the synopsis at that. As for commentary, it's an intelligent film. The dialogue is very smart and witty, and, if one can accept the premise of werewolves, the plot holds together pretty well. It's also a beautiful film--Manhattan has rarely looked better on film--the overhead shots of the city at night are simply breathtaking. And as for the acting, Jack's in top form, as is Michelle Pfeiffer.
All in all, I'd recommend this film pretty highly....
-- Dr. James J. DiBenedetto - SUNY Buffalo School of Law Class of 1994 jjd@ubunix.buffalo.edu or jjd3@po.cwru.edu
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