Michael Keaton: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

3. Beetlejuice - Beetlejuice (1988)

Beetlejuice is the opposite of a straight-laced fuddy duddy. In fact, Beetlejuice is probably the part that convinced everybody that Keaton could go further than even his earlier comedic roles suggested, as he brought the sort of manic energy to this early Tim Burton film that Johnny Depp €“ let's be honest €“ has been trying to imitate ever since. Hopefully saying his name a third time isn't going to conjure up the demonic maniac trickster god into being, but man, Beetlejuice is a great film. The whole cast is pretty stellar, with Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as the tragic couple doomed to haunt the home they died in, and Winona Ryder the mopey teen who moves in with her warring parents. His name is in the title, though, and it's really Beetlejuice's show. Which is to say it's Keaton's show. Where did he even manage to pull that amount of energy from, that terrifying grin, that whole performance? Not a clue. But it's incredible. Roll on, Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian...