Encino Man Vs Teen Wolf

IMDB synpopsis for Teen Wolf: Teen discovers that puberty for him means he turns into a werewolf. One of the beneficial side effects is that it also turns him into a top-notch basketball player. But will his notoriety cost him his friends and can he find true love?

IMDB synopsis for Encino Man: Stoney and Dave find a caveman (Link) trapped in ice, thaw him out, and show him around town. Although Link is slow to catch on to basic concepts of 20th century life, he has no trouble impressing all the girls and helping Stoney and Dave find the coolness they've been searching for.

There has been a long standing debate in the film community as to which film is better: Encino Man or Teen Wolf. Both films have been recognized by scholars and movie goers alike as being the two of the  greatest films EVER made; hence it has become an obsession to find out which one is better. They both share similar storylines: average high schooler wishes he was popular and through a set of extraordinary circumstance (one finds out he is a werewolf, the other finds a caveman in his backyard) have their wish fulfilled. However, despite the similarities in story, the films have two conflicting views on what it means to be popular:

 Encino Man - Dave gets everything he wants and it turns out to be even better than he expected;He gets the girl of his dreams, his arch nemesis has been embarrassed, and he becomes the most popular guy in high school, because of the awesome pool party at his house.

Teen Wolf - Scott gets everything he wants and it turns his life into a disaster: The girl he has longed for turns out to be a flake, his grandstanding on the basketball court has alienated his teammates, and his overall cockiness as the wolf has made him some bitter enemies. Success breeds contempt! When he finally comes to his senses, he realizes (like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz) that happiness was always there to be found, he just had to look harder. Mick gets his comeuppance, but not nearly to the same degree as Matt Wilson.

The interesting thing about both films is that they take horror film premises (Teenage werewolf, thawed out cavemen let loose on the modern world) and turn them into teen comedies. I have always theorized that Teen Wolf began as an average teen comedy, but then one day the writer saw the 1957 horror film I Was a Teenage Werewolf on television and said to himself, “This movie would be much better if the lead character was a werewolf.” It would explain why Teen Wolf follows every teen comedy formula, despite having a werewolf in it.

To determine which film is better, I have decided to break each down into seven categories: Protagonist, Antagonist, Object of Desire, Sidekick, Romance, High School Dance sequence, and Montage. Whatever film edges out the other in these categories will be declared the winner. So let the analysis BEGIN! 

Protagonist:
Teen Wolf and Encino Man share similar protagonists in Scott Howard (Michael J. Fox) and Dave Morgan (Sean Astin). They both are ordinary, rather unremarkable high school students who long for bigger and better things.

Scott is an undersized player on a losing  high school basketball team (The Beavers) who yearns for the affection of pretty blonde (and high school stage actress) Pamela Wells. There are two obstacles standing in Scott’s way:

1) Pamela essentially blows him off every time he speaks to her.
2) She is dating baddie Mick, who is a star player on a rival basketball team.

 He is so infatuated with Pamela that he disregards his childhood friend (and The All American Girl Next Door) Boof. It’s a credit to Michael J. Fox that Scott is a likable character; many teen comedies from that era (see The Heavenly Kid) often suffer because the protagonist is an unlikable bore, too busy whining about his problems rather than doing anything to fix them. It certainly helps that Scott has a sense a humor about himself; in the film’s opening Scott’s basketball team is getting humiliated 71-12 at home and Mick (after offering Scott his hand and pulling him up for the floor) says, “You guys suck!” Scott, half smilingly, replies, “No, really?” It’s an embarrassing loss to be sure, but Scott takes it in stride and proceeds to move on with his life.

 Scott’s biggest flaw is that he temporarily lets the fame of being the Wolf get to his head; he’s been a fairly anonymous figure his entire life, so once the fanfare starts, he doesn't know how to handle it. He gives the people what they want at the expense of his friends and teammates. His antics are delightful to the masses, but absolutely irritating to those that are close to him (except Stiles, but more on that later). However, despite his temporary fall from grace, Scott is able to redeem himself with relative ease. When he realizes that there is a potential danger in being the Wolf, Scott vows never to turn into it again, even if it means getting shunned by his fellow classmates (and the sports loving community as well).

Encino Man's main flaw is its main character, Dave.
Sean Astin, while not a bad actor, is not particularly charismatic and his character suffers greatly for it; Dave is an unlikable bore, who isn’t deserving of the happiness he receives at the end. At the beginning of the film, Dave realizes he has wasted most of his high school experience and is determined to end it on a high note, namely getting his own page in the high school yearbook and hooking up with the  beautiful Robyn. There are two things standing in his way when it comes to Robyn:

1) She is embarrassed to be seen in public with him.
 2) She is dating baddie Matt Wilson.

