Big Fish Details

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.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Tales of the unexpected

It feels strange to me that a maker of movies, the hugely imaginative Tim Burton , seems to be advocating a way of communicating that would mean bypassing the cinema altogether, by using the power of words and our own imaginations. Will (Billy Crudup) is alienated from his Father Ed (Albert Finney-brilliant) because of his propensity for telling tall tales and always hogging the limelight, but when his father lies dying he returns to patch things up and discovers he’s the one who has been missing the magic and can spin a mean tale of his own when needed.

This being a Burton film the visuals are fantastic and there are a number of notable cameos from Steve Buscemi, Danny Devito and Jessica Lange. Ewan McGregor plays Ed in his younger days as we relive his adventures and although he doesn’t always nail the twangy accent he’s superb at displaying Ed's wide eyed enthusiasm for everything around him.

The finale is moving while never dipping us in saccharine gloop although it’s slightly compromised by the moment when Burton allows Will to glimpse the world through Ed,s eyes thus making the payoff less of an epiphany than it should have been. Still the magic of a tale is the journey it takes us on and while this one was slightly overlong I enjoyed it very much.