WOLF
A film review by Andrew Hicks
Copyright 1996 Andrew Hicks / Fatboy Productions
(1994) *** (out of four)
Jack Nicholson "marks his territory" here with a good (if not a little too subdued) thriller/horror film about a businessman who finds his life changing after being bitten by a wolf. Soon he has telescopic vision, super hearing, hightened smell and the sex drive of an 18-year-old (don't even think it--I'm only 17). There's another little side-effect of his newfound wolfdom: Every night he sneakes out of bed and rips someone's throat out with his teeth, only to forget about it by morning (ah yes, the old "sleep-killing" alibi -- OJ's latest defense). [Note: this review written in early 1995. I'm now 18 and O.J. walks free.]
Nicholson's rival, in business and in bed, is a fellow employee who gets Nicholson's job as senior editor at a publishing company, and also gets the job done at home with Nicholson's wife, if you know what I mean. This doesn't make the ol' wolf too happy and, when his wife is discovered in Central Park, throat missing, you know who the Feds point the finger at--Charles Grodin's dog Beethoven. Ah yes, the old canine-framed-for-murder alibi (OJ's next defense), which leaves Nicholson free to cavort freely (because, you know, he's free) with the boss' daughter, the lovely Michelle Pfeiffer (with the not-so-lovely last name). Who would have thought, a wolf and a cat? Ain't that weird?
Nicholson reveals his "hairy" problem to Pfeiffer who, as you'd expect, doesn't take him seriously for a second (a problem I know all too well. What, you think that's a joke? I'm serious, no one takes me seriously. Okay, that was a joke, but at least I'm trying to be serious about this no one taking me seriously issue. And yes, I do realize how seriously stupid this routine is, but I'm trying to show I'm not all fun and games... I'm also unfunny games. What does that mean? I seriously don't know). She soon changes her mind, though, when Nicholson brings her a dead rabbit in his mouth for Valentine's Day.
Sure, WOLF is a little strange and is the victim of a stupid ending, but Nicholson and Pfeiffer make such a cute couple. Who would have thought, the Joker and Catwoman finally together? I was wondering when she'd dump that no-good Riddler.
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