- Title: Beetlejuice
- IMDb: link
Despite snagging the title, it’s important to remember that Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) wasn’t the main character of the 1988 comedy (in fact he appeared on-screen for less than 20 minutes of the film). Instead, the main characters are the recently deceased Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara (Geena Davis) struggling with life after death while haunting their country home which is being invaded by a New York real estate developer (Jeffrey Jones) and his odd family (Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder).
Unable to frighten the odd family out, the couple turn to a “professional” in Beetlejuice unleashing all kinds of mayhem forcing the ghosts and the family on the same side to put the genie back in its bottle. Only Tim Burton‘s second feature film, Beetlejuice was a critical and box office success greenlighting his opportunity to direct Batman and spawning rumors of a potential sequel (which will finally make it to the screen more than 35 years later).
Burton’s sophomore effort has a lot going for it including some terrific set design, much of it the “art” of Catherin O’Hara’s character and the miniature model of the town. The look and feel of the film became synonymous with Burton and the kinds of worlds he would go on to create while still being unique from later projects like Edward Scissorhands allowing Beetlejuice to stand-out and age quite well.
Much of the film’s comedy comes from the ghosts being unable to scare the family out most notably during the “Day-O” dinner scene. Other memorable moments include the characters interacting with the model, Lydia (Ryder) attempting to stand-up for the ghosts to her family, and Keaton’s various gags and jokes during his limited screen time. And then there’s the epilogue, one of the best of any film, leaving audiences with a smile on their face and a song in their heart.
Watch the trailer | Watch “Day-O”
