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BEETLEJUICE
The often jaundiced directorial eye of Tim Burton was in serious overdrive with 1988's Beetlejuice, a dazzling black comedy that Burton knocks out of the park thanks to a clever screenplay, some terrific performances and some cracker-jack special effects.
Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis) are a happily married couple living in a Connecticut suburb who are killed in a tragic accident. They are seen returning to their home, unaware that they are deceased, but can no longer deny what has happened to them when a snooty couple from Manhattan (Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara) purchase the house and move into it with their black-hearted daughter (Winona Ryder). Adam and Barbara fight to keep their house with some of their newly acquired skills that have been afforded through death, but don't really know how to use them properly. Eventually, the Maitlands have to turn to a "bio-exorcist" named Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) for help in getting these people out of their house. Betelgeuse apparently lives in the model of the town where the Maitlands live which is in their attic and which is where the Maitlands hide once the new occupants move into the house.
The Matilands find a surprising ally in their mission to get their house back because even though no one else seems to be able to see or hear Adam and Barbara, the black-hearted daughter can. Since she can't stand her parents and hated moving away from New York, she decides to help Adam and Barbara get their house back.
More than anything else, this film is a triumph for Tim Burton, effortlessly displaying the skill it takes to bring together all the elements of a film and have them gel into a piece of entertainment that is nothing short of magical. Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren's screenplay is peppered with stinging dialogue and rich with a variety of characters who effectively cover a dramatic landscape that fascinates from jump...from the lovable and sympathetic Maitlands, to the off-kilter Dietz family trying to take away their home, the outrageous creatures that populate Burton's cinematic purgatory, and, of course, the appropriately over the top title character.
The director and the screenwriters also take their time in letting this sometimes hard-to-swallow story unfold...the opening scenes of Adam and Barbara quietly enjoying a week off from work at home are so sweet and when we see them shooing off a pushy real estate agent (Annie McEnroe) who is pressuring them to sell their house, it is only a vague hint as to the madness we are about to be witness.
Despite the logistical nightmare portions of this film must have been, Burton never neglects his cast, whose work here is perfection. The chemistry between Baldwin and Davis is lovely and has us rooting for them from jump. Jeffrey Jones and the brilliant Catherine O'Hara garner huge laughs as the socially ambitious Dietzes and Winona Ryder has rarely been more endearing onscreen as Lydia. And somehow, Michael Keaton's dazzling turn as Betelgeuse produces monster laughs, but never overpowers anyone else in the story either...I actually could have seen a supporting actor nomination for Keaton here, it's a one man comedy class that is tireless without ever being tiring.
A story like this could never have been pulled off without a crack technical team and Burton's attention to the look of his story is meticulous, as always. The film features Oscar-worthy art direction/set direction, cinematography, and especially visual effects. The film did win an Oscar for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup and, as always, Danny Elfman's music is flawless. I still say Ed Wood is Tim Burton's masterpiece, but this is definitely #2.
The often jaundiced directorial eye of Tim Burton was in serious overdrive with 1988's Beetlejuice, a dazzling black comedy that Burton knocks out of the park thanks to a clever screenplay, some terrific performances and some cracker-jack special effects.
Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis) are a happily married couple living in a Connecticut suburb who are killed in a tragic accident. They are seen returning to their home, unaware that they are deceased, but can no longer deny what has happened to them when a snooty couple from Manhattan (Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara) purchase the house and move into it with their black-hearted daughter (Winona Ryder). Adam and Barbara fight to keep their house with some of their newly acquired skills that have been afforded through death, but don't really know how to use them properly. Eventually, the Maitlands have to turn to a "bio-exorcist" named Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) for help in getting these people out of their house. Betelgeuse apparently lives in the model of the town where the Maitlands live which is in their attic and which is where the Maitlands hide once the new occupants move into the house.
The Matilands find a surprising ally in their mission to get their house back because even though no one else seems to be able to see or hear Adam and Barbara, the black-hearted daughter can. Since she can't stand her parents and hated moving away from New York, she decides to help Adam and Barbara get their house back.
More than anything else, this film is a triumph for Tim Burton, effortlessly displaying the skill it takes to bring together all the elements of a film and have them gel into a piece of entertainment that is nothing short of magical. Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren's screenplay is peppered with stinging dialogue and rich with a variety of characters who effectively cover a dramatic landscape that fascinates from jump...from the lovable and sympathetic Maitlands, to the off-kilter Dietz family trying to take away their home, the outrageous creatures that populate Burton's cinematic purgatory, and, of course, the appropriately over the top title character.
The director and the screenwriters also take their time in letting this sometimes hard-to-swallow story unfold...the opening scenes of Adam and Barbara quietly enjoying a week off from work at home are so sweet and when we see them shooing off a pushy real estate agent (Annie McEnroe) who is pressuring them to sell their house, it is only a vague hint as to the madness we are about to be witness.
Despite the logistical nightmare portions of this film must have been, Burton never neglects his cast, whose work here is perfection. The chemistry between Baldwin and Davis is lovely and has us rooting for them from jump. Jeffrey Jones and the brilliant Catherine O'Hara garner huge laughs as the socially ambitious Dietzes and Winona Ryder has rarely been more endearing onscreen as Lydia. And somehow, Michael Keaton's dazzling turn as Betelgeuse produces monster laughs, but never overpowers anyone else in the story either...I actually could have seen a supporting actor nomination for Keaton here, it's a one man comedy class that is tireless without ever being tiring.
A story like this could never have been pulled off without a crack technical team and Burton's attention to the look of his story is meticulous, as always. The film features Oscar-worthy art direction/set direction, cinematography, and especially visual effects. The film did win an Oscar for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup and, as always, Danny Elfman's music is flawless. I still say Ed Wood is Tim Burton's masterpiece, but this is definitely #2.