All six episodes of Wolf Like Me debut Thursday, Jan. 13 on Peacock.
Despite sometimes feeling like writer/director Abe Forsythe's elaborate, expensive attempt to get you to listen to Queens of the Stone Age's "Fortress" (which you will awkwardly hear in its entirety at one point), Wolf Like Me is a surprisingly earnest go at a love story between a man and a werewolf. Yes, that sounds like logline for a parody, or in the very least a horror-comedy, but Wolf Like Me is its own beast (pun intended). It's a drama(dy?) and it works.
Josh Gad and Isla Fisher star in this bold genre take on relationships wherein the aforementioned monster is both a metaphor for emotional baggage, vulnerability, the fear of inviting someone new into your life, and all the anxious floaters orbiting a budding romance while also literally being a werewolf who goes berserk every full moon. Bottom line, Gad and Fisher, as Gary and Mary, make this peculiar project work. They're both so grounded and effective that they can sell both the wrenching heart of this story as well as the occasionally goofy lines that feel like they're included for trailer purposes.
Both characters are struggling terribly with loneliness and loss, in ways that are unique and also relatable, as Gary finds himself floundering so much after the death of his wife that he can't communicate with his troubled 11-year-old daughter Emma (Ariel Donoghue) and Mary...well, she got American Werewolf in London'd (in Prague, though) and has been transforming into a wolf ever since. As a U.S./Aussie co-production, Wolf Like Me takes place in Australia, which functions as the place Gary lived with his late wife and the far-off realm Mary exiled herself to in order to stay away from loved ones.
Again, all our instincts tell us that this show should play things way dopier than it does. It should function like 1988's My Stepmother Is an Alien or 2006's My Super Ex-Girlfriend, which mix together fantastical elements with rom-com farce, but Wolf Like Me plays it straight. It runs so against the grain, in fact, that there are times you forget Mary is a werewolf and that that's the problem being discussed. In fact, sometimes the broader elements here, ones that feel like they would play better in a rom-com, feel out of place because the drama is rather domineering (and it works way better). Except, that is, for the gruesome goings-on in the sixth episode -- the finale -- which all feels appropriately heightened.
Still though, there are classic love story beats here that feel welcome. There's a wild meet cute followed by the "she can't," which is then met with a "he can't," and so on. But all the while, the psychology is on point. The way Gary inadvertently damages his dear daughter by denying his own happiness is something not often discussed in romance arcs. Sure, there's usually the moment when the kid gives their step-seal of approval, usually daughter to dad, but never a discussion about how the father's own barriers can lead to a case of colony collapse.
Whenever and wherever there might be a tonal hiccup, Gad and Fisher are there to save the day with stellar performances. Both Gary and Mary so desperately want more from life but are terrified of hurting others and, yes, beneath this story of werewolf love you'll find an understanding of everyone, to the point where a few particular monologues may bring you to tears. Of course the one person who can get through to his Gary's daughter is also the one person who could rip her to shreds. What's his move? Give his girl salvation or never risk putting her in danger?
Wolf Like Me isn't perfect, of course. This daring swipe at a genre drama feels disjointed at times. As mentioned, it's mostly rescued by its two leads and their commitment to finding the gentler humanity under the broad premise, but said premise also makes the show's serious approach feel like spoof-territory. Plus, director Forsythe's affinity for Queens of the Stone Age (a different song of theirs is played, spread out, as the opening credits) is distracting at times, like a friend who keeps turning the volume up on a song they like during a car trip because they want you to hear the lyrics. "Fortress" is a great track but actually making it, and the band, a plot point feels like the silliest part of this. That's saying something because there's an actual werewolf.
from IGN Reviews https://ift.tt/3zXkHU3
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