Must-see, then see again and again.

Rating: 8/10 (18 May 2001)

The description of this film as a "contemporary fairy tale" may be off-putting to some, as this is a genre which many movie enthusiasts tend to avoid.
Thus, the movie had been released for some years before I felt inclined to watch it. I can tell you, it was only a few days before I watched it again and, there is little doubt, it is more satisfactory the more you see it.
I, quite quickly, realised the error of my ways and I resolved, not to pre-judge any movie, on the grounds of its perceived genre, at any rate.
This is an enchanting cinematic experience. It engages the viewer, firstly with the charm of the characters and plot, also with the stunning visuals throughout and, ultimately, with the message, subtlely conveyed, that non-conformity to recognised norms (however fickle), should not necessarily exclude either individuals or groups, from equality, in our fad and fashion conscious society.
I will not detail the plot. Suffice to say that Tim Burton caricatures so many of the main players and suburbia itself, highly effectively, without their losing their charm and appeal.
Dianne Wiest represents everyone's mother. Warm, soft, brimming over with love, the ultimate humanist. Alan Arkin, everyone's dad. Stoical, hard-working, well-intentioned, patient, tries so hard to be a good parent.
Winona Ryder plays the sweet, beautiful teenager who, despite her initial misgivings, finds the horrifically-incomplete Edward somehow entering her heart, in a meaningful way, thereby rendering her relationship with Jim (Anthony Michael Hall), irrelevant and base.
Jim is subsequently seen for a moral bankrupt and his spite ensures there will be no happy ending to this fairy tale. Mayhem ensues.
There are serious issues raised, some of them addressed, in this film. That is, after all, what cinema is all about (or is it?).
Our social norms and mores are challenged as the naive Edward is taught the rights and wrongs of daily living in this, or any, suburb in the western world.
The destructive, iconoclastic quality which undoubtedly exists in our species, is reflected in the crowd, aroused by blood-lust, baying for that of our hero. One thinks of that hillside, two thousand years ago.
Burton manages brilliantly, to retain the important strands of the message, while charming the audience with the purity and beauty of the film and its characters. Who can forget that scene where Kim (Winona Ryder) dances, hands upward, with the uninhibited joy of a child seeing snow for the first time.
The overall package is emotionally, intellectually and aesthetically pleasing. I recommend it, without any reservation. Don't miss out on this movie because of narrow prejudices you may have. Don't be like me.