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Edward Scissorhands is a 1990 movie directed by Tim Burton. The movie centers around the title character (Johnny Depp), who was created by an inventor (Vincent Price). The inventor dies before he can give Edward human hands, leaving him with scissor ones instead. He lives alone in the inventor’s mansion until Peg (Dianne Wiest), an Avon salesperson, meets him and takes him home. There, he falls in love with Peg’s daughter, Kim (Winona Ryder), and tries to fit into a suburban world that doesn’t understand him and rapidly turns on him.
The movie was a huge hit, critically and financially. It made over four times its budget at the box office, while critics praised its performances, themes, fantasy elements, and overall visuals. Over 30 years later, it’s still one of Burton’s best-known and best-reviewed movies. Here’s why it’s also his best.
Its Themes of Monsters and Loneliness
Many of Burton’s movies deal with loneliness or being an outsider, but Edward Scissorhands does so in perhaps the most nuanced and beautiful way. Edward himself is Burton’s best character; he is childlike and innocent, as seen by him eating dinner or in awe of a water bed, and it makes him instantly lovable. Despite the sharp scissors for hands, Edward is gentle and caring. He even becomes popular among the neighborhood women when he cuts their hair. However, his hands still make him an outsider; when Kim asks him to hold her, he says that he can’t, because he doesn’t want to hurt her. When he saves Kim’s brother from getting hit by a car, he accidentally cuts him. Though Edward is kind-hearted, his hands make him lonely, as he can’t love Kim the way he wants, and monstrous, as he hurts people when he doesn’t mean to. Burton, speaking with Esquire, said the movie is about “having a lot of feelings but not being able to project them,” and this is seen in Edward struggling to relate and express himself to others. This loneliness is relatable to many viewers, making it especially meaningful.
Edward Scissorhands also reverses the themes of monstrosity back on to the neighborhood. While Edward is seen as a monster to everyone, they themselves become the true monsters. The biggest one is Kim’s boyfriend, Jim (Anthony Michael Hall), who immediately hates Edward because he’s different. He antagonizes Edward for the whole movie, and tricks him into breaking into his parents’ house and getting arrested. The rest of the neighborhood immediately turns on him after this, seeing him as a monster. This is a big example, but even Joyce, one of the neighborhood women, takes advantage of Edward and tries to seduce him, then lies about it. Their hatred of him escalates until Jim attacks Edward and forces him to defend himself, resulting in Jim’s death and Kim faking Edward’s death, so he can live in peace, as he will never fit in with the neighborhood. The movie makes us rethink what a monster is – we relate to Edward and his feelings of being a misfit, and we feel for him when his gentleness is put against a society that becomes monstrous in their desire to make Edward a monster.
It’s a Timeless and Beautiful Love Story
While Edward Scissorhands is about being an outsider, its center is really a beautiful love story, as Edward and Kim fall in love despite knowing they can’t be together. This forbidden romance is timeless, and has seen numerous iterations, from Romeo and Juliet to Beauty and the Beast. The framing of the movie, which sees an older Kim telling her granddaughter the story of Edward, further illustrates how deeply she loved him, and how that love impacted her. She even says that she believes Edward is still alive because it continues to snow every year; the movie then closes on Edward cutting up beautiful ice sculptures of Kim to make it snow, and they both share in their memories of when they were together. It takes a story about isolation or being seen as monstrous and re-frames it into a sweet love story. Even though Edward and Kim couldn’t stay together, they show the power love can have, bringing a heavy emotional impact to the movie.
It Has Great Performances
The movie relies heavily on its characters, and has great performances from the whole cast – particularly Depp and Ryder as Edward and Kim. Though actors like Tom Cruise and Gary Oldman were considered for Edward, Depp was always Burton’s first choice, according to Film Studies, and he completely brings Edward to life. With minimal dialogue, he makes Edward kind and lovable, bringing real emotion with only facial expressions. He becomes the sympathetic heart of the movie that we truly care for. Ryder matches him perfectly. She grows from fearful about Edward to caring for him deeply enough that she breaks up with Jim. Their chemistry is excellent – perhaps because they were dating at the time – and sells the movie’s romance.
The supporting cast is also great, with Wiest perfectly cast as Peg. She is believable as a kind suburban woman who just wants to help Edward, and sees the good in him before anyone else. Alan Arkin, as Kim’s father, also adds some humor, but is also strong in his eventual support of Edward. Finally, Hall is a great antagonist as Jim, acting terribly toward Edward.
Edward Scissorhands is quintessential Burton in many ways. From the kooky neighbors in the colorful suburbs, to the eerie giant topiaries dominating many scenes, to the themes of monsters and loneliness that mix with romance, the movie is a perfect blend of his signature messages and visuals. It makes us empathize with someone who might be seen as a monster, and speaks to the loneliness we often all feel. It’s what most people think of when they think of Tim Burton, and it remains his best movie.