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"EDWARD SCISSORHANDS" (1990) (Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder) (PG-13) QUICK TAKE: Dramedy: A young man with scissors for hands, who has lived alone in a deceased inventor's castle for years, is taken in by a suburban Avon saleswoman, and tries to fit into this new world. PLOT: An inventor (VINCENT PRICE) who lived alone in a castle high on a hill, decided to create a young man and gave him everything expected in such a design, except for hands, as he died before he could put those on. The young man, called Edward (JOHNNY DEPP) lived alone for years, until an Avon saleswoman named Peg (DIANNE WIEST) comes up to the castle to try to make a sale, and encounters him. She decides to take him home to suburbia, amidst a cluster of nosy neighbors, all whom express interest in this person vastly different from themselves in so many ways, particularly that he has scissors for hands. Peg's husband Bill (ALAN ARKIN) is amazed at Edward's skill in trimming bushes, which become dinosaurs and other pieces at the whims of the neighbors who want him for various other tasks, such as dog grooming and eventually hair styling. He triggers a desire within the residents of the neighborhood to do things they haven't done for years, as it is with Joyce (KATHY BAKER) who wants to open up a beauty salon, but also wants to use Edward for other things. Meanwhile, Peg's daughter, Kim (WINONA RYDER), meets Edward, who's quite taken with her, though she has a boyfriend in the form of the malicious Jim (ANTHONY MICHAEL HALL), who wants to use Edward to rob his father's recreational room so he can get money from the merchandise stored in there. After that act, the residents begin to think less of Edward, even though what happened was not his doing. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? They definitely will, for the imaginative storyline of a young man with scissors for hands, and fans of anyone in the cast will want to as well. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 No official reason is given, but it's most likely for brief sexuality, some violence, and some language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JOHNNY DEPP plays Edward Scissorhands, a young man who has lived alone for years in a deceased inventor's castle, with scissors for hands, since the inventor died before he could give him his real hands. He is brought to suburbia by an Avon saleswoman who believes he should not be alone, and learns about all the different customs inherent among these rows of houses. His presence also breathes new life into the residents, as some take action on things they've not done. WINONA RYDER plays Kim, daughter to Peg and Bill, who meets Edward and is unsure of him at first, but soon sees the magic that he brings to suburban life, even when no one else seems to notice. DIANNE WIEST plays Peg, an Avon saleswoman who drives up to the castle on the mountain, hoping to make at least one sale for the day, and encounters Edward, living alone. She decides to bring him home and introduces him to her family, and soon everyone in the neighborhood is meeting Edward. She becomes less sure of Edward when it's believed that he committed a crime that wasn't at all his doing. ALAN ARKIN plays Bill, Peg's husband, and father to Kim and Kevin, who is amazed at Edward's skills in trimming bushes, and likes having him around. He soon tries to encourage Edward not to give his work away for free and get involved in starting his own business, but soon becomes doubtful of Edward after he's apparently involved in a criminal act that wasn't even his doing. ANTHONY MICHAEL HALL plays Jim, Kim's boyfriend, who is at first amused upon seeing Edward, but believes that he could be of use in stealing things from his father's recreational room in order to get money for those items. He becomes more and more hateful of Edward as Kim gets to know him and begins to defend him. KATHY BAKER plays Joyce, one of the gossipy women of the neighborhood, who is inspired by Edward's skills with scissors to open her own beauty salon, but sees more in Edward than just that, trying to come on to him sexually. She smokes at least once and is never seen without her cigarette. ROBER OLIVERI plays Kevin, Peg and Bill's son and Kim's brother, who's awed by Edward's blades and what he does with them, and takes him to show-and-tell at his school. CONCHATA FERRELL plays Helen, one of the busybody women of the neighborhood who, like the others, loves what Edward does for her front yard as well as her hair, but soon begins to see Edward less favorably after an apparent attempted robbery. She misconstrues all that she hears when she decides, like the other women, that life would be better if Edward wasn't around anymore. CAROLINE AARON plays Marge, another gossipy woman. DICK ANTHONY WILLIAMS plays Officer Allen, who arrests Edward, but expresses his concern about Edward's survival out in suburbia. O-LAN JONES plays Esmeralda, a religious zealot who sees Edward as an arrival from Hell, and tries fervently to convince everyone of it. VINCENT PRICE plays The Inventor, who created Edward in the confines of his castle, but died CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG-13-rated dramedy. Profanity consists of at least 1 "s" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are spoken. Sexually-related material includes cleavage seen, and one character trying to come on to another by getting on top of him. Violence consists of hitting with a few sticks, and hard pushing, as well as accidents with blades, some of which have bloody results. Alcohol is consumed by a few people, and one character appears drunk, while there's some smoking content. Various characters display varying degrees of disrespect and bad attitudes, while some potentially imitative behavior is present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light, that occurs when one of the characters walks out of a house surrounded at the front by police, and beams from the police cars shine in the person's face. Those beams are also seen from the character's point of view. