Beetlejuice (1988)
Let’s turn on the juice and see what shakes loose!
THE SUMMARY: Young newlyweds die in a car crash, and to scare the new family who moves into their home away, they solicit the haunting help of a freelance degenerate undead bio-exorcist. I like campy ‘80s charm as much as the next guy, and this movie has its share, but a completely pointless, contradictory plot and unlikeable characters keep it out of higher Wicky contention.
FROM MOVIE-PICKERS JAMIE AND JEANNE: Tim Burton's distinctive visual style and a blend of comedy and supernatural elements make for a fun and eccentric viewing experience. This is one of those films that has grown on us with each successive viewing.
JAMIE AND JEANNE’S SHOW AI ART FOR THE WEEK:
I resent being Alec Baldwin
THE BEST:
Some ‘80s effects that are so bad they’re good: Several are so bad they’re just bad - the sandworm looks like a sock puppet, Adam’s severed head looks like it’s right off the clearance rack at Spirit Halloween, and when Beetlejuice is asked to show his scariest stuff, they bitch out and put the shot behind him. But I get it. Sometimes the presentation is so silly that’s part of the charm, as is common in this era, and Beetlejuice has its memorable moments too.
I’ll credit the Maitlands’ scary faces, since I’ll never forget that weird skin mask that looks like a plague doctor, Beetlejuice’s snake attack, since they actually got some pretty good movement out of that face and tongue, and pretty much everybody in the other-worldly waiting room: the cut-in-half lady, the shrunken head guy, the choked-on-a-bone guy, and the rest.
Overall, the makeups are great, especially Beetlejuice’s. It did win an Oscar for best makeup, so credit where due.
Some clever comedy in those effects too: And it’s not just that the effects and makeups look cool - it’s that there’s comedy in them too. Juno’s smoke pluming out of her slit throat is particularly excellent. And Adam bending his nose back into place is a laugh as well.
Adam and Barbara show their scary faces
Smoke out the slit throat
Beetlejuice reviews Beetlejuice
THE WORST:
There’s really not that much Beetlejuice, actually: The character for whom the movie is named doesn’t even show up fully until 45 minutes in, and the movie isn’t even 90 excluding credits. I certainly appreciate a timely production, especially when the point is silliness and not depth, but Beetlejuice isn’t really about Beetlejuice, actually. He’s not even the protagonist. He’s just a guy with some extra weirdness for comedic effect. This movie is actually about the dynamic between the dead family the Maitlands, and the new family the Deetzes. Beetlejuice is merely a part of that interaction - not the focal point. But I guess Beetlejuice is a better title than Dead Family and Living Family Find Peace Through Creepy Pedo Zombie Guy.
The plot reverses itself and goes nowhere: It’s not just that Beetlejuice is a secondary character - it’s that he’s arguably irrelevant too. His entire inclusion is on the premise that he can scare away the Deetz family, but then he doesn’t, gets taken out, and the families find peace despite him, not because of him. The movie’s plotline is ‘hey, we need this guy to help us. Oh wait, no we don’t. The end.’ It’s a pointless story about a pointless guy.
Missed opportunities on deeper themes: At points, there are hints of serious themes worth contemplating: themes about the relationship between the living and the dead, and whether one should actually want to cross the threshold from one realm to the other. Is there actually relief in death, or does seeking death before its time lead to suffering in another dimension, as this movie suggests?
But every time an interesting point is about to be made, Beetlejuice does some equivalent of a jerk-off motion and whatever developing depth there was is lost completely. I guess the joke is on me for trying to find philosophy in this movie. I get that’s not its design, but its intended design isn’t necessarily entertaining, either.
Who exactly am I supposed to like?: Almost every character is hate-able. Adam lets Beetlejuice physically harass his wife without intervention. Beetlejuice likewise has no respect for the marriage, but that’s a small fault compared to his affinity for a minor in his own. Plus he sucks at his job - he promised he’d scare away the Deetz family, and couldn’t. Lydia is a liar - young or not, she makes a promise to Beetlejuice only to betray it and send him back to the underworld. Charles, Lydia’s dad, won’t even let her mourn for her dead mom, and Delia, Lydia’s step-mom, has no concern for Lydia either.
The only character remotely likeable is Barbara. She has all the traits of a good wife and mother, but of course she’s dead, and she’s married to a man who would watch her get plowed by some freakshow anyway, so at best, she’s tragically wasted potential.
Beetlejuice is a douchebag by design, but ostensibly the other characters are supposed to be appealing in some way. They aren’t. They’re all terrible, and that’s why it’s hard to care who lives or dies, who’s scared or not scared, or who gets along with whom. Sandworm everybody, not just Beetlejuice, and it’s a much better movie.
Adam the cuck nearly lets Beetlejuice plow his wife
How in God’s name did the worm get from Saturn’s moon to inside the house?
THE RATING: 2/5 Wickies. The occasional outrageous moment, some decent ‘80s cheese, but completely lacking any depth or purpose to think about after viewing.
YOUR RATING: Vote here ⬇ (Note: VPNs may interfere with your vote, so if you get an error message, try turning your VPN off.)
NEXT WEEK: Free Solo (2018). Last week Blonde nominated a special offering of documentary picks, but as is tradition, the list was rejected in favor of a random selection. Free Solo was randomly selected from IMDb’s top-50 documentary list.
AFTER THAT? YOU PICK - VOTE! We have a fresh list of nominations for August from listener JG Henry. (Note: VPNs may interfere with your vote, so if you get an error message, try turning your VPN off.)
Want to be the movie nominator for the month? Here’s how - fill out the form below. Note: once you are entered, you are eligible for selection on an ongoing basis. One entry per participant - multiple entries will be rejected.