| Release date: 14 December 1990 (USA) Genre: Drama, fantasy, romance IMDb rating: 7.9 Director: Tim Burton Cast: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne West, Alan Arkin, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, Vincent Price |
How would you feel when you come face to face with a lonesome introvert who has no idea how to fit into a nosy society? He’s a fantastic artist and seems like a really sweet guy but he’s not the best when it comes to communication and doesn’t exactly understand social cues. Oh and he has scissors for his hands, I forgot to mention that.
One of Tim Burton’s most successful films (starring yet another quirky Johnny Depp), ‘Edward Scissorhands’ tells the tale of the eponymous man with scissors for hands who is brought into a typical suburb that doesn’t know what to make of him. Although he becomes one among them in time, the nondescript town had lots in store for Edward, both good and bad. Door-to-door saleswoman Peg Boggs sees a scarred and scared Edward living all alone in his castle and her heart just can’t take it. Even his menacing Scissorhands didn’t deter Peg, who introduced him to her husband Bill and kids Kim and Kevin like he was just a normal guy who happened special appendages.
Right from the start, Tim Burton sets the stage in his typical fashion by positioning the gloomy castle that looked straight out of a horror film just above the quintessentially colorful town filled with everyday folk. Edward was created to be the perfect ageless creation but his creator’s untimely death left him with scissors for hands and eternal solitude. Until Peg brought him to her house where he ultimately fell in love with Kim. This romance took a while to build up and until then the film rolls along as a goofy comedy. It was amusing to see how a person like Edward learns to live among “normal” people, learning that his Scissorhands fascinated everyone and that he might have untapped talent in gardening, dog grooming, and hairdressing. And just when he was learning what it was like to experience love and happiness, his innocence and naivete landed him in compromising situations.
The film always walked a fine edge between an oddball dark comedy and serious drama, which played to its advantage with the people and the place adding another layer of weirdness to the normality.
The film is decked in colors and is pleasant on the eyes, with the Tim Burton menagerie on full display. Also mega props to Johnny Depp for making sure that his pale makeup and gnarly Scissorhands didn’t get in the way of his naive and innocent portrayal of a gentle soul. Winona Ryder also makes for a great romantic lead affection for Edward was believable. Like I said previously the romance takes time to build and honestly I expected more because the hype shaped my thoughts in a certain way. But nevertheless, their relationship brought its own charm to the film and that’s what matters.
“Edward might be different in appearance, but he’s equal to everyone inside. He holds a heart.”
And that quote pretty much encapsulates the film.
Edward Scissorhands is a complicated character who was unwillingly thrust into an environment, albeit with good intentions, that didn’t understand him. And those who did understand him also had to understand that nothing good comes from disturbing a man with scissors for his hands. Also if you’re wondering why this review comes around Christmas – watch the film and find out!
My rating: 8.5/10
