Big Fish

Review by: Bruce Bluett
(BruceBluett@TheCinemaSource.com)

Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) has lived a full and adventurous life. He is loved for his personality and his stories. Edward’s wandering ways leave him as an enigma to his son William (Billy Crudup). For all of his life, William has listened to his father’s fantastic stories, believing every word. As Edward’s life is winding down, William searches for the truth from his father. Are there truths in the tall tales his father tells? Can William know his father before it’s too late?

Although the central focus of the story is the father and son relationship between William and Edward, we are taken through the course of Edward’s extraordinary life. Sequences from Edward’s memory are how we learn of the mythic scope of the man that is Edward Bloom. This is essentially a story about stories; how myths, legends, and fairy tales surround a family. Tim Burton’s creations for the larger than life stories of Edward Bloom are flawless and heartfelt. There was no one better qualified to enhance the reality and fantastical aspects of these sequences than Burton. An innocent and childlike quality pervades these stories, which span from witches, giants, and the circus. All of these things are presented in a humorous yet intriguing manner that is signature Burton.

Young Edward Bloom (Ewan McGregor) began his life as the hero of his small town. Ever since his childhood, Edward has conquered his fears and embraced the unknown. He decides he must leave the small town for a world that is more fit to his ambition; he is a “big fish” in a small pond. What follows is the story of a life that rises above all rhyme and reason.

He meets an extraordinary cast of supporting characters including the giant Karl (Mathew McGrory), and the natives of the mystic town of Spectre Jenny (Helena Bonham Carter) and Norther Wilson (Steve Buscemi). Edward also finds himself ending up in a circus under the employment of the Ringmaster Amos (Danny DeVito).

For me to even attempt to go into the plot any further would surely spoil what is an overwhelmingly endearing story. This film relies so heavily on the visualizations of these stories, that my words on the screen will not do them justice. Big Fish offers a tremendous cast, and a beautifully shot film. You will be immersed in a world that seems like it could be the one in which you live, but this is a place where magic happens everyday. This is the perfect film for a family, especially a father and son.

I highly recommend this film to people of all ages. The theatres have been inundated with movies with epic battle sequences and weak storytelling as of late. Big Fish successfully pulls us to a world of beauty and love, and through this we learn the value ...