 Dave bemoans the fact that Robyn is dating a complete jerk like Matt Wilson, but he is no prize turkey himself. It is revealed that Dave and Robyn were friends prior to high school; when Stoney points out that Dave had a chance with Robyn, he whines, “She hadn’t hit babehood yet!” 

 Things take a turn for a worse when Link enters the picture; whereas Stoney genuinely wants to be friends with Link, Dave is only interested in exploiting Link for his own personal gain. His whole plan of winning over Robyn and recognition from his classmates is by leaching off of Link’s popularity; essentially he’s the Ringo Starr of the three. Actually, I take that back, Ringo Starr wrote the awesome song “Don’t Pass Me By” and was the easily the best actor out of the Beatles, so Dave is nothing like him.

Even worse is that Dave is often very condescending towards Link, saying, “He’s practically a monkey. We found him! We can do whatever we want with him.” Therefore, it’s not too surprising that when Robyn expresses interests in going to the prom with the fun loving Link, Dave snaps and attempts to abandon him in the middle of nowhere. If not for Stoney’s intervention, it would be interesting to see if Dave would have gone through with his plan, or had a change of heart. 

 The filmmakers clearly relished filming the scenes with Stoney and Link; it would certainly explain why Dave’s character arc is so abrupt in its resolution. For nearly 75 minutes Dave is a complete tool not worthy of our attention, but then all of sudden (with less than ten minutes of running time left) he sees the error of his ways, realizes Link is special and is content with being his normal self. It is after he has this epiphany that he is then given a chance to be heroic at the film’s end, though even this moment is rather underwhelming: Matt Wilson has stolen Polaroids of Link frozen in a block of ice and is about to show them to the rest of the Senior class, when Dave comes flying out of nowhere and knocks them out of his hand. It is an admirable attempt by Dave to protect Link’s identity, but it get’s overshadowed by Link tossing Matt Wilson into a cake and Stoney pouring punch over his head. Granted, Scott has a similar character arc in Teen Wolf, but the difference is that the resolution to his story doesn’t seem rushed, nor does it take backseat to the goofy antics of his hilarious sidekick. In Encino Man, Stoney the sidekick (despite not having a character arc) and Link are given center stage, while Dave more or less waits in the wings, waiting for his cue.

The question all you Encino Man fans might be asking is: What about Link? Isn't he the protagonist as well?
The answer: No. Link doesn't go through a major character arc, while he does learn how to adapt to modern times, he essentially is the same person he was at the beginning of the film. Link is more of a walking plot device, whose function is to make sure Dave hooks up with Robyn by the film's end.  Hell, you could easily change Link from a caveman to a genie and you would still basically have the exact same movie.

Edge: Teen Wolf.

Antagonist:
 Teen Wolf has a pair of antagonists: Mick and Vice Principal Thorne. However, Thorne is relatively minor subplot and his story is resolved through the intervention of Scott’s father that it makes more sense to focus on Mick. The interesting thing about Mick is that for the first half of the film he is fairly indifferent towards Scott; the only time he ever encounters Scott is on the basketball court, but other than that the two of them have no real relationship, good or bad.
It isn't until Scott starts fooling around with Pamela (Mick's girlfriend) that Mick becomes antagonistic towards Scott. 

Scott is deserving of Mick's wrath, because not only is he seeing Pamela, but he rubs it in Mick's face: the two of them are goofing off at a bowling alley, when Scott notices Mick and asks "Did you know he was going to be here?"
Pamela continues to flirt with Scott by bending over and bowling the ball from between her legs, resulting in a gutter. Scott quips, "Wow! That was good form!"  He then teaches her the proper way to bowl by putting his hands all over her. Mick has had enough and shouts, "Hey, that's my girl. Don't touch her again."
Scott laughs it off and says, "She's my date tonight, pal!"
Mick, not one to back down, even from a werewolf, approaches Scott and says, "I'm not afraid of you freak! Underneath tall that hair you're still a dork, Scott. I've handled your kind before. You're mom used to steal chickens, 'til I blew her head off with a shotgun. Right, Scott?"
Scott gets angry and throws his bowling ball off screen, Mick just smiles.

