The Tim Burton production they tried to forget is actually a pretty entertaining odd little fantasy movie. Released in 1994, it stars Chris Elliot as the "fancy lad" who mistakenly gets on a boat and encounters salty fishermen, a shark/human hybrid, giants and David Letterman asking him "Would you like to buy a monkey?" (a line Letterman famously riffed on when he hosted the Oscars the next year).

The film has a similar free-wheeling structure to Burton's own Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and Big Fish, though without the level of wit of those films. Another connection is that the score is by longtime Elfman orchestrator, Steve Bartek. Despite this, the film has its own colorfully surreal style.

As with Batman Forever, Burton actually had little to do with the film, other than lending his name. The films lacks the originality and vision that Burton would have brought if he had directed it or taken a more hands-on approach. However, it's still a fun movie and has some wonderfully delirious visuals sprinkled throughout, which makes it worth seeking out for those who enjoy "dumb" comedies.

Arran McDermott 2006

You can see screencaps from the DVD here.