Have you ever heard a joke so many times it got old, then you hear it again and it’s funny all over again? That is the gist of the movie Big Fish, an ultra creative fantasy tale about a man living out the last of his days and his larger than life story of how he lived life to its fullest. A very enjoyable fable that might have you shed a tear before it’s over. Here is my take on Big Fish

The Players:

Ewan McGregor - Ed Bloom (Young)
Albert Finney - Ed Bloom (Senior)
Billy Crudup - Will Bloom
Jessica Lange - Sandra Bloom
Helena Bonham Carter - Jenny (Young & Senior) & The Witch
Alison Lohman - Sandra Templeton Bloom
Robert Guillaume - Dr. Bennett (Senior)
Marion Cotillard - Josephine
Matthew McGrory - Karl the Giant
Steve Buscemi - Norther Winslow
Danny DeVito - Amos Calloway

The Play:

Edward Bloom has lived quite a life, and boy does he tell everyone about it, fascinating with every breath and always enjoyable for his listeners, all but one. His son Will begins resenting his father because he repeats himself over and over with these overblown fantasy tales about the people he met, the things he did and the places he visited, all seem mythical rather than real, all Will wants is for once to talk to his dad and know exactly what happened, but Ed continues with his story-telling ways resulting in the two ceasing to speak to one another for several years.

When WIll finds out his dad is dying he and his fiancee rush to his home for support and togetherness. There, Ed continues to tell his stories to his son and daughter in law and that’s when we begin to see the life of Ed Bloom.

Ed was born into greatness, he lived in a small town and was destined for larger things. He was successful at everything he did at school, athletically and academically, resulting in him becoming a local hero and jealousy from some of his friends. When Ed decides he wore out his welcome he decides to leave town for bigger things, but not before saving the town from a huge angry giant whom he befriends and leaves with. He lives in a mellow town for a while where everything is happy and peachy all the time, but he gets tired of it and re-joins his giant named Karl for more escapades.

They both show up at a circus headed by Amos Calloway and his giant becomes a hit. Ed spots the woman he is going to marry and agrees to work for free so that Amos can tell him a fact about her every month. After about 6 months Amos finally tells him everything about Sandra and he meets her and essentially proposes to her, unfortunately she is engaged to a boy Ed knew from high school, the one resentful of his success. After a quarrel, Ed wins Sandra’s heart and they marry.

Through war and his salesman days, Ed continues his remarkable journey through life and how everyone appreciated and respected him. Will is still not convinced and still angry that he doesn’t know the truth. It’s not until his father is living out the last minutes of his life and asks Will to tell him how he actually passes away when Will gets an epiphany and understands what his father’s stories were all about. Will tells him he carries him into the lake and everyone Ed met is there cheering, not a somber mood but jubilant, Will lays him to rest in the lake where he becomes a big fish. “It’s unbelievable” says Will to which Ed replies “Story of my life” which is a good summation of his life.

The Good:

This movie is a bit reminiscent of Forrest Gump, a fantasy tale of mythical proportions that’s enjoyable and entertaining to watch. A well entwined storyline of father and son trying to bond and the realization that the reason why they didn’t bond before, the fictional stories, actually brought them together in the end. The message carried in the film can be interpreted several different ways, to me the message is keep telling your friends and family stories about your life but tell them in a way that would cement the life in their heads, in an overblown fictional way that would spur their imagination, that way they would become immortal long after your passing to the afterlife, to make your loved ones remember you incredible journey through life. Some may question the symbolism of a big fish to the story, I believe a big fish represents our lives and the small lake is our journey, the people and the places we travel through life, it represents the fact our lives are grand and the world in our imaginations is small.

Top notch acting by the 2 characters playing Ed at different life stages. Finney is superb and funny, very believable performance of a man whose dying and the strength he gets from retelling his stories. McGregor, who appears for most of the movie is charming and powerful, boasting a great southern accent and he just fits the role to a tee. Jessica Lange is still as sexy as her younger days, very sultry and emotional, she does well in a limited role. Lohman is perfectly suited for her role, not only she resembles Lange as a young woman but she holds her own in a reserved and heartwarming performance. Great supporting characters in the film, Devito is magnificent as the shady Circus owner who’s really a werwolf, and Steve Buscemi, the terrible playwright who resort to robbing banks and then hits it big on Wall Street. McGrory, the giant performs well in a role suited for his stature, Gillaume in a limited role is ideal for the doctor role and Carter is adorable and superb, using her classical training to play the witch and the other love interest for Ed.

With any fantasy tale, the visuals need to be pleasing to the eye, no exception here, beautiful cinematography and great looking production sets makes this a colorful and beautiful compliment to a fantastic story. Great camera work and CGI showing the giant being that much taller and making twins see like siamese twins joined at the hip with one pair of legs.

Another good compliment is the music, southern country sounds that embody the spirit of the south in the 60s and 70s, including Ramblin’ Man and Let’s Work Together, along with the Elvis Classic All Shook Up. This along with a nice score by Danny Elfman.

The Bad:

This is a Tim Burton Movie, and though not as eccentric as Beetlejuice or Corpse Bride, this is still his vision and he does seem to go a bit overboard at times with his ideas, some people may not appreciate that and not like his style in this film as well. Those will little imagination might find this fictional tale boring and overbearing, and for those people I would say open up your minds and soak in the beauty and joy portrayed in the film.

Mine main gripe is the performance of Billy Crudop, not to say it was bad, but the character he plays is very disturbing and not likable at all, the viewer will likely not sympathize with him and really scold him for his detached emotional existence from his father. He does come to realize what his father was all about, but by that time it’s too little too late for us to like him.

I felt Cottilard’s performance was weak and her casting was weak. Her character inclusion in the film was unnecessary and her being foreign just struck me the wrong way, reminded me of Pulp Fiction and Bruce Willis’ wife Fabian’s French character, annoying and unnecessary to the plot.

Overall Grade:

4.0 of 5

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older