As harsh as Mick's comments are, his anger is completely justified: Pamela is his girlfriend and Scott knows it, but still proceeds to flaunt her in front of Mick and his friends. It isn't until the dance scene that Mick crosses the line, first by punching Scott when he is in human form, and then by calling Boof a tramp, even though she hasn't done anything to deserve it. In the end though, Mick gets his comeuppance:

1) He is the goat of the Championship game. He snatches defeat from the jaws of victory when his late foul on Scott sets up the game winning basket for the Beavers. Scott makes both of his free throws and is the hero of the game, while Mick stares on in disbelief.
2) He loses Pamela. After the game, Mick walks over to collect Pamela and she tells him to "Drop dead!" The truth of the matter is that Pamela is a bigger villain than Mick, first by leading on Scott, then by spurning Mick in his hour of need.

The main antagonist in Encino Man is Matt Wilson.

He is not as complicated as his is Teen Wolf counterpart, Mick, he's just an asshole…pure and simple. He is also a far more memorable villain because:

1) He has a catchphrase. Instead of telling people to shut up, he simply says, "SHOOSH!"
2) He is a true bully in every sense of the word. He does everything in his power to make Dave's life at high school miserable, including stapling Dave to a bulletin board and writing "EAT ME" on his forehead.
Matt's villainy is seen throughout the course of the film, while Mick's was limited to the last half hour.
For the first half hour, Matt is likable, if only for the fact that he makes a living tormenting the unlikable Dave. But once Link enters the picture, you start to see him for the true asswipe that he is.

He takes an antagonistic attitude towards Link from the very first, mainly due to the fact that Link is very popular among the female students...including Robyn. When Matt first sees Link in the classroom, he asks, "What is this dipshit?"
Matt becomes even more embittered towards Link, when Robyn breaks up him for punching Link in the face at the local ice rink. Link sees that Matt is bullying Dave and decides to intervene. He steps on the ice and starts slipping, Matt skates up to him, says a few thing and proceeds to punch Link in the face, much to the disgust of everyone. In the blink of an eye Matt goes from being a class hero to a class zero, while the entire class begins to canonize Link.

After this incident, Matt is determined to discredit Link in front of his classmates and breaks into Dave's room, where he literally stumbles upon pictures of Link still frozen in the block of ice.  He is certain has found his ace in the hole and proceeds to the prom to reveal this stunning revelation to the rest of the students, but as expected (because Matt is a douchebag) it all back fires. When he announces that Link is a “caveman,” the audience erupts in applause. Matt is further humiliated when Link throws him into a cake and Stoney pours punch on his head, telling him to "SHOOSH!” In the end, Matt Wilson gets his comeuppance, while Dave undeservedly gets Robyn.

Edge: Encino Man

 The Object of Desire:
 In teen comedies there is usually the love interest and the object of desire. The object of desire is the popular girl the main character obsesses over in the beginning of the film and through series of contrivances (sometime supernatural) hooks up with towards the middle of the film. However, the object of desire usually turns out to be a superficial bitch more concerned about popularity than being in a real relationship; after a series of disastrous incidents the main characters dumps her and realizes that his true love was right there all along in the form of his pretty childhood friend (the true love interest of the story).

This is the formula Teen Wolf follows: Scott is infatuated with Pamela Wells, even though she doesn’t give him the time of the day. When he encounters her at a party, he walks up to her and asks, “You looking for someone in particular?” She responds, “Not you!” and walks away. 

 However, once Scott turns into the wolf, Pamela jumps aboard the bandwagon and makes it a point to be seen in public with him wherever/whenever possible. Since Pamela is the “bad girl” of the story, there’s naturally a mild sex scene between her and Scott that takes place in her dressing room: the scene begins with her parading about in her bra and panties, while Scott stares on wide eyed, trying to keep his composure. Pamela asks Scott, “What does it take to turn into the wolf?” 

Scott says he needs to be worked up. Pamela then replies, “What do you think about to get worked up?” She then takes off her bra, walks over to the seated Scott, leans over him, and starts kissing him on the lips. The two of them fall out of frame; the film then cuts to Vice Principal Thorne walking to his car and stopping as he hears a wolf’s howl coming from the school.

For sake of the narrative, Pamela has essentially served her purpose and is sidelined for the rest of the film. Without trying to come off as a shallow, I think the problem with Pamela is that she is a rather unremarkable object of desire. The fatal flaw of most teen comedies is that the “plain” best female friend is usually far more attractive than the unattainable object of desire that the male protagonist lusts after and Teen Wolf is no exception to the rule; Boof is not only prettier than Pamela Wells, but she’s far more interesting as well. 

