Forest ranger Finn Wheeler (Sam Richardson) has just been transferred to his new post – the middle-of-nowhere community of Beaverfield, U.S.A.. Nestled in the snowy mountains of Vermont, Beaverfield is as politically and culturally divided as the rest of the country. A proposed pipeline is just the latest vehicle for the expression of the white hot burning rage the two bubble dwelling groups feel for one another.
On the pro side, we have the far-right, “love it or leave it”, Andertons – Pete (Michael Chernus) and Tricia (Michaela Watkins). Always accompanied by their little doggie, Cha-Chi (Ritz), the Andertons are wetting their snowpants in anticipation of that pipeline being built. For Tricia, who makes little dolls out of soapstone, the construction workers the project will bring are the customers she believes will visit her new craft store and make her dreams of small business success a reality. Pete, on the other hand, only wants the pipeline because he’s a far right knob who is in permanent culture war mode. To his credit, Cha-Chi never offers an opinion one way or the other.
Joining the Andertons in cheering on the pipeline are two rude and unglued simpletons – Gwen (Sarah Burns) and Marcus (George Basil). Wild, crude and up for any activity that combines fun with the potential loss of life, this moronic married couple cares only about the now and how frickin’ awesome it could be if only there were more alcohol and explosives on hand.
On the con side, we have the gay coupling of tech millionaires, Devon (Cheyenne Jackson) and Joaquim (Harvey Guillén) Wolfson, owner of the local Inn (and recently abandoned married woman), Jeanine Sherman (Catherine Curtin) and the cute and always spunky Cecily Moore (Milana Vayntrub) – who has recently taken over as Beaverfield’s mailman – I mean, mailperson.
Then there’s Sam Parker (Wayne Duvall) and Dr. Ellis (Rebecca Henderson). Sam’s a rep for oil interests who is currently making his home in Beaverfield in hopes of swaying the unswayable ahead of an upcoming town vote. The grey-haired, pot-bellied hunting enthusiast puts up a civilized front, but, it’s clear that, on the inside, he’s as savage as they come. Meanwhile, the introverted and ill at ease Dr. Ellis, a rep for environmental interests, who is also currently making her home in Beaverfield, at the Inn, is also hoping to sway the unswayable ahead of the same crucial town vote.
Needless to say, the whole town goes bonkers when a certain hairy troublemaker starts tearing the population of Beaverfield to shreds.
When the shit is just beginning to hit the fan, Finn, Barack Obama twin that he is, tries to keep things cool between the Libs and the Cons. He even gives a speech not unlike the one that the real life Barack Obama gave at the 2004 Democratic Convention, when he spoke poetically and naively about how there were no blue states, no red states, just the United States of America. Bless his heart, Finn, just like the first black president of the U.S.A., thought he was speaking to reasonable people, too. He’d have just as much luck talking a couple of T-rexs out of ripping each other apart.
As a microcosm for the greater culture war, also currently tearing apart the population of the U.S.A., WW is equally dumb and simplistic. That may have been the point, but when the characters are this one dimensional, and proud of it, if the laughs don’t follow, then all you have is a bunch of idiots running around yelling and screaming and trying to kill one another. I don’t blame the cast – they’re good. It’s the writing that struggles throughout to make something fresh out of a series of stereotypes, and their opposites, that are as stale as a three day old baguette.
In the end, though, what may be the most creatively crippling aspect of WW is its failure to keep the identity of the werewolf a mystery. Obvious early on, the film – already hobbled by a cartoon cast of characters and a serious lack of laughs – swings and misses on the only other ball it has left to launch over the wall. What remains is the gore and the final battle with the werewolf without. Though the effects are good and the final fight is fun, it’s not enough to make you forget that what you’re watching is yet another body count flick.
While I give WW a few points for having a clearly communicated subtext that fuels all the carnage, in the end, all the filmmakers leave you with is a big dumpster full of cynicism and definite “aren’t we clever” vibes.
Yes, the humans are the Werewolves Within who guarantee the success of the werewolf without. Fantastic. Unfortunately, it all comes off as glib and self-satisfying and, never for a moment, do the filmmakers make you feel like they’re going to go somewhere surprising and truly interesting.
