Tim Burton at his BEST

Rating: 9/10 (22 February 2009)

I'd always wanted to see this movie, but I'm kind of a cheapskate and I always wait for movies to be on cable. Well, they just showed it and I felt compelled to write this review because of how good it was. The movie is of course about who's considered yo be the worst director of all time: Ed Wood. And believe me, the guy sucked . They showed his movie "Glen or Glenda" the other day and I started watching, but after 15 minutes I changed the channel.
Right off the bat you must be thinking: "Why would anyone make a movie about this guy, and why would anyone wanna see it? The answer is that Tim Burton made this film, and the guy has made an art of making good, enjoyable films about weird subjects.
The genius of Tim Burton is that he can take something, or someone, ugly or unattractive, and shift your perspective, so that you can appreciate that very same thing from another angle and say: "I'd never looked at it that way, it's not so bad after all" When I finished watching this movie I thought: "Well this guy was really a big loooser. He was a fool with not an iota of talent in his whole body, BUT at least he was passionate about what he was doing, and he refused to quit his dreams at the first sign of trouble" Tha's more than you can say for many people out there
This is NOT to say that he idealizes Ed Wood throughout the movie, or that this is just a silly comedy about a dumb guy. This is Burton's labor of love. You can see how much he cares about the Ed Wood character. You might even say that he ALMOST looks up to the guy. But at the same time, he makes sure not to make the movie sappy or cartoonish, which is what a less skilled director might have done. Critics talk about "restrained performances" I'd say this is an example of "restrained directing"
The movie is perfectly casted, down to the smallest roles. Johnny Depp, who has also made an art of playing far-out characters and making them very watchable and endearing, is almost flawless as Ed Wood. Martin Landau s also good as Bela Lugosi. Probably scenery-chewing a couple of times in the movie, but still a good enough performance to win an Oscar. I also liked the chemistry (and the whole mentor-father thing) he had with Depp. There's also Sarah Jessica Parker as Woods first wife, Sarah Jessica Parker as his second wife, Bill Murray as a close friend. and a bunch of other actors who did terrific work.
I also liked the fact hat the movie doesn't dwell on any of the heavy stuff of Ed Wood's life, like the fact that he was a cross dresser (when asked why he does that, he just replies: "makes me feel good"). By the way, I believe that one of the reasons many people did not go see this movie was because of the TV promos, which showed Jonnhy Depp in a dress. I bet folks saw this and thought: "Oh darn, this is a movie about a transveti or something" Having said that, this is not a movie I'd take children to. There's no sex, but I just don't think kids would enjoy this movie.
To sum up, I'd say this is probably Tim Burton's best movie to date. And if you know anything about director's, you know that's saying a lot.