Big Fish (2003)

This movie stinks
I like Burton's stop animation work, creative. This story is just a lot of rambling non-sense that's disjointed and boring. Oh yeh, the stories might be true in the end? Revelationary. Nothing interesting happens in this story, and the yarns aren't touching or comical. It's all a silly dance that doesn't work on any level. I'm sorry, but don't waste your time!

Imaginative Burton Tale
Based on a book by author Daniel Wallace, Tim Burton's Big Fish embodies many components of a typical Burton film--fantasy, odd characters, imagery, mystical settings--yet, in this instance, it does it with a Southern flavor. The film's main crux is a father-son struggle, and we see them struggle between what is a tall tale and what is truth, what is fact and what is fiction, and what is reality and what is exaggerated. The son, Will (Billy Crudup), has had to listen to his father's tall tales for years, and he believes that this has created a rift between he and his father for years, and that he doesn't know who his "real" father is behind all these fantastical tales. Edward Bloom, who reminisces into the past with tall tales, has many imaginative adventures, including a walk through supposedly haunted woods, an encounter with a witch and a giant man, joining a traveling circus, and trying to get the girl of his dreams.

Tim Burton's capacity to create symbolism, eccentric characters, colorful scenery and depth in this story help to make it an exceptional film. One of the more telling points of the film is when Bloom, as a youngster, goes through a dark path to find the town of Spector, a sort of Utopia, where everyone stays because they never want to leave. Bloom decides that it isn't right for him to be there, and, while leaving, he promises a young girl that he will come back to the town sometime in the future when he's "meant to" come back. While here, he also meets a struggling poet (Steve Buschemi), who he later winds up helping rob a bank. Later in the story, he realizes why he must come back to this town.

What I also enjoyed about this film is that there wasn't just an emphasis on plot and imagery; there is also some depth. Some life lessons that the son must learn are to appreciate those close to you and to have faith in something that seems far-fetched or implausible. When learning of his father's decline in health, the son attempts to tie those bonds that have kept them at a distance. He learns that truth and fantasy are closer than he thinks.

This is a unique film, with some beautiful scenery, exceptional casting, and interesting storytelling.

Imaginative Burton Tale
Based on a book by author Daniel Wallace, Tim Burton's Big Fish embodies many components of a typical Burton film--fantasy, odd characters, imagery, mystical settings--yet, in this instance, it does it with a Southern flavor. The film's main crux is a father-son struggle, and we see them struggle between what is a tall tale and what is truth, what is fact and what is fiction, and what is reality and what is exaggerated. The son, Will (Billy Crudup), has had to listen to his father's tall tales for years, and he believes that this has created a rift between he and his father for years, and that he doesn't know who his "real" father is behind all these fantastical tales. Edward Bloom, who reminisces into the past with tall tales, has many imaginative adventures, including a walk through supposedly haunted woods, an encounter with a witch and a giant man, joining a traveling circus, and trying to get the girl of his dreams.

Tim Burton's capacity to create symbolism, eccentric characters, colorful scenery and depth in this story help to make it an exceptional film. One of the more telling points of the film is when Bloom, as a youngster, goes through a dark path to find the town of Spector, a sort of Utopia, where everyone stays because they never want to leave. Bloom decides that it isn't right for him to be there, and, while leaving, he promises a young girl that he will come back to the town sometime in the future when he's "meant to" come back. While here, he also meets a struggling poet (Steve Buschemi), who he later winds up helping rob a bank. Later in the story, he realizes why he must come back to this town.

What I also enjoyed about this film is that there wasn't just an emphasis on plot and imagery; there is also some depth. Some life lessons that the son must learn are to appreciate those close to you and to have faith in something that seems far-fetched or implausible. When learning of his father's decline in health, the son attempts to tie those bonds that have kept them at a distance. He learns that truth and fantasy are closer than he thinks.

This is a unique film, with some beautiful