Part of Holiday Classics
When a mad scientist assembling artificial human life dies before finishing his final project, Edward (Johnny Depp) is mostly complete but left with sharp blades where his hands should be. Unphased by his freakish appearance upon finding him abandoned, Peg (Dianne Wiest) – a congenial suburban saleswoman – invites Edward to come stay with her family, where he soon falls for her daughter Kim (Wionna Ryder). Edward proves to be a handy addition to the neighborhood, but not everyone easily warms to his welcome.
Notably EDWARD SCISSORHANDS marks the beginning of the prodigious professional relationship between director Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.
“Perhaps only Tim Burton, fresh from his BATMAN bonanza, could have the clout to make such a defiantly vulnerable curio as EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. And perhaps only this former animator could make it work so beautifully. A witty comedy of manners that arcs into poignance, this is a Christmas movie only a Grinch could hate.” —Richard Corliss, TIME (Dec 10, 1990) “Like a great chef concocting an exquisite peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich, Mr. Burton invests awe-inspiring ingenuity into the process of reinventing something very small. In the case of EDWARD SCISSORHANDS…that something is a tale of misunderstood gentleness and stifled creativity, of civilization's power to corrupt innocence, of a heedless beauty and a kindhearted beast.” —Janet Maslin, New York Times (Dec 7, 1990) “Coming off BATMAN’s incredible success, he has made his most heartfelt film yet…. I loved the film simply for the character of Edward, who is Burton’s purest achievement as a director so far. As an image, a presence, he’s at once poetic and heartbreaking, and the innocent aggression implicit in his hands creates undercurrents of rich, subversive comedy.” —Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly (Dec 7, 1990)
