Hello out there in Spoutland! It has been a couple of weeks since my last entry, as I was finishing up that aforementioned school play, which went off as smashingly as it could. Fame really is gonna' live forever, but I digress. As it is, I have been sitting on this Netflix movie for I don't know how long, as I was not really afforded the luxury of time to watch it. Now that the show is done, and the TV season spurts and sputters back to life, it's back to what I enjoy doing best: watching movies.
I have been looking forward to watching Ed Wood for a long time because it's got a magical mix of ingredients, including direction by Tim Burton (a general favorite), a primary role by dreamy Johnny Depp, and a supporting turn by the fabulous Bill Murray. Anything else about this film was icing on the cake, so I was eager to give it a looksee. It didn't really live up to my expectations this time around, however, though I still found it to be an enjoyable and decidedly unique and affectionate tribute to the man deemed the "worst director of all time."
The titular character (Depp) made what little name he had for himself directing B movies like "Plan 9 from Outer Space." He was also an unflinching transvestite, drawing comfort from angora sweaters. He surrounded himself with a variety of misfits, including Bunny Breckinridge (Murray), a gay actor looking for a sex change. Murray's performance was decidedly the funniest because it was so off his type and reaffirmed for me again how wonderful an actor he is. Ed Wood also makes an inspirational friendship with aging horror actor Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau). Landau won the Oscar for his portrayal of Lugosi and for good reason - he steals the entire film. The pacing and story of Ed Wood leave something to be desired despite the painstakingly cheesy homage to the genre to which Wood devoted himself; I had to watch this film in two halves because I found it a little boring, even though it had the capacity to make me smile. If it weren't for the occasional appearance of Murray's Bunny and Landau's riveting and charismatic Lugosi, the film would have been a wash for me.
As it was, Landau crackled with electricity as the man who simultaneously loved and hated his fame as the thespian behind Dracula. His inflections, his expressions, his accent, the journey of the character as an old has-been, addicted to pain killers, finding a spark of life in the low-grade cinema fare of Wood is reason enough to see this film. He was amazing.
The rest of the film, despite Landau, can only be chalked up to something akin to cute in my opinion. The art direction, with all of the purposefully cookie-cutter props and period sets, was by far the most charming technological aspect of the film, and Tim Burton's expertise at visual story lent well to the affection he had for the subject. I also loved how the film was in black and white and some of the performances of the supporting characters, such as Delores (Sarah Jessica Parker), the less-than-understanding first girlfriend of Eddie's.
Yet, the film was nothing more than a loosely told biopic, played for laughs. Fortunately, it never became too cartoony, but I just was not as riveted or laughing as hard as I thought I would. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it on some level. I think the sheer uniqueness of the film gives it credibility, even if it isn't the most entertaining thing I've watched in recent memory.
Nevertheless, I feel the film deserves a 7.5 (between shaky and very good) for the slow and erratic pacing but otherwise likable qualities. I don't think it passes my test, though, and I also firmly believe that despite the loving care Burton showed his primary subject, this film is not his masterpiece. Big Fish is tops for me right now, followed by Sweeney Todd, but Ed Wood is definitely worth the watch, since its message of being true to oneself and one's dreams is contained within a slightly avant-garde and nicely quirky package. Perfect! Print it.