Wolf

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Wolf

R

Released Jun 17, 1994

2h 5m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

62%

Tomatometer

61 Reviews

43%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

After being bitten by a wolf in rural Vermont, aging book editor Will Randall (Jack Nicholson) finds himself full of youthful vigor. Randall then discovers that he's been fired and replaced by Stewart Swinton (James Spader), a vicious young executive. As Randall struggles to regain his position, he becomes enthralled with Laura Alden (Michelle Pfeiffer), his former boss's daughter. And, as increasingly animal-like urges begin to overwhelm him, Randall worries that he may be a werewolf.

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Critics Consensus

Wolf misses the jugular after showing flashes of killer instinct early on, but engaging stars and deft direction make this a unique horror-romance worth watching.

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Neil Jillett

The Age (Australia)

All this could have been a lot of fun, especially as Nicholson has a face made for wolfish grins. But, though there is a fleeting return to humor at the end, Wolf never recovers from its makers' decision to try to make it serious and scary.

Jan 10, 2023

Full Review

Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

It's an extremely mature werewolf movie... The film is actually kind of funny.

Rated: B

Oct 8, 2020

Full Review

Adam Mars-Jones

Independent (UK)

The film isn't a waste of time, and works rather well for about two- thirds of its length as a comedy of business life. For a horror film or a serious exploration of the divided nature of modern man, you need to look elsewhere.

Nov 15, 2017

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

In the end, though the performances are memorable, it’s the parts that don’t work (including unintentionally funny moments) that outdo the more effective ones.

Rated: 6/10

Jan 17, 2025

Full Review

Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

Ultimately the best one can say of the film is that those involved tried their best, but that it simply didn’t work out.

Rated: 5/10

Dec 18, 2023

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

It's a mess, but it's a fascinating mess.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 28, 2023

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Mikael H

I liked it. Don’t know why it exists. But I liked it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/09/25

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Thomas S

This is excellent !!! Jack Nicholson makes a great werewolf and what’s not to like about Michelle Pfeiffer ? James Spader and Christie Plummer add to a stellar cast. Those criticising obviously didn’t grow up in the eighties and nineties

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/28/25

Full Review

Anton H

One of the best, coolest, and most UNIQUE werewolf films ever made. It seems to bring three separate plots together—each usually belonging to their own subgenre—into one intriguing storyline that stays with you. Mike Nichols definitely understood the assignment.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/08/24

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steve d

Pretty good movie. Seems a bit underrated. Worth a watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/03/24

Full Review

Kenneth P

This was a mostly silly, campy, tongue in cheek horror flick as far as I'm concerned. It seems that the actors had nothing better to do so they decided to make this flick and thoroughly enjoyed it. Nothing serious about it and I would never recommend anyone watching this except for laughs.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/02/24

Full Review

George C

On my 2nd or 3rd watch ever, it's even better than I remember, in part because I have a more sophisticated (more being the operative word, not complete- I'm 39) view of story-telling and film-making, but also because this time, about 10-minutes in, I realized it's not a werewolf movie or a thriller or a romance- it can be all of those, but first it's a movie about civility. If you watch this movie, keep that word in mind, civility. Maybe it's an unintended theme, but it's deeply present throughout the film- how people with it behave and what people without it become. If you're young or otherwise cinematically unaffected, you might turn it off out of boredom after a few minutes, or laugh your ass off throughout the movie, but a piece of art is only as good as the good it does, via the joy it facilitates- so laugh! But I damn-near laugh-cried like 3-times. It's SO INTENSE! Suspension of disbelief is the price of admission, and about $4 on most streamers. Some of the best "can't take your eyes off of them" actors of our time, giving their all to a highly improbable script, and Ross Geller's in it for about 5-seconds too!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/02/24

Full Review

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Mike Nichols

Director

Jack Nicholson

Will Randall

Michelle Pfeiffer

Laura Alden

James Spader

Stewart Swinton

Kate Nelligan

Charlotte Randall

Richard Jenkins

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Synopsis

After being bitten by a wolf in rural Vermont, aging book editor Will Randall (Jack Nicholson) finds himself full of youthful vigor. Randall then discovers that he's been fired and replaced by Stewart Swinton (James Spader), a vicious young executive. As Randall struggles to regain his position, he becomes enthralled with Laura Alden (Michelle Pfeiffer), his former boss's daughter. And, as increasingly animal-like urges begin to overwhelm him, Randall worries that he may be a werewolf.

Director: Mike Nichols
Producer: Douglas Wick
Screenwriter: Jim Harrison, Wesley Strick
Distributor: Columbia TriStar Home Video
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 17, 1994, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 14, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $65.0M
Runtime: 2h 5m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo, SDDS

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