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Big Fish
2003
Edward Bloom has always told tall tales of his life, that charm everyone apart from his son Will. When Will's mother Sandra tries to bring the pair back together, Will must try and learn what parts of his father's epic tales of giants, witches and blizzards are fact and which are fiction. Read more
| Starring | Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange |
|---|---|
| Director | Tim Burton |
| Genres | Drama |
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Big Fish
Edward Bloom has always told tall tales of his life, that charm everyone apart from his son Will. When Will's mother Sandra tries to bring the pair back together, Will must try and learn what parts of his father's epic tales of giants, witches and blizzards are fact and which are fiction.
| Starring | Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonham-Carter, Robert Guillaume, Marion Cotillard |
|---|---|
| Director | Tim Burton |
| Studio | COLUMBIA TRI-STAR HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs Blu-ray: 2 hrs |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English Blu-ray: English |
| Dubbed | Hungarian, Italian |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Danish, English, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Serbian, Slovenian, Swedish Blu-ray: Italian, English |
| Released | DVD: 04 Jun 2004 Blu-ray: 09 Apr 2007 Production year: 2003 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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After his foray into the dangerous world of remakes with Planet of the Apes, director Tim Burton returns to more familiar territory — a strange place somewhere between reality and fantasy, dream and nightmare. Albert Finney plays Edward Bloom, an Alabama travelling salesman whose apparent neglect and selfishness, coupled with ridiculous stories of his exploits, have driven a wedge between him and son Will (Billy Crudup). Called to his father's deathbed, Will is infuriated when his wife is regaled with tall tales in which young Edward (Ewan McGregor) encounters a giant, a witch, a shape-changing circus ringmaster and a big fish no one can catch. Intent on exposing his father, the disgruntled son sets out to learn the truth. Despite being confined to his bed, Finney conjures up the charisma of the fabulist — brought to life in flashback by McGregor, performing his familiar, but effective, cheeky chappie routine. Essentially a road movie, Big Fish drifts colourfully along, but ultimately lacks the edge that made Edward Scissorhands so powerful, as well as so strange.
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Meandering and unenlightening whimsy, though its cast search valiantly for some meaning in Burton's light, bright fantasies.
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Most helpful member's review
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84 out of 90 people found this review helpful
Real life and fantasy in one great movie
Tim Burton is well known for his amazing directorial skills, and all of his movies are extremely visual. From Edward Scissorhands to Nightmare Before Christmas, he stamps his mark of 'oddness' on everything he is involved with.
Big Fish is no different, though it may surprise some of his fans. Although fantastical in places (giants, witches, hidden villiages, siamese twins, and floods of biblical proportions), the story is essentially very human, very emotional, and very true-to-life.
The acting is commendable all around, Ewen McGregor's trademark grin flashing through his lines with delight, while Finney (playing the same character, older) lends a heaviness of years and illness to the part without ever becoming depressing - the tearful portions of the film WILL have you reaching for a hankie, but are never overstretched.
While not completely mystifying, Big Fish does leave you with some questions, and your interpretation may not be the same as the people you watch it with.
Well acted, beautifully shot, and masterfully directed. An utterly joyful movie to immerse yourself in. -
Most recent members' review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Usual Tim Burton surrealism. A charming tale of life and its misunderstandings. Not mind blowing but enjoyable and worth 2 hours of your time.
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