"Is death the problem and not the solution?"

Rating: 7/10 (16 May 2012)

I thought this film was a blast when I first saw it some twenty plus years ago. It didn't quite reach that same level as I watched it again tonight, but it didn't miss the mark by all that much. For me, it's Michael Keaton's interpretation of the title character that makes the picture. As the free lance bio-exorcist straight from (can I say it?) hell, he brings a manic quality to the character that just cracks me up even today. To this date, whenever I hear someone say 'It's showtime', it's Keaton's showtime I'm reminded of.
Some will say this is a macabre story, but it's got a strange balance of wit and humor. My favorite scene is the Da-yo sequence, seemingly coming out of nowhere with no connection to the events of the story, but it captures just the right tone to make the film enjoyable. Other little quirks like the 'Handbook for the Recently Deceased' and the 'Lost Souls Room' are curiously amusing as well. Probably the best gag in the picture was that cool tribute to Vincent Price's 1959 flick "The Fly", in that scene with the Zagnut Bar and the fly crying 'Help me, help me'. You just have to see that earlier picture to get it.
With Alec Baldwin's recent conflicted real life history, I can't say that I'm any kind of fan of his, but he does a fair enough job here. Geena Davis is always pleasing to see, and I recall this early film appearance of Winona Ryder with some fondness. The coolest casting surprise in the movie was Sylvia Sidney as the after-life spiritual guide. Hey, she worked with some of the best in her career - Bogart, Cagney, Raft and Hitchcock - and you can't get any better than that.
If you're an old time movie or TV fan, you've probably seen an episode or two of 'Topper'. Well "Beetlejuice" is like 'Topper' on steroids, but without the St. Bernard. You know, that would have been a good idea, so if anyone's thinking of a remake, that would be a good starting point.