EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990) (****)

A seminal film in the career of Tim Burton, it established the filmmaker as an auteur. The unique fable also made a movie star of Johnny Depp and established a filmmaker and actor collaboration that has been a creative windfall since. The title character has been a pop culture icon.

A lonely inventor (Vincent Price, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL) creates a young man from spare parts. Before he was able to give Edward (Depp) real hands to replace his scissor fingers, the old man dies, leaving Edward all alone. Peg (Dianne Wiest, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY) is an Avon saleswoman in an Easter egg colored suburb. Desperate for new clients, she visits the mysterious mansion of the inventor and is taken by the shy, scarred Edward. She takes him home and tries to make him feel at home, but Edward is not prepared for the modern world and the scuttlebutt his presence creates.

Quickly his skills at topiary design and later hairstyling will endear him with the women of the 'burbs, especially the hot-to-trot Joyce (Kathy Baker, THE RIGHT STUFF). But when Peg's beautiful daughter Kim (Winona Ryder, LITTLE WOMEN) returns from a trip with friends, she is frightened by the freakish young man with wild black hair. Kim's jock boyfriend Jim (Anthony Michael Hall, THE BREAKFAST CLUB) ridicules Edward and then uses him.

This classic fish-out-of-water tale shows how the unusual Edward as a curiosity at first and then becomes a freak when the community can't manipulate him the way they want. However, as everyone begins to turn on Edward, Kim starts to see his heart. Her family has the best intentions for him. Her father Bill (Alan Arkin, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE) just loves to give Edward practical advice that Edward barely understands. Peg tries to help Edward assimilate, but she is too goodhearted to see how the community has turned into a lynch mob. The underlining message of the hypocrisy of the cookie cutter suburbs is brilliantly told.

Depp's performance is remarkable. He creates an original character, filled with oddness, humor and heart. But he never stretches for any of it. His portrayal of the misunderstood hero embodies the mix of the macabre, quirky and sentimental that would become the signature tone of Tim Burton's work. His supporting cast plays his perfect opposite. Wiest makes Peg a truly good person, a bit naïve and a follower maybe, but also determined to do the right thing. Arkin's droll performance provides some of the biggest laughs in the film. Ryder has the perfect look for the iconic beauty that captures Edward's heart. It's not a challenging role, but her presence is perfect.

In the end, the story becomes a moving love story about looking beyond appearances. The tale has a poetic ending via a beautiful fantastic image. Snow has never tasted so bittersweet or romantic.