Pamela has possibly the most unremarkable introduction in Film History: she’s first seen in a long shot, sitting on the gym bleachers, unable to hold back her yawns during the lopsided basketball game. This shot lasts less than a second and the only indicator that Scott has any interest in her is when he briefly glances her way during a time out. Of course, this could be the filmmaker’s way of showing just how distant Pamela is from Scott, but that seems unlikely, given the fact that almost everything else is telegraphed in advanced. 

 
Compare Pamela’s introduction to Robyn’s in Encino Man and you see what I mean. Robyn is first seen in close up, standing out doors on a sunny day (as opposed to the dreary gym Pamela is sitting in) and has a huge smile on her face. It is easy to understand Dave’s attraction to Robyn based on the visuals alone, but with Scott it’s more along the lines of, “Why are you interested in that boring blonde in that stands, when you have a far more lively brunette cheering you on?” Lorie Griffin is by no means an unattractive woman (she is pretty), but she’s filmed in the most unflattering way possible, where as Megan Ward in Encino Man is given a very glamorous (almost super model) entrance. 

 Encino Man is interesting because it combines The Object of Desire and The Girl Next Door into the character of Robyn, therefore eliminating the subplot of Dave having to choose which girl he wants. Robyn is a far more interesting character than Pamela for three reasons:

1) She and Dave were childhood friends, but grew apart once high school hit. She isn’t mean towards Dave, but it’s pretty clear that she is often embarrassed to be seen with him in the hallways; especially when he starts ranting about how he found a caveman in his backyard.
 2) She is more open minded than the standard Object of Desire. In most teen comedies when the main character gets with the popular girl, he is disappointed to learn that she is a self-absorbed, shallow bitch (Pamela in Teen Wolf); far different than what he fantasized her to be. He dreams of the perfect relationship, but instead is trapped in a living hell. Robyn is the exact opposite, the more you see of her the more you like her. A good scene that demonstrates this point is when Link enters a bar and the others follow him; Dave is uptight and nervous the entire time, Stoney befriends gang members, and Robyn starts dancing on the floor with Link. She even joins joins Link in a Congo line, while Dave sulks in the corner.
 3) She has a character arc. Pamela begins Teen Wolf as a self centered bitch and is still a self centered bitch by film’s end; Robyn begins Encino Man content with her social circle and being Matt Wilson’s girlfriend, but by the movie's end no longer cares about being popular and has fully embraced Dave and his friends.
In a normal teen comedy this would be a happy ending, but in Robyn's case it is a complete tragedy, as Dave is not worth her time and effort.

 Edge: Encino Man.

Sidekick:
 A popular trope in teen comedies is the sidekick, whose purpose is to provide the “comic relief.” While the main character is usually uptight and serious, the sidekick is more laid back and mainly interested in having a good time. However, as the film progresses the sidekick becomes less relevant to the plot and is forgotten about to make way for the protagonist’s character arc (ex: fighting the bully, winning the girl, etc). Encino Man subverts this trend in many ways, because Stoney remains pretty relevant throughout the movie. This is probably due to the fact that in 1992 Pauly Shore was the best known out of the three leads for his MTV show, Totally Pauly. Brendan Fraser was on an unknown, while Sean Astin had faded into obscurity (and was primarily known for his role in The Goonies). Of course, a decade later, Shore was the one who faded into obscurity, while Astin and Fraser would go onto bigger and better things. Stoney’s defining features are his hippie attire and his usage of bogus slang. Here are just a few of the phrases he throws out during the course of the film:

When talking to Dave about his infatuation with Robyn:
The truth is bro, life's about greasing the 'do back, buddy, and wheezin' on the buff-fest, man. High school was interesting, alright? It was kinda like a harsh ride. Ah, ah...

To Dave’s parents about why he is always eating dinner at their house:
If  you're edged 'cause I'm weezin all your grindage, just chill. 'Cause if I had the whole Brady Bunch thing happenin' at my pad, I'd go grind over there, so dont tax my gig so hard-core cruster.

To the convenient store employees:
 Link and I are cruising the Mountain, bro, and we’d figured we wheeze a little juice.

Stoney’s bogus slang will either crack you up or irritate the living hell out of you; it’s definitely a acquired taste. If you were a teenager in the late 80/early 90s, then chances are you will find Stoney funny……OTHERS BEWARE! 

