Poster © 20th Century Fox. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreDrama, Fantasy & Romance
RatedNot Rated
Runtime1 hr 45 mins
ReleasedDecember 7, 1990
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorTim Burton
StarringJohnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest
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Edward Scissorhands (1990)
| ▶Stream It | ★The Numbers |
| 🎫Get Tickets | ✎Edit History |
| iIMDb Profile | %Rotten Tomatoes |
| WWikipedia | LLetterboxd |
| TTMDB | +Add to Top 8 |
| Edward Scissorhands's Details | |
| Genre | Drama, Fantasy & Romance |
| Rated | Not Rated |
| Released | 12/06/1990 (Los Angeles); 12/07/1990 (United States, limited); 12/14/1990 (United States, wide) |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 1 hr 45 mins |
| Budget | $20M (reported) |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Edward Scissorhands's Interests | |
| General | Topiary, pastel houses, Avon samples, dog grooming, waterbeds, very bold haircuts, cookie machines. |
| Music | Danny Elfman, with a choir that sounds exactly like snowfall. |
| Movies | Beetlejuice (1988). Burton again, Winona again, more ghosts. |
| Television | Wednesday. Tim Burton, still rooting for the outsider. |
| Heroes | Edward. Kind, shy, and the best hairstylist in the county. |
| Edward Scissorhands's Crew | |
| Director | Tim Burton |
| Writers | Caroline Thompson, Tim Burton (story), Caroline Thompson (story) |
| Producers | Denise Di Novi, Tim Burton |
| Cinematography | Stefan Czapsky |
| Music | Danny Elfman |
| Edited By | Richard Halsey |
| Production | 20th Century Fox |
| Distributed By | 20th Century Fox |
Nobody in this pastel suburb asks why the quiet stranger has garden shears for fingers; they just book him for haircuts. That’s the joke and the heartbreak of Edward Scissorhands, and Tim Burton nails both for about an hour. Johnny Depp plays Edward like a lost kitten in a buckled leather suit, all wide eyes and nervous snipping. Dianne Wiest is the sweetest mom in any Burton movie, adopting a stranger the way you’d bring home a stray. Vincent Price gets a few minutes as the inventor and makes you wish he had the whole film. The ice sculpture scene is one of the prettiest things Burton ever shot. Then the second half shows up. Anthony Michael Hall’s Jim is a villain flatter than a hedge, and the romance with Kim goes from zero to forever because the plot needs it to. It made $86 million worldwide. A 7.7 because the magic is real even when the story takes shortcuts. $2,929 says you stare at a hedge this week and wonder what Edward would make of it.
What works: Depp’s gentle, nearly silent performance, Dianne Wiest’s warmth, and a pastel suburb that looks like a candy store with a mean streak.
What doesn’t: Jim is a one-note bully, and the romance between Edward and Kim jumps ahead faster than the movie has earned.
Who it’s for: Anyone who felt like the odd one out in their neighborhood, and fans of fairy tales with a sad streak.
Spoilers
The town turns on Edward, Jim attacks him at the mansion, and Edward defends Kim, with Jim falling from a window. Kim tells everyone Edward is gone for good, and years later, as an old woman, she tells her granddaughter that the snow still falling over town comes from Edward carving ice up on the hill.
Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest) sells Avon door to door, and when nobody in her pastel suburb is buying, she tries the gloomy mansion on the hill. Inside she finds Edward (Johnny Depp), a gentle young man built by an old inventor (Vincent Price) who never got around to giving him hands. He has scissors instead. Peg brings him home, and the neighbors cannot get enough of him, especially once he starts sculpting their hedges. Peg's daughter Kim (Winona Ryder) and her boyfriend Jim (Anthony Michael Hall) are a lot less excited. Tim Burton directs. One hundred five minutes, perfectly trimmed.
Anyone with an overgrown hedge and an open mind. Hugs are complicated.
| Johnny Depp | Edward Scissorhands |
| Winona Ryder | Kim Boggs |
| Dianne Wiest | Peg Boggs |
| Anthony Michael Hall | Jim |
| Vincent Price | The Inventor |
| Alan Arkin | Bill Boggs |
| Robert Oliveri | Kevin Boggs |
| Kathy Baker | Joyce Monroe |
| Conchata Ferrell | Helen |
| Susan Blommaert | Tinka |
| Caroline Aaron | Marge |
| O-Lan Jones | Esmeralda |
| Dick Anthony Williams | Officer Allen |
| John Davidson | a television host |
| Peter Palmer | an editor |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 17 October 2026 DataBot +480 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $86M; Domestic box office $56.4M; Opening weekend $160K; Profit / loss (est.) +$13M; Rotten Tomatoes 92%; CinemaScore A−; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes critics 92% (71 reviews); Metacritic 74 / 100; CinemaScore A−; IMDb users 7.8 / 10 (572,127 votes); movie.guru score 8.2.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 17 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.