It’s 1988, and a great movie by the surprisingly innovative director, Tim Burton, has opened. It stars Michael Keaton and young Winona Ryder. The movie is called “Beetlejuice.”
Huh?
No, it’s 2024 and a great movie by the established – in his opinion sold out – director Tim Burton has opened. It stars Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder. The movie is called “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
Deja vu times 2, right? Actually not. Usually doing the same thing twice, but with the second time loaded with garbage, is not only a 21st century Hollywood staple – like Chef Boyardee’s canned stuffed ravioli – but what passes for entertainment here in the second decade of the second millennium (also a form of repetitive garbage).
Tim Burton has been quoted in interviews as believing he’d lost his youthful creative raison d’être and that this film was his way of resurrecting that freshness. If so, this Dr. Frankenweenie, has brought forth a monster.
The story begin with our discovery that sweet goth Lydia Deetz (reprized by Winona Ryder – “Stranger Things”) has become a questionable “spiritualist” video podcaster, controlled by her producer/boyfriend, Rory (Justin Theroux – “Mulholland Drive”). She receives a call from her mother, Delia (reprized by Catherine O’Hara – “Argylle”) informing her in a roundabout way that her father, Charles (originally played by Jeffery Jones), has died. Jones was convicted of a sex crime some 20 years ago and is persona non grata in Hollywood as a result. But that didn’t stop the writers and producers from making his character a major component of the “afterlife” portion of this film. In fact, they even created an animated sequence of his death, have numerous pictures of him scattered through the scenes, and have a grotesque headless and upper torsoless “thing” running around in the needlessly cruel afterlife. Presumably the lawyers at Warner Brothers figured out how to use Jones’ image without having to pay him.
The two women then collect Lydia’s estranged daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega – “Wednesday”) from a normal boarding school and we are off to the races a quickly as you can say the forbidden name three times. What follows, in keeping with the 35 years that have passed since the first film, is crude and bloody compared to the original, when it is not reprizing (there is that word again!) the jokes from 1988. Only Jenna stands out as fresh, with the exception of the 600 year old Beetlejuice himself (reprised – in a good way – by Michael Keaton – “Knox Goes Away”). He somehow remains relatively fresh unlike Ryder and O’Hara.
Director Tim Burton tries to bring back “that ole magic,” but it just doesn’t quite work with all the extra weight larded on. Keep it simple, keep it clean, keep it fresh.
Writers (any beyond two are an ominous sign) Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson and Alfred Gough have provided enough material for Beetlejuice 3 and 4, assuring the sudden and unpleasant regurgitation which is this film.
Runtime: Not nearly long enough and yet far too long
Availability: Too much, too often, too everywhere
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