 While Dave only thinks of Link as his ticket to fame and fortune, Stoney develops a genuine bond with Link to the point that Link starts talking like Stoney (“Weezin’ the juice!”) Stoney in many ways is the heart of Encino Man, because despite his oddball appearance and personality, he’s often the voice of reason: when Dave is about to abandon Link in the middle of nowhere, Stoney pulls up on his scooter and calls Dave out on his bullshit, “You’re the one who weezed off his gig the whole time, ‘cause you thought maybe it would get you somewhere. And now the guy gets a little crusty and you’re going to bag him. It’s not happening Dave! I’m sorry, that’s not how it works with friends, man. You don’t bag your friends, just because they get in your way; no matter what, dude!” 

 It could be argued that Stoney has too much screen time and that Dave (the main character) gets lost in the mix. It’s certainly no coincidence that Dave is nowhere to be found on the DVD cover; it’s Stoney and Link striking silly poses. In fact, the filmmakers don’t really seem all that interested in Dave’s character arc and treat it as an afterthought. I could just picture the producer and the director on the set:

Director: Great job, everyone! That’s a wrap! Pauly, you were hilarious! Brendan, get job!
Producer: What about Dave?
Director: Who?
Producer: You know…the main character! Sean Astin plays him!
Director: Oh, that’s right! Sean Astin is in this movie. What about him?
Producer: You never resolved his character’s storyline.
Director: Ummmmmmm….what was that again?
Producer: His crush on Robyn…..
Director: Oh yeah! I know, we’ll film a kissing scene between the two of them and everything will be peachy keen!
Producer: OK! But shouldn’t we develop the storyline just a little bit, you know to make it seem more genuine.
 Director: And cut out some hilarious Pauly Shore antics? HELL NO!

In Teen Wolf, Stiles is the exact opposite of Stoney, in that he has no problem exploiting Scott’s lycanthropy for his own personal gain. Stiles main goal is to be popular and comes up with various schemes achieve this goal. 

At the beginning of the film, there is a party and Stiles takes it upon himself to get a keg of beer, so he will be viewed as being cool. His first attempt at getting the keg (dressing up like a delivery man and attempting to bribe the store owner) is an embarrassing failure: the owner takes the cash and then tells Stiles he still needs to see some ID. He then lassos Scott into his plan, by giving Scott money and a toy gun. His idea is that Scott will hold the owner at gun point, get the beer keg, and throw the money on the counter (“That way he can’t say we robbed him.”) Scott realizes how ridiculous this plan is and sees if he can talk the owner into selling him a keg.

However, Stiles goes through all the trouble for absolutely nothing: he arrives at the party with the keg and asks where to put it. The host points to whole pile of beer kegs and say “OK, put it down over there. If we don't get to it, take it home."

 Stiles uses Scott’s lycanthropy for his own personal gain; he sells Teen Wolf merchandise in the school hallways and christens his van “The Wolfmobile” so he can be seen by spectators while cruising the town. It’s never revealed if he uses his connections to Scott to get laid, but it wouldn’t be out of character for a guy like Stiles. When Scott decides to drop the wolf for good, Stiles is devastated. It never dawns on him that being the Wolf has been an incredible burden on Scott; all he can think about is how it will effect him both socially and financially. Stiles is an enabler and often encourages Scott’s douchebag behavior: at one point in the film Stiles is driving the Wolfmobile with a beer can in his hand, while Scott does flips and hand stands on top of the van. Stiles is your standard teen movie sidekick, in that his main function is to offer up a few laughs here and there, and to be completely invisible at the film’s climax. Though, Jerry Levine deserves a good deal of credit for bringing lots of energy and likability to what could have been a thankless role: In one funny throw away bit (buried in the middle of montage), Stiles is awaiting for the results of a test he took; the teacher hands it to him, he turns it over and is completely excited over the D- he got on it. He shows the results to the guy sitting next him (Chubbs) and flashes a thumbs up. It’s a brief moment (and is a background action) but it perfectly sums up Stiles. 

