Kimber Myers
The most creative thing about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice isn’t the wild denizens of its underworld, its stomach-churning scenes, or even the hilarious histrionics of Catherine O’Hara (apologies to the queen). Instead, it’s how director Tim Burton and writers Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Seth Grahame-Smith get around the absence of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Jones while still including his character, Charles Deetz, in the story. No spoilers, but it’s done with such hand-rubbing glee that it’s difficult not to be a bit in awe of their cheek. (It is far less impressive in explaining the lack of Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin.) Yet that isn’t the only achievement of Burton and Co.; miracle of miracles, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice brings new life to the long-dead franchise, delighting goth kids of all ages and marking the director’s first decent film in forever.
Yet while Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is pretty fun, its script is an overstuffed, poorly structured disaster. The screenplay by Gough and Millar (with Grahame-Smith receiving story credit) is so chaotic that it could have been written by the demon himself. Decades after the events of Beetlejuice, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) has her own sulky teen to contend with. Her daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), lives at boarding school and shuns her mother and all things supernatural. Lydia is now making a living as a psychic mediator on her own TV show, “Ghost House,” at the encouragement of her slimy, Goop-y manager and boyfriend, Rory (Justin Theroux). When Lydia is summoned by her still-kooky stepmom Delia (O’Hara) after a tragedy, all three women return to Winter River, where Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) awaits his would-be bride in the Netherworld.
The plot is bonkers, but not in a good way. Villain after villain keeps the audience’s heads on a swivel, but none of them really matter, other than Mr. Juice himself. Burton’s partner Monica Belluci plays the eponymous ghoul’s soul-sucking ex-wife who wants revenge, but there’s not much for her to do. Her presence isn’t really required, but who’s complaining about it? She looks like a live-action Corpse Bride (complimentary). Other characters reveal themselves as evil as it goes along, but none of them should come as a surprise to anyone with a pulse (no offense to those stuck in the underworld). There’s a message about living in the moment with people you love blah blah blah, but like the plot, that’s not really why anyone’s here.
Keaton’s return to the iconic role is definitely a draw, and the actor has a great time with his gags and goofy lines. His return to big parts in big movies over the last decade feels like a gift, and he’s a delight to watch as the demented demon. O’Hara continues to be a genius of delivery and timing, and Ryder is watchable as ever as she reprises one of her early big roles. The most notable newcomer to the series is Willem Dafoe, playing an actor who died playing a hard-nosed detective and who hams it up while fighting crime in the land of the dead.
And speaking of the land of the dead and all its icky creations, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is impressively, imaginatively gross, both in how it executes the stuff of nightmares with such verve, and how it does so with only a PG-13. The 1988 original similarly skirted a more restrictive rating somehow scoring a PG even with a use of the F-word (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s invocation of that curse is similarly surprising and worth it). But, boy, is this movie down with the sickness, splashing buckets of blood, brains, and bones across the screen to the delight of all the weirdos. With some nice use of animatronics and practical effects, the visuals are pretty great (as is what they smartly leave to our imaginations), but the sounds, my god, the sounds. Slurping, sluicing, and squelching, sound designer Jimmy Boyle’s work is just as essential to the soundscape as Danny Elfman’s iconic score is. I say this with the utmost respect for all involved: yuck.
With that gleeful grisliness, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice does capture the Beetlejuice spirit, particularly in its use of a choral version of “Banana Boat (Day-Oh).” However, its attempt to recreate the magic of that iconic dinner party scene with a less recognizable oldie isn’t likely to become another cultural mainstay. Yet for all its flaws, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is as likely to please fans and perplex the doubters as its predecessor was.
C+
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is in theaters tonight.
