Delightful and hilarious comedy

Rating: 10/10 (31 January 2003)

After being entertained by Plan 9 From Outer Space, I was pretty excited to check this out. I found the copy we own and put it in the tape player. I can say only one thing: I absolutely love this movie!!!!! I had so much fun watching it. I even clapped when it was over! Tim Burton's charming, witty, and flawless comedy is a major contender for the most unique movie of all time. Other than that it's entertaining from beginning to end. Johnny Depp captures the hilarity and ineptitude of Edward D. Wood Jr., a name synonymous with many people and one of the first thoughts that will come to mind when the term "bad movie" is brought up. Depp will crack you up as he takes you through the many ups and not too distant downs of Wood's career. Watching this movie has left me under the impression that Depp is a fabulous actor (which I'm sure he is), and I really want to check out more of his movies. In fact, Depp's portrayal was so great, it's one of the best performances I have ever seen.
The movie begins with Wood attending his own play at an old shack on a rainy night, and the audience members are either asleep or talking with one another. Despite being slated in the papers, Wood still focuses on the rare positive comments such as `The soldiers' clothes looked realistic' rather than face the fact that his production stunk. Later that night, Wood tells his wife about his worries of making it in Hollywood, and she assures him that things will get better. After being rejected for the directing job of `I Changed My Sex', Wood meets Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau), who is now old, washed up, and out of a job. Plus, very few people know he's still alive. But Wood is thrilled and wants to cast him in a movie. Ed convinces the creator of `I Changed My Sex' to let him direct it and gets the job. He writes the script, changing the title to `Glen or Glenda'. It is after his wife's reading of the script that she finds Wood in female clothing, revealing his passion for wearing it. `Glen or Glenda' proves to be so bad that it only premieres in Alabama, Missouri, and Indiana. He later slews together several misfits such as wrestler Tor Johnson (George Steele), future-predicting Criswell (Jeffrey Jones), and Lugosi for his next movie called `Bride of The Atom', which is renamed `Bride of The Monster'. Despite being kicked out of the perfect studio for not paying, he still goes on without any doubt. He gets the owner of a meat butchering company to pay for the film after two unsuccessful donation parties. And for the exciting climax, he has Bela Lugosi fight a giant rubber octopus. At the premiere, the cast is pelted with concessions and garbage, and they make it out just in time to catch a taxi, missing the entire movie. Later on, Ed learns that Lugosi, who had admitted earlier that he was addicted to drugs, has just died. He is heartbroken, and as a tribute, his movie, `Grave Robbers From Outer Space', is billed as the final film of Bela Lugosi. Since Wood is in a tight spot financially, he seals a deal with his apartment landlord to help him make the film. His associates provide ideas that he doesn't like, making him disgruntled. But when he gets an inspirational speech from his lifelong hero Orson Welles (Vincent D'Onofrio), he is once again motivated to finish the movie, renamed `Plan 9 From Outer Space'. After finishing the film, Wood claims that it will be the film that they remember him by. And he receives a standing ovation at the premiere.
This is a one-of-a-kind film. What's so funny about the ending is that it takes the common `character gets discouraged, character gets inspirational speech and advice, character gets back in and wins' element and adds a funny and different kind of twist to it. The same can be said about the story in general, which tells the story of one of the worst directors of all time rather than show you the times of a successful figure. It's hard to pick the best scene, but I especially loved when the three men were previewing Glen or Glenda (`Pull the string! Pull the string!'). I also liked the scene where the guy couldn't tell the difference between the red and green dresses that Loretta King had to pick since he was colorblind, which is funny since the entire film is in black and white. The performances of Wood's common associates and cast members are inspiring and fun to watch, and I also have to give plenty of credit to Juliet Landau for being really hot. All of the famous moments of his career are captured perfectly, and there's even a touching subplot that shows how much Wood loved Lugosi. Landau definitely deserved the Academy Award he received, for he too does a great job playing his part. He even delivered some of the movie's best lines. Bill Murray also has a fun to watch performance during the show.	Even if you're not into Ed Wood's movies or his career, you'll still be greatly entertained by Burton's out-of-this-world movie. A big recommendation, especially if you need a different kind of movie to crack you up. So sit back and enjoy, because you won't see another movie like this for a long, long time.
***** out of *****