As ‘Beetlejuice’ returns, conjure up Winona Ryder’s best film roles
Iconic actress Winona Ryder makes a return to her breakout role — Lydia Deetz — in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” teaming up with director Tim Burton and co-stars Michael Keaton and Catherine O’Hara some 36 years after the original film made Ryder a household name and the ultimate quirky cool girl.
Though she made her film debut in the 1986 film “Lucas,” opposite Corey Haim, it was 1988’s “Beetlejuice” that put Ryder on the map, and her career throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s is replete with dark comedies and emotional dramas that have stood the test of time. So in honor of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” take a spin through the best of Winona Ryder on streaming.
Of course, start with “Beetlejuice” to prep for the legasequel. This silly-goth death comedy is a millennial childhood staple and spawned an animated series and cult following. Stream it for a revisit on Max or rent it elsewhere.
Ryder followed that up with the dark high school comedy “Heathers,” written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann in 1989. Co-starring Shannen Doherty, Christian Slater, Lisanne Falk and Kim Walker, “Heathers” is the blueprint for every irreverent high school comedy that came after. Pay your respects and stream it on Prime Video, the Roku Channel or Tubi.
In 1990, Ryder reunited with her “Beetlejuice” director Burton on “Edward Scissorhands,” another darkly gorgeous suburban Gothic fantasy, starring Johnny Depp in the title role. Stream it on Disney+ or rent it elsewhere. Speaking of darkly gorgeous Gothic fantasies, Ryder co-starred in the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola adaptation “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” Derided at the time, the film has since been reappraised for its lush costume and production design. It’s a visual (blood) feast. Stream it on MGM+ or rent it elsewhere.
Ryder then went on to work with another darling of New Hollywood, Martin Scorsese, in his sumptuous romantic period piece “The Age of Innocence” (1993), adapted from the 1920 Edith Wharton novel, and starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer. Ryder received a best supporting actress Oscar nomination, and the film also received nominations for the screenplay, score, art direction and won the Oscar for costume design. Stream “The Age of Innocence” on Prime Video, the Roku Channel or rent it.
She also received a best actress Oscar nomination for her subsequent film, Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott book “Little Women,” in which Ryder played Jo March. Stream it on MGM+ or rent.
No list of the best of Ryder would be complete without the Gen X-defining text, “Reality Bites” (1994), written by Helen Childress, and directed by, of course, Ben Stiller, in his debut (he also co-stars). Ryder stars as Lelaina, a floundering filmmaker finding her way post-college in Houston, navigating dating and friendships, and the dangerously attractive Troy (Ethan Hawke). Stream “Reality Bites” for a dose of ‘90s nostalgia on Netflix.
This list would also not be complete without “Girl, Interrupted,” the 1999 film by James Mangold, based on the memoir by Susanna Kaysen, about a young woman who spends 18 months at a psychiatric hospital. The film stars a murderer’s row of hot young ‘90s actors, and won Angelina Jolie her Oscar. Stream it on Max or rent.
Though Ryder took a break in the early 2000s, she’s come back in recent years, obviously with Netflix’s smash hit supernatural ‘80s-set series “Stranger Things,” but also with smaller films, like the charming 2018 rom-com “Destination Wedding,” starring her “Dracula” co-star Keanu Reeves (streaming on Starz) and Darren Aronofsky’s ballet horror “Black Swan” (2010), starring Natalie Portman (streaming on Max). So take a turn through a retrospective of Winona Ryder’s best, in celebration of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