Edge: Encino Man

Romance: 
The biggest flaw of Encino Man is the coupling of Dave and Robyn at the film’s end, mainly because the film does a horrible job of developing their relationship; there is no scene in the movie in which Robyn comes to the stunning realization that she has feelings for Dave. Their relationship does progress throughout the course of the film: It goes from her being slightly embarrassed by Dave to her embracing him as a friend, but there’s nothing else present on screen that would make you believe she would ever want to date Dave. NOTHING! Ten minutes before the dance scene takes place, we are presented with a scene in which Dave calls Robyn up on a pay phone (FROM JAIL) and asks her to go to prom with him. She says no and to add insult to injury tells Dave that she wants to go with Link and then asks Dave to ask Link for her. Needless to say this makes Dave furious; Robyn tries to smooth it over by suggesting they go as a group instead, but Dave won’t hear any of it and hangs up the phone, determined to get rid of Link. Dave redeems himself later by trying to cover up Link’s secret at the dance, but even then it’s hard to believe that this act would be enough for Robyn develop romantic feelings towards him. The other problem is that Robyn is almost nowhere to be seen in the first half of the film; she makes an occasional appearance and here, but it isn’t until the second half that she becomes a more pivotal part of the story. 

The Robyn/Dave storyline is shoved into the background to make room for more zany antics involving Link and Stoney. The biggest mistake the film makes is that when it does focus on Robyn and Dave, the two of them are never alone; Link and Stoney are always in tow to provide comedy relief. They are never given an intimate moment together, hell even their kiss at the end is interrupted by Link. The closest thing Dave and Robyn had to an intimate moment is when he calls her on the phone to ask if she will go the dance with him, it’s the only time in the film in which he doesn't get cock blocked by Link or Stoney, but even that ends disastrously for him.

Teen Wolf establishes a bond between Scott and Boof right from the get go; she is first introduced cheering Scott from the bleachers during a high school basketball game. When Scott has a chance to score two MEANINGLESS points at the game’s end (his team is losing 71-12), Boof is at the edge of her seat, crossing her fingers that Scott makes the basket, even though it has no bearing on the game. When the ball bounces off the rim, she is deflated. More importantly, the two of them are given nice, quiet moments together scattered throughout the film to show that there is a deep bond: after the game, she walks with Scott to his dad’s hardware store and listens to him as airs out his frustrations; the main one being why Pamela Wells won’t say those “two words” to him. Later in the film Scott tries to pick up Pamela at a party, using the line, “You looking for someone in particular?” Pamela replies, “Not you!” and walks away. Boof sees the whole thing and jokingly says to Scott, “There you go! She said two words to you!” 

 In the middle of the movie (before Scott reveals that he is a werewolf to the entire school) Scott is walking Boof home and they two of them recall a time when they were kids and tried to run away from home, but their plan was thwarted because they weren't allowed to cross the street. Then she pulls Scott aside and tells him that if he ever needs someone to talk, she will always be there.

He appreciates the concern, but doesn’t think she would be able to understand that whole “I’m a werewolf” thing. It’s a nice scene that doesn’t necessarily advance the story, but it provides depth to the Scott/Boof storyline that is completely lacking in Encino Man. Boof remains the voice of reason throughout the film and isn’t afraid to call Scott out on his bullshit, towards the film’s end they have the following exchange: 

Scott: Will you go to the dance with me? 
Boof: I’ll think about it! 
Scott: Is that a yes? 
Boof: Yes. On one condition, you take me to the dance. 
Scott: I thought we just established…. 
Boof: You, Scott Howard. Not the wolf. 
Scott: No. Look, I’ve got to be the wolf. That’s what everyone expects. 
Boof: Is that what you want? Scott: Everybody likes the wolf. (Boof flashes Scott a dirty look). Well, almost everybody. You said it yourself, if I go as Scott Howard, I’m going to be average. Why do I have to be like everybody else? 
Boof: That’s not a problem for you anymore. 

The ending in which Scott blows off Pamela and embraces Boof feels genuine, because the filmmakers actually took time to establish that the two of them have a deep bond. Scott doesn’t have a romantic interest in Boof at first, but that’s largely due to the fact that they have been friends since childhood and in many ways she is like a sister to him. But when shit hits the fan, Boof is still supportive of him and  FINALLY Scott realizes that she is indeed the right woman for him. It may be a teen comedy cliché, but it works remarkable well in this movie. It almost feels destined that Scott and Boof would end up together, where as Dave and Robyn’s kiss at the end of Encino Man feels forced, something done out of necessity to wrap up all the loose ends. 

