Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Written by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Seth Grahame-Smith (story)
Directed by Tim Burton
Starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega and Willem Dafoe
Running time 1 hour and 44 minutes
MPAA Rating PG-13 for macabre and bloody images, brief drug use, some suggestive material, strong language and violent content
In theaters Friday

by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport & Editor in Chief

There may have been a good story somewhere within the hour and forty-four minute runtime of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice unfortunately, the lack of focus made it hard to pinpoint. There were enough yarns spun to create an entire television series which was cause for the motion picture to be a tangled, nostalgia-fueled mess. 

The film opens with Lydia (Winona Ryder) who now makes a living as a paranormal talk show host. This is a point of contention with her teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega) who pines to be made an orphan. Lydia’s mother Delia is a renowned sculptor in New York City. While Betelgeuse holds a nine-to-five office gig in the afterlife. It has been thirty-six years since these characters were seen together and what better reason to have a gathering than a funeral. With the death of Lydia’s father Charles, the Deetz family reconvenes to their home in Winter River, Connecticut. When the three generations gather to remember their loved one, they are faced with a heavy sack of emotional baggage and trauma. All of which is made even more complicated when Astrid accidentally opens a portal to the afterlife and Lydia unexpectedly becomes engaged to her slimeball manager, Rory (Justin Theroux). Of course, when faced with a matter of life, death, and grifters there is only one person to call (three times, of corpse): Beetlejuice.

I admit I was not expecting much going in to this screening, especially given Tim Burton’s most recent track record. The last picture of his I remotely enjoyed was Big Eyes (2014). This was mainly due to the performance from Amy Adams and had very little to do with Burton himself. Frankly, much of his filmmaking over the past decade or so has been a violent onslaught to my eyes. I still have not recovered from my experience with his rendition of Alice in Wonderland (2010). I feel it is also important to note that I was not looking for a continuation of Lydia and crew. Beetlejuice ended on a high note, and I never felt it necessary for the juice to be set loose again. The first installment had a terrific story, wonderful practical effects and great on screen chemistry. For those seeking to spend time with these characters again and revisit the zany afterlife world, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will more than likely satiate the appetite. However, if a well written script or a semblance of one is something you seek, I recommend spending your time differently.

In some ways, Burton may have returned to his previous form with this picture, but due to the gaggle of characters and numerous plot lines, the film ends up competing with itself for screen time which is cause for much frustration. It is unfortunate that some of my favorite moments in the film, I later came to realize, could have been cut out with no consequence to the overall story. Take for example the noir detective type character Wolf Jackson (played by Willem Dafoe), a former Hollywood action star that suffered a fatal accident on set finds himself as a detective in the afterlife. His persona is off the charts and Dafoe truly seems to be having the time of his life. I would have loved to have viewed the movie he thought he was in. Another standout moment is a scene that offers DIY construction of Beetlejuice’s ex-wife Delores (Monica Bellucci). This is a fascinating display of special effects at work. Sadly, her plot line runs out of steam just as soon as she Frankenstein’s herself back together. I would be remiss if I didn’t admit that I appreciated the backstory of her and Beetlejuice’s torrid love affair told in a Hammer horror-esque style. The production design and old monster movie flair that was utilized is extremely up my alley but was inevitably another reason for a bloated runtime.

Despite the issues with the clunky narrative, the cast seems to be having a ball. Michael Keaton clearly loved filling the shoes once again of the bawdy ghoul known as Betelgeuse and delivers a fun performance that is just as good as the original. Though, this was not enough to save the picture. Same could be said for the performances from Jenna Ortega and Winona Ryder; they were wonderful, and I truly wish their relationship would have been more of focal point.

There is nothing really here that is worth making a trip to the cinema for unless there is a concern for fear of missing out. I found the most thrilling aspect of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was the time spent in the world of the afterlife and the way in which the story gets the viewer there. I don’t want to give anything away, but actor Arthur Conti truly shines. I believe that if this screenplay would have been tamed and the focus would have been made on Lydia and her daughter, this could have been an amazing tale. Instead, it is nothing more than an attempt to relive the past.