CLASSIC SUNDAYS PRESENTS: BEETLEJUICE

BEETLEJUICE (1988)

Director: Tim Burton

Rating: 7.6

Welcome to another Classic Sundays where we'll celebrate the 30th anniversary of Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, BEETLEJUICE!, the supenatural comedy directed by Tim Burton and starring Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara and Michael Keaton as the titular character.

The film tells the story of a young couple that is killed in a car crash, when they find out that a family has bought their house, the ghosts of Adam and Barbara enlist the help of an excentric and mischievous "Bio Exorcist" in order to throw the new residents away.

Now, Tim Burton was one of my favorite filmmakers when I was a kid, Batman '89 was the first movie I recall watching, its amazing visuals were printed in my mind for years. Eventually I would devour his filmography and I realized that he's always been more style than substance, even tough he has several films that match plot and visuals perfectly like Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Big Fish and Sweeney Todd, Burton isn't very focused with complex characters and narrative.

Let's talk about the cast, they were all great, especially Baldwin, Davis, Ryder, O'Hara, Jeffrey Jones and Glen Shadix. But if there is someone who definitely stole the show, it was definitely this guy:

If you ask me what I think of Michael Keaton, my answer would be: A really strange guy, but also a very talented actor. He began in comedies, then he became one of the best Batmen and after almost 20 years of faded popularity, he came back stronger with Oscar winning movies and more dramatic roles on his resumé. This movie was a small step to stardom and even though he is only on screen for about 25 minutes, he gives a creepy and yet hilarious performance. 

Like usual in Burton, the visual style is top notch, his intentional homage to B Movies is brilliant, also by bringing the use of small scale models and Stop Motion. Danny Elfman shines with the musical score. The movie wants to entertain and does it well, there is some disturbing imagery in here, only to be compensated by great comedic moments like the infamous dinner dance scene with The Banana Boat Song playing in the background. 

Bettlejuice is fun, it's not a masterpiece and it's not attempting to be, the cast shines to give us a good time along with an amazing visual style. If you haven't checked it out, I suggest you to give it a try, you might like it.

This was my last Classic Sundays from March. Next week I'll be back with my reviews of Jessica Jones Season 2 and Ready Player One. Next Sunday, we'll be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of 2001: A Space Odyssey. If you like this, you can comment and share it, this blog isn't just mine, it's yours as well.