 Edge: Teen Wolf 

High School Dance Sequence:

High School dance sequences are a pivotal part of almost every teen comedy, because it’s usually a convenient way to get all the characters together in one room and help resolve the storyline. The dances usually happen towards the end of the film, but in some cases (Better Off Dead) they are stuck in the middle. The dance sequence in Encino Man is a device used to resolve all the plot threads at the same time (Matt’s demise, Dave’s redemption, Robyn’s realizing her love for Dave, etc). It begins with Link and Robyn being voted the Prom King and Queen; their coronation is interrupted by Matt, who bursts in claiming that he has learned Link’s true identity. He has broken into Dave’s home and stumbled (literally) onto photos of Link frozen in a block of ice. Matt gets up onstage and says, “He’s a caveman.” The audience breaks into applause, much to Matt’s dismay, as he’s about to take out the photos, Dave comes flying into the gym and knocks them out of Matt’s hands. Matt punches Dave in the face, this anger Link and he picks Matt up on his shoulders, spins him around, and sends Matt flying fast first into a cake that is sitting on the refreshment table. Stoney walks into frame, takes a ladle of punch, tells Matt to “SHOOSH!” and then pours it over the vanquished villain’s head. Everyone breaks out into applause and gets onto the dance floor. Link, Stoney, and Dave breakout a new dance and within a second the whole school has it memorized and starts dancing along. The party is the moved to Dave’s new swimming pool in his backyard and he has finally realized his dream of being the most popular boy in school. Link gets his cavewoman back, after it is revealed that she has thawed out too and is in the bathtub washing away all the dirt. Stoney remains Stoney!

The dance sequence in Teen Wolf serves a far different function; it is where the shit hits the fan for Scott and, hence, it carries more dramatic weight. Scott enters the dance as the wolf; everyone sees him, starts clapping their hands and clears a path for him to walk through. Scott walks up to Boof and asks, “Care to dance with the wolf?” The crowd starts chanting “Wolf” and Boof quips, “You’re public wants you.” Scott tells her to come on and they start dancing. The Teen Wolf is one of the greatest awful dances of all time! That’s the closest way of describing just how ridiculous it is. Scott shakes his elbows back and forth, throws his hands into the air, and then does some random clawing motions. It’s AMAZING! As was the case with Encino Man, the other students see this dance and have it memorized within a second. Boof has had enough of this nonsense, takes Scott by the hand, leads him into the hallways, and asks “What am I gonna do about you?” Then throws herself at Scott and starts to make out with him.
Cut to Pamela and Mick at the dance:

 Pamela: All I said was: I might wanna dance with him. 

Mick: You can’t possibly take it seriously. Not unless you want to have his puppies. 

 Cut to Scott and Boof still kissing in the hallway. Scott is back to his normal self. Boof takes notice and says, “I want Scott for just a half hour. I really missed him.” Scott acquiesces, holds her hand, and walks back into the gym with her. Mick sees Scott in his human form, wastes no time in exacting his revenge and proceeds to punch Scott in the face, which sends Scott sailing into the gym floor. Mick stands over Scott, points his finger and says, “Stay away from Pamela. She’s mine. Stick with your own kind, freak. (Points to Boof) Like that little tramp.” 

 Scott, enraged, turns into the werewolf, lunges at Mick and rips off his shirt. This elicits laughter from most of the crowd, except Scott’s estranged friend Lewis, who is disturbed by Scott’s actions. A look of shame fills Scott’s face and he runs out of the gym. This moment last only a few seconds, but is a pivotal turning point for three reasons:

1) Scott is finally paying for his sins as the wolf. As the wolf, Scott’s ego has ballooned to such gigantic proportions that he isolated an old friend(Lewis), while making an enemy out of Mick. As mentioned before, Mick had no interest in Scott whatsoever until Scott started to fool around with Pamela. While Mick’s anger maybe misdirected (he should really be upset at Pamela for fooling around), it is in many ways justified. It is only when he insults Boof (who did nothing to him) that he crosses the line.
 2) This moment confirms Scott’s true love for Boof. When Mick punches Scott in the face, he is more stunned than anything else. In many ways, he seems to realize that he had it coming. What triggers Scott’s transformation into the wolf is when Mick calls Boof “a tramp.” Mick has crossed the line in insulting Scott’s true love and he takes it upon himself to defend her honor.

3) Scott fully realizes that being the wolf has its consequences and can be dangerous. After Scott’s temper has cooled, he realizes that he could have seriously harmed Mick, even killed him, if it wasn't for the intervention of a few students. This scares Scott and  he vows never to become the wolf again, he might not win any popularity contests, but he finally starts to appreciate the “average” things he had prior to being the wolf. Being Scott Howard is not so bad after all. Not to mention Boof is vastly superior to Pamela (in looks and personality. Stupid Scott for not realizing this!)

