Some wonderful moments and one truly great performance, but not a great film

Rating: Null/10 (4 June 2000)

Maybe you have to be really into the bizarre to truly love "Ed Wood." Yes, it was fun to watch a well-made movie about the making of awful movies and about a "family" of colorfully dysfunctional, marginalized individuals (though in my view, "Boogie Nights" succeeds better on both counts). But, in the end, what was the point? Were we supposed to be moved by the sincerity of Ed's dreams and by his intense commitment to his vision, even if the end product of his vision was some of the worst dreck ever put on film? In other words, was the Orson Welles analogy semi-serious? This could have been a film about self-deception and delusion, but Tim Burton had too much fun with these delusions to really explore their pathetic side.
In addition, I was very unimpressed by Johnny Depp. Most of the time he was just glaring and grinning, and I never found him moving in the emotional scenes. Sarah Jessica Parker, who is so good is "Sex and the City," is merely OK here. On the other hand, Martin Landau gives a magnificent, unforgettable, deeply moving performance as the aged Bela Lugosi -- "Ed Wood" is definitely worth seeing just for him. Also, Patricia Arquette is excellent as Kathy, the love of Ed's life. The moment she appears on the screen, you forget all about Depp and you know you're seeing real talent. (Too bad we don't get to see more of her.) Bill Murray shines in a small part as a would-be transsexual, and the underrated Jeffrey Jones is very good as a TV "psychic."
It's a very enteraining and amusing movie, but the only parts of it I'd care to see again are the ones with Landau. I suspect that the high rating this movie has received (I wouldn't give it more than a 6) is due to Ed Wood's cult status as the worst filmmaker of all time.