So I have no idea why this is one of the 1001 movies you must see before you die. You have my permission to skip it, if you like; I'll write you a pass.
It's not that I don't like it, it's just not at all a "must" sort of movie. It is, in fact, the sort of movie that used to be part of Comedy Central's film rotation, which is about as far away from "must" as you can get. In other words, it's a particularly clever, well-crafted bit of fluff.
The comedy comes from the juxtaposition of the otherworldly and the mundane: Average young dude becomes werewolf. In the process, dude discovers that being a werewolf is a) a huge pain in the ass, and b) often really boring.
My favorite part is when our hero is whiling away the day of the full moon, waiting for nightfall to see what, if anything, is going to happen to him. It's a kicky little montage of him doing dull, time-killing activities, but it's the context (and "Bad Moon Rising" on the soundtrack) that makes it sing.
Now that I think about it, there's some very good stuff in there. The special effects, particularly the makeup, is exceptionally well done. The transformation scene is a hoot, as are the repeat appearances of a deadpan, rapidly decaying Griffin Dunne.
Our two young leads are the kind of wry nerds, subtly sexy, who you occasionally saw in the pre-Seth Cohen era. The puffy jackets that they wear in the opening scene are pure 80s and pretty damn nifty.
I know. I'm getting carpal tunnel from grasping at these damned straws.
It should also be noted that the chick in this particular flick, the young Jenny Agutter, is one hot piece. She's sexy and pouty in an almost cartoony way, like she's Jessica Rabbit's cousin or something. And you get to see her naked. Yay.
Comments