Beetlejuice (1988)

 Tim Burton has made some awesome films, especially early on in his career, when he clearly just went for it and fortunately was given free reign to let his fantasies come to life. Yes, 'Edward Scissorhands' is gorgeous, but maybe this one is my all time personal favourite of his. 

Why? Because it is so much goofy fun, it's irresistible.

Adam and Barbara Maitland are a young couple that live in a massive mansion, but they have a whale of a time together. Fate does not smile upon them, as they have a car accident and soon realize they are dead and thus ghosts in their own home. What's even worse, their house has been sold to the Deetz' family and they do not like these people one bit, especially as the mother (Delia) is a failed artist who wants to completely redo the house in this bizarro avantgarde style that is basically just every arty-farty cliché rolled into one.

It's glorious.

The young daughter of the Deetzes, Lydia, is one of those gothy teens and she is actually able to see and hear the Maitlands. She is very sympathetic towards them, but can't persuade her parents to leave the house alone. At their wits' end, Adam and Barbara enlist the 'help' of a bio-exorcist known as Beetlejuice to get rid of the Deetz' family, but he is a lot more dangerous than anyone had anticipated... 

Where to begin? Everything on display here is so wonderful... But I guess the heart and soul of this project is the characters, and it is truly in this respect that the film shines. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis are very likable as the Maitlands. They're sort of this loving, yet a little goofy couple that just want to live their life the way they want to. He actually built a model of the entire town in the attic. Their clothing choices might seem a little suspect, but remember: it was the 80s. Winona Ryder is a lot of fun as the morose and seemingly depressed Lydia, one of those classic goth kids. But it is pretty much an act, as you can quickly tell she does in fact care for other people and isn't as downtrodden as she wants the world to believe. It just needed someone loving to help her see that and because the Maitlands are outcasts (of a sort), she quickly connects with them. Who I also adore in this film is Catherine O'Hara as Delia Deetz, a ditzy sculptress with no talent whatsoever and even though she comes across as incredibly annoying at first, she is one of the funniest characters around. She plays it so well, it's incredible. 

But the one person that steals the show in every scene he's in, is Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice. No joke, he is so good in this role, it's very impressive. He isn't even in this film all that much, but his range is incredibly diverse. People that were angry that he got the role as Batman in Tim Burton's upcoming film clearly never saw him at work here. He is absolutely having a blast with it and pretty much everything he says is forever quotable. Just try saying: "It's showtime." with that quirky grin in your mind. Or heck, his answer when the Maitlands ask him whether or not he's qualified to get the Deetzes out of the house. 

Is it perhaps a bit too Burtonesque for some people? Yes, without a doubt. Also, this is more a comedy than anything else (check the dinner scene for what is probably one of the better uses of Harry Belafonte and 'The Banana Boat Song'), so those looking for an emotional hook like 'Edward Scissorhands' might feel a bit disappointed. But like Beetlejuice says: "I've seen it 167 times and it keeps getting funnier!"

Go check it out.