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.