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Edward pops open a beer can for a guy at a barbecue. Bill pours Edward and himself a drink behind his bar in the basement, and says to Edward, "Here, this will straighten you out." Edward asks what it is, and Bill says, deadpan, "Lemonade." Bill drinks twice from his glass, and Edward looks up slowly after drinking from his, teary-eyed, and gasping slowly. Bill responds, "Good, isn't it?" Edward falls down from the effects of the drink. Jim drinks from a booze bottle in the van, and a friend drinks from a beer can. His friend says, "I feel like I'm going to pass out or puke or something." Jim says, "Later. First take me to her house." His friend replies, "Come on, Jim, don't make me drive." Jim exclaims, "Just do it!" The friend replies, "Jesus. Maybe she was right about you." Jim yells, "Just drive!" and drinks again from his bottle. Jim's friend drives the van drunkenly, swerving, knocking down a teddy bear topiary sculpture. BLOOD/GROSS STUFF There are healed scars seen on Edward's face from when he most likely nicked himself by accident with his scissorhands, while alone for a time. Edward accidentally cuts himself on his face and a red line is seen. Edward accidentally nicks himself after chopping lettuce, and some dark blood is seen on his face. Edward vomits off-camera after Joyce offers him a glass of lemonade, remembering, at least according to what Bill says, what lemonade is. Jim calls out "Hey!" and Edward accidentally slashes Kim across the hand out of surprise. Blood is seen. We see the blood more closely on Kim's hand after she sits down in the house. As Peg tends to Kim's wound, she says to her, "All that blood, sweetie, and it's just a little cut." Edward touches his blade across the inventor's cheek, leaving a mark of blood. We see the blood on three of Edward's blades. Jim drinks from a booze bottle in the van, and a friend drinks from a beer can. His friend says, "I feel like I'm going to pass out or puke or something." Jim knocks Edward down and shoves him to the ground repeatedly. As Jim tries to punch him, Edward slashes him across the arm, and blood is seen. Edward walks over to Kim, and as another character approaches, he sticks him through the stomach with a blade. The guy then falls out a window and we see blood on his shirt from up high, and then a closer shot of it, as well as blood on his right hand. We see blood on a shoulder of Kim's white dress, as well as faded spots further down. We see the blood more prominently in another shot. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Jim, Kim's boyfriend, is first amused by Edward's presence in the neighborhood, teasing Kim about him liking her. But he also believes that Edward would be useful in his attempt to steal electronics from his father's room in order to rack up enough money to get a van for him and Kim. However, Jim locks Edward in that room after they arrive at the house and the police pick him up. Soon, Jim becomes violent toward Edward for how close he seems to have gotten to Kim, and tells him that he doesn't belong in the neighborhood. He also commands a friend to drive the van, even though his friend appears drunk and doesn't want to. The residents of the neighborhood like having Edward around, especially to improve their gardens and in essence, push forth their stagnant lives. But when Edward gets in trouble for a criminal act he did not commit, they're increasingly displeased with Edward being around, and the gossipy women of the neighborhood especially misconstrue what Edward has done, to serve their own hunger for information, no matter if it's incorrect. One woman named Joyce is especially complicit in this since she comes on to Edward and then when he walks quickly away from her advances, she makes it seem like Edward was the one who attacked her. Some viewers may not appreciate the portrayal of a religious zealot, living alone, playing an organ. After spotting Edward, she walks up to the backyard of the Boggs family, saying, "It's not Heaven he's from. It's straight from the stinking flames of hell. The power of Satan is in him, I can feel it. Have you poor sheep strayed from so far from the path?" After she leaves, Bill says to Edward, "Don't worry about her, Edward, she's just an old loony, that's all." The woman says to a group of gossipy housewives at Peg's door, "He has been sent first to tempt you, but it's not too late. You must push him from you; expel him. Trample down the perversion of nature." Later, when the whole of suburbia is suddenly displeased by Edward's presence, she tells the other women, "I warned you, didn't I? I saw the sign of Satan on him. You didn't heed my warning, but now you will, because now you can see it too." And later, after Edward's quick walk trying to get out of the neighborhood, she says to the jabbering women, "You see, I told you he was a demon." Joyce says to Peg, "Why Peg, have you gone blind? Can't you see there's a vehicle in my driveway?" When Peg answers affirmatively, Joyce says, "Well I'm surprised you don't realize that means I'm busy," and slams the door. The girl Peg is trying to sell Avon products to says she likes both lipsticks offered, but says, "You don't actually think I have any money, do you?" All this while using the nail polish provided by Peg. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Blood/Gross Stuff" and "Violence" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Edward's somewhat dead-looking appearance, along with his blades for hands, could have the same effect on those same viewers. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns: Used to threaten, attempt to wound and to attempt to stave off the curiosities of a growing crowd. See "Violence" for details. A policeman fires a few shots in the air in front of the castle to make the suburban populace think something was done about Edward. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "I'd give my left nut to see that again," "You don't understand, the only thing he hangs on to tighter is his d*ck," "Oh my goodness," "Avon calling," "Oh, my," "Oh, damn," "I'll be darned," "My goodness," "My goodness sake," "Knock it off, bubble butt," "I'm just as pleased as punch," "Simmer down," "Shut up!" "Who the hell do you think you are…" "Get the hell out of here!" "Get the hell out!" and "Freak!" Some kids may be enticed to try to imitate Edward trimming bushes (into topiary figures), dogs and even human hair with blades. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of ominous and suspenseful music occurs in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 "s" word, 1 slang term for male genitals ("d*ck"), 6 damns, 5 hells, and 1 use each of "God," "Jesus," "Oh for God sakes" and "What in God's name…" SEX/NUDITY Joyce wears a loose yellow sweater that shows her bare shoulders, tight aqua-colored pants, and heels. She says to the dishwasher repairman suggestively, "Well on TV, they say you repairmen are a lonely bunch of people; housewives get lonely too, although you may not realize it since they haven't made a commercial on the subject." Two of the clippings from magazines Edward has posted to a board shows a bare-chested man wearing a bathing suit, and a woman wearing underwear, showing much leg, and a top that shows a bit of her midriff. A photo of Kim shows her wearing a dress for the junior prom that reveals a bit of cleavage. Joyce says to the women next to her about Edward, "Do you imagine those hands are hot or cold? And just think what a single snip could do." "Or undo," Helen replies, and the women laugh. Kim takes off her shirt, revealing an undershirt that shows some cleavage. Jim picks Kim up, and her blue panties are seen. Joyce moans suggestively during her haircut, and her toes curl. Joyce takes off her green jacket, revealing a bit of cleavage. She gets on top of Edward, telling him, "I've been waiting for this moment for so long." She uses two of Edward's blades to pop off her outfit and unzip it, revealing a black, lacy bra. Then she and Edward fall back in the chair. Edward walks quickly out of the salon and Joyce comes out from the back room, calling after Edward, and more cleavage is seen. After arriving at the diner where the Boggs are, he tells them about his day, mentions the salon, and says about Joyce, "…she showed me the back room where she took all of her clothes off." Jim says about Edward's televised accident, "I wish we'd been taping that. I'd give my left nut to see that again." Jim, in response to Kim asking if he can just take the key to his father's room when he's sleeping, says, "You don't understand, the only thing he hangs on to tighter is his d*ck." SMOKING Joyce smokes at least once, and is never seen without her cigarette. TENSE FAMILY SCENES There's some tension between the Boggs during Bill quizzing Edward about ethics. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Edward has lived alone in the castle on the hill for years and is suddenly thrust into suburbia, which he has apparently dreamed about, based on the clippings he's posted on a board in the fireplace. Edward wants to fit into the neighborhood and is accepted by everyone from the start, but that acceptance soon turns sour when Edward is believed to be involved in certain acts that were not his doing. Johnny Depp's talent for playing unconventional characters. Director Tim Burton's forays into imagination, as well as his collaborations with Depp, which have resulted in those interesting characters. VIOLENCE In the car, Edward accidentally bumps his face against the window, trying to get a closer look at a house. Kim screams upon seeing Edward, and runs out of her room. Edward tries to get up, and pokes lots of holes in the waterbed in the process. One of Edward's blades accidentally touches the microphone cord, which sparks, and he falls backward in his chair. Edward scratches the walls and doors with his blades as he walks to the bathroom, as well as the bathroom wall when he looks in the mirror, and we see the scratches. Jim calls out "Hey!" and Edward accidentally slashes Kim across the hand out of surprise. Jim pushes Edward hard and exclaims, "Get the hell out of here!" Kim pushes Jim as she tells him to go. Edward slices a leg off a topiary sculpture as he walks quickly. He also slashes a car tire, flattening it. Edward frantically tries to find out if Kevin is ok, but ends up slashing him across the face a few times, forgetting that he doesn't have hands. Edward accidentally slashes a man across the chest. Jim knocks Edward down and shoves him to the ground repeatedly. As Jim tries to punch him, Edward slashes him across the arm, and blood is seen. A character fires a shot at Edward. Kim pushes his arm away and he fires a shot in the air, which causes part of the roof of the mansion to fall on Edward. Edward tries to crawl away, but the guy kicks him in the stomach. He then takes a stick from the fireplace and hits Edward on the back and the head repeatedly. Kim then takes a piece of wood and hits the guy on the back, causing him to fall to the floor. She holds Edward's blades up to the guy's neck and says, "Stop it, or I'll kill you myself." He then slaps Kim and kicks her away. Edward walks over to her and as the guy approaches, he sticks him through the stomach with a blade. He then falls out a window. Reviewed off DVD / Posted June 25, 2010