Teen Wolf Movie review

Favorites, we all have them whether it's a favorite artist, favorite movie, favorite food, or just a favorite album we love and enjoy listening to time and time again. This brings me to my topic of discussion in which I discuss one of my favorite movies of all time in the movie, Teen Wolf.
This movie follows the life of Scott Howard a struggling high school student yearning for a change in his everyday ho hum life. He yearns for the affections of attractive girl names Pamela, even though he already has the affections of a childhood friend named boof who secretly really likes him for who he is and for being an all around nice guy, and who scott likes as well but is very much head over heels over Pamela based off of the massive crush he has on her.
 Scott has his fair share of problems his high school basketball team stinks, he doesn't stand out from the rest of the crowd and the girl that he wants to be with is already taken,to make matters worse he's going through some changes in his life and, no I'm not talking about puberty, he's slowly but surely turning into a teenage werewolf, this type of change is a very unique and uncommon one for any young male adolescent his age but for me helps make the movie what it is. What is it you ask a fun 80's film that while cheesy and somewhat simple with its overall premise is a good film with an equally good heart attached to it.
Now is this the best movie that I've ever seen? well No. Is it a landmark production in movie making absolutely not, but what it is to me is a nostalgia rush, a love letter to the 1980's style and music and a film that is always fun to go back and revisit.
Why is it one of my favorite films you may ask? the reason it is, mainly has to do with the message that I feel the movie helps you walk away with, and that message is to appreciate what you have and appreciate who you are even though it may not look like you don't have it all. Scott may not be the popular kid in school, or like where his life is headed but he has a great father, good friends, and a very nice girl he can talk to about anything, in heinsight that's not too shabby.  Not everyone is going to be the most popular or even liked by that many people, but it's the appreciation from the ones who love you and for the person that you are that helps you see yourself in the best light possible, and I think that this movie relays that message home perfectly.
 You can't have it all and sometimes when you do it can be very stressful and overwhelming to deal with all that may come with it, as with great power comes great responsibility and what I love about this film is that it stresses that message wonderfully. Another strength of this movie is the lead actor who plays scott, Michael J. Fox. What I love about Fox is his ability to be so relatable to the viewing audience, and his masterful job of pulling on one's emotional heart strings through the look of his feelings and emotions. In this particular film he's able to make you happy for his successes, saddened for his personal trials and tribulations, mad at those who bring forth and negative conflict towards him, and a smile for the triumph he's able to attain.

 Fox is able to relate to the common man perfectly which automatically is able to draw in the most casual of viewers to his story, and with a film already being so relatable in it's universal themes of acceptance and searching for self confidence, his portrayal as the everyday young struggling male is exactly what gives this film it's charm. It also doesn't hurt that Michael J. Fox is a really likeable character and actor in almost any film that he does, showcasing that innate ability wonderfully  in this movie as he shines in this role as the somewhat sympathetic character you can easily get behind and can't help but to root on.
 The supporting actors in this movie play their roles well and give a good balance to the film in the process. His father does a job as his support system helping him deal with his recent transformation, to help him see the error of his ways when he messes up and to be there for him when fox's character needs it the most. Boof his childhood friend lends a really good touch to the film as the sweet easy to the talk to best friend who is quick to lend a sympathetic ear to all of Howard's problems. Mark Arnold meanwhile plays the the uptight bully who constantly looks down on Howard, and views him as nothing more than a freak, does a good job in playing the antagonist throughout the entire film.
This movie may not be for everybody and I can certainly understand if it's not your particular cup of tea. I however find this movie to be a great film, due to its theme that underlines the overall message of its wonderful story and meaning which is to be comfortable in your own skin and to embrace what makes you who you are. It's relatable, heartwarming and just a really fun film to sit down and watch. I for one highly recommend viewing it if you have the time, as I give it two thumbs up.