“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” like its namesake demon, can be deceptively, and seriously, problematic. Netflix’s “The Perfect Couple” is yet another show about a family that isn’t suitable for most other families.
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Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice – In Theaters
The entertainment industry has always been just that: an industry. While some films indeed aspire to be art, the business itself is predicated on costs, profits and the bottom line. Sure, most filmmakers want to make good movies. But the folks who sign the checks? They want successful movies.
And in the quest for the next big success, studios are dusting off successful-but-aged films — sometimes 20, 30 or 40 years old — and sequel-izing them.
But to borrow and twist a line from “Jurassic Park” (a film all about bringing old things back to life), Just because a sequel can be made, should it?
“Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” feels like pure fan service. Director Tim Burton is still the cinematic master of Edward Gorey-style gloom and guffaws. The titular antihero (whose name is actually spelled Betelgeuse) is as crass and wacky as ever. The supporting cast displays an entertaining level of dysfunction. Yes, there’s even a dance number akin to the famed “Banana Boat” number from the original “Beetlejuice” — featuring possessed performers, outsized dance moves and an earworm song in all their derivative glory.
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For those who have a soft spot for the original “Beetlejuice,” the sequel will scratch that scabby itch.
But when you scratch a scab, there will be blood. Oh, yes.
If a drama contained the same level of blood and gore as “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” I suspect that it would’ve been rated R. But because the film embraces a macabre sense of humor, the censors give it a pass. And indeed, some of the ooky elements we see here do feel cartoonish. But others can feel pulled straight out of a bloody, wince-and-turn-away exorcism movie.
And while we’re on the subject of exorcisms, let’s not forget that “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is—at least according to Lydia—a demon. And we laugh with and even root for that demon throughout much of the movie. (As a villain, he plays, at best, third fiddle here.) The film is predicated on calling on infernal players to do their mortal will—and at their own mortal peril. This is a Faustian story without much moral or a whiff of regard for real spirituality. That’s an issue worth thinking through.
I’m not immune to the dour charms of Tim Burton. But “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” like its namesake, can be deceptively problematic. And I’d think long and hard before calling it up.
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
The Perfect Couple – New Series Streaming on Netflix
They say secrets don’t make friends. But secrets also don’t make families.
Too bad Amelia didn’t learn that before she got tied up with the Winburys.
On the morning of Amelia’s wedding to Benji, the middle Winbury son, a body washed up on the shore outside the Winbury’s Nantucket manor. But not just anybody. Oh no. It’s the body of one Merritt Monaco: party girl, social media influencer, and maid of honor.
Needless to say, the nuptials did not proceed as planned.
Amelia might have been able to move on from the death of her best friend. She might have been able to accept that Merritt’s passing had been a tragic accident. But Amelia knows better.
At her rehearsal dinner the night before, Amelia had learned a life-changing secret from Merritt — one that implicated several members of Amelia’s family-to-be. The next day, as police investigated the manor for clues about what (or who) caused Merritt’s death, Benji’s mother, bestselling mystery author Greer Garrison Winbury, asks Amelia to sign a nondisclosure agreement.
It all reeks of deception. And as Amelia soon learns, nearly every member of the Winbury brood — not to mention several of their close friends — has a secret they’d like to keep, including Amelia herself.
The question that Det. Henry and Chief Carter (the police investigating Merritt’s case) have to ask themselves is this: Who among the very wealthy and very powerful Winburys would be willing to kill to keep their secrets secret?
Based on the novel of the same title by Elin Hilderbrand, Netflix’s “The Perfect Couple” explores what happens when dozens of family secrets come to light. Hearts are broken. Marriages are ruined. Lives are destroyed. All quite literally.
Tallying up the secrets alone, the Winburys have multiple extramarital affairs, premarital sex, an unplanned pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, a son who gambled away the family fortune, a covered-up suicide attempt and, of course, the murder of Merritt Monaco.
It’s unfortunate enough that viewers watch much of this play out on screen. But add in foul language, poor attitudes and vulgar behaviors. The result? Yet another show about a family that isn’t suitable for most other families.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
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Plugged In is a Focus on the Family publication designed to shine a light on the world of popular entertainment while giving families the essential tools they need to understand, navigate, and impact the culture in which they live. Through our reviews, articles and discussions, we hope to spark intellectual thought, spiritual growth and a desire to follow the command of Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
Reviews written by Paul Asay and Emily Tsaio.
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