The dance sequence in Teen Wolf is definitely the stronger of the two, because there’s a lot going on, despite the very little screen time devoted to it. It doesn't end on a happy note, but it helps set up the finale in which Scott faces Mick on the basketball court for the championship game. Encino Man’s dance scene’s primary function is to help set up the unconvincing kiss between Robyn and Dave at the film’s end. It doesn’t work, because there’s no emotional weight to it. Plus, it ends rather abruptly to segue way into the pool party at Dave’s house.

Edge: Teen Wolf

Montage:

Whether chronicling a nerdy girl’s makeover into a hottie, or the male protagonist getting progressively better at sports, the montage has served teen comedies well over the last 30 years. The two go hand in hand. 

 Encino Man has three montage sequences: Dave and Stoney giving Link much needed make over, Dave training Link how to defend himself (by watching Kung Fu movies and wrestling videos), and Link and Stoney having fun at an amusement park. The makeover montage is set to the song, "I'm Too Sexy" by one hit wonder Right Said Fred. It's your typical makeover sequence, the characters fuss over what clothes Link should wear, how they should style his hair, etc.

The amusement park sequence is set to song "Stone Cold Crazy" by Queen and while it isn't relevant to the actual story, it is a fun moment, largely due to the fact that it's just Link and Stoney clowning around. Not to mention, Dave isn't around to ruin their fun. The training montage is fairly useless as well, though it does get paid off at the film's end, when Link uses a wrestling move on Matt Wilson. Still, it's a fairly fun sequence and does have an awesome moment when Link smashes a board over Dave's head.

Teen Wolf is heavily reliant on montages to advance the story line: 

The first montage takes place during/after Scott's first public transformation into the wolf and chronicles his sudden rise to fame. It's set to an obscure song called "Way To Go," which has the memorable line, "Supposing my clothes catch on fire and my car hits a tree." 

Not only does this montage chronicle Scott's popularity, but it shows how the novelty of the wolf starts to wear thin on the people closest to him, namely Boof and the basketball team. At first they find his show boating amusing, but begin to resent it when he starts to hog the spotlight.  At one point, his teammate Brad is dribbling the ball, when Scott steals it away from him and does a slam dunk. 

The second montage happens after Scott has given up on the wolf and decides to play the championship game as "himself." The audience boos Scott and his teammates at first spurn him, but he changes their mind when he makes an impassioned speech about how they don't need the wolf and they can win it as a team, thus setting up one of the greatest come from behind wins in cinema history: The Beavers are losing 22-3 and look like they are out of gas, when Scott shows up and gives his inspirational speech. The comeback is further sparked when Chubbs makes a basket, after Mick shouts, "Shoot it, fatboy!" This gives the Beavers confidence and their miraculous comeback is chronicled in an exciting montage, set to a song called "Win In the End." This set's up the finale in which Scott has a chance to win the game by making two free throws...HE DOES! Thus proving that the whole "be yourself" message we were taught as kids is, indeed, true! 

Edge: Teen Wolf

It was a close race, but it looks the winner is TEEN WOLF! Not only does Teen Wolf have a better lead character, a more believable romance, and a kick ass dance sequence, but it also proves once and for all that teen comedies would nothing without awesome montages to help advance the story. Thank you!

Credit:

Teen Wolf (1985)
Cast: Michael J. Fox (Scott Howard), James Hampton (Harold Howard), Susan Ursitti (Boof), Jerry Levine (Stiles), Lorie Griffin (Pamela), Jim McKrell (Principal Thorne), Jay Tarses (Coach Finstock), Mark Arnold (Mick), Mark Holton (Chubby), Scott Paulin (Kirk), Matt Alder (Lewis).

Director: Rod Daniel
Screenplay: Jeph Loeb, Matthew Weisman
Running Time: 92 min.


Encino Man (1992)
Cast:  Brendan Fraser (Link), Sean Astin (Dave Morgan), Pauly Shore (Stoney) Megan Ward (Robyn), Richard Masur (Mr. Morgan), Mariette Hartley (Mrs. Morgan), Robin Tunney (Ella), Michael DeLuise (Matt Wilson), Rick Ducommun (Mr. Bush), Jonathan Ke Quan (Kim), Patrick Van Horn (Phil), Dalton James (Will), Rose McGowan (Nora), Jack Noseworthy (Taylor).

Director: Les Mayfield
Screenplay: Shawn Schepps
Running Time: 88 min.