Opinions of a Wolf

Summary:
Lance knows he’s a good writer with a voice that deserves to be heard, but somehow it gets lost in the shuffle of his everyday life as a divorced high school English teacher and dad to his teenage son.  His son is a jerk and a bit of a pervert, but Lance’s love for him helps him get through the day.  When he comes home to find his son dead from erotic asphyxiation, his world is turned upside down.

Review:
This movie is a wonderful study of multiple, well-rounded, three-dimensional characters.  From Lance to his hoarding neighbor to his art teacher, shallow, childish, love interest and everyone in-between, this movie is chock full of characters who are believable as real people.  You want to study them more in-depth.  You want to know what makes them tick.

Lance is such a likeable guy.  He’s sweet, loves old horror movies, strives to write the best he can.  All he wants out of life is to be recognized, not just on the level of his writing, but in his life over-all.  He desperately wants to be noticed and loved.  Parents will appreciate that whatever it is that makes Lance’s son such a jerk, it is never portrayed as Lance’s fault.

Beyond the wonderful characters, the movie makes a great commentary on what makes a book publishable.  It points out the hypocrisy of popularity surrounding a controversy and the general sheep-like quality of the masses.  This combined with the character studies makes it well worth the watch.

I recommend it to those who enjoy character-driven movies with a wry sense of humor.

4 out of 5 stars

Source: Netflix

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