GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Jim Wolf's mouth twitches nervously as the music begins.
Words flash on screen explaining the homeless veteran's decision to participate in a 'physical transformation' as a stylist steps-up and begins turning a mop of unkempt hair and beard into a clean cut with dignified stubble.
After some hair coloring, light facial makeup and a new suit, a now-dapper looking Wolf gets a look in the mirror at the results of his five-hour makeover, and promptly steps up to give director Rob Bliss a big bear hug.
And then Jim Wolf, once a struggling alcoholic, lived happily ever after.
'People would be remiss if they believed that,' said Robin Thomas, a single mother from Wyoming who is Wolf's younger sister.
Thomas has been bootstrapped into the role of press agent for her brother after Bliss posted the now-viral hit on YouTube.
The time-lapse transformation - timed perfectly to attract Veterans Day media attention - has generated more than 11 million hits (and counting) and has been picked-up by nearly every major national news outlet.
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The video's reach is not surprising given its powerful, heartwarming imagery and the viral marketing chops of its director, Bliss, the man behind the Grand Rapids Lip Dub and other attention-grabbing events around downtown in recent years.
The intended narrative, according to Bliss, is that viewers see the potential in all homeless people, veterans in particular, once they are made to look socially acceptable; that something as simple as a haircut can change a man's life.
It's a noble goal. But some caution that it glosses over harsh realities.
'We wish it were that easy,' said Diane Birtles, director of shelter services at Mel Trotter Ministries in Grand Rapids.
'In order to really have true, lasting change, it has to start from the inside,' said Birtles. 'Addiction and homelessness is a complex condition. It's not solved as simply as the video might indicate.'
At the end of the video, viewers are told that Wolf, 54, has 'taken control of his life' and has begun attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for the first time following the production in September.
Thomas said her brother has exhibited a new sense of pride since the makeover, and she's hopeful Wolf can use the opportunity as a starting point to turn his life around.
If Wolf can make a change, though, it's likely to be a long journey.
'The makeover was a sprint. Life, for him, is a marathon,' said Scott Stehouwer, a professor of clinical psychology at Calvin College.
'Without some transformation on the inside, my concern is that we're setting this guy up for failure,' he said.
'And we're creating a situation where we sort of fool ourselves into thinking the appearance of the person tells you more than it really does.'
As noted in the video, Wolf suffers from alcoholism, substance abuse and mental health issues. In the days after the shoot, he was arrested on disturbance charges, fined $400 and spent a couple days in jail. It was the latest in his history of petty crime charges in Grand Rapids dating back more than a decade.
Thomas wishes that instead of throwing her brother in jail, a judge would instead mandate some kind of detox program. She thinks that would be less of a drain on taxpayers than constantly putting Wolf through the court system.
Until he's sobered up, she says, any talk of personal responsibility is just impractical.
'You'd love to not have to tell a kid to not put his hand in the cookie jar a bunch of times,' she said in comparison. 'He's an alcoholic. You can't have an alcoholic be accountable for their actions. They're just not there. Their brains are intoxicated.'
Wolf's slide into addiction and homelessness has been tough on the family, she said. Her brother, one of four male siblings, never quite grew out of his teenage partying years after stints in the U.S. Army and National Guard in 1970s, 80s and 90s.
In 1990, she said Wolf found their mother dead on the living room floor after a heart attack, a traumatic experience she said he still hasn't gotten over.
In 2000, the family lost their father.
In the subsequent years, Wolf drifted between jobs, often getting fired due to his drinking problem. 'It didn't really seem to bother him. He just motored along doing what he knew; kept turning to alcohol and drugs.'
She said he subsists on charity and collecting soda cans. He's not one for standing by the road with a sign; 'he's not a sophisticated panhandler like that.'
Although she had her brother over recently to rake leaves - a chore rewarded with a bike to get around - Thomas has been reluctant in the past to allow Wolf around his nephew.
'I can't expose him to my little boy in a drunken stupor.'
The video, while not a silver bullet solution to Wolf's unfortunate lifestyle, is nonetheless an encouraging development in his life she hopes will become a catalyst for positive change.
She's grateful that Degage Ministries chose him for the experience.
'He seemed proud over the weekend, almost like he had a opportunity and realized what this was turning into, what people are saying,' she said. Rather than getting shunned as a drunk, he's been getting hugs from people instead.
She thinks he stayed sober over the weekend, as well.
Since the video, her brother has been getting some free dental work. In addition to a mandatory detox program, she's hopeful Wolf can find some permanent housing.
Still, it's a long road to recovery ahead.
'I've known people who say they are 11 years sober and I'm like, 'Wow - you really have to pay attention for 11 years?' I guess they do.'
Garret Ellison covers business, government and breaking news for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at gellison@mlive.com or follow on Twitter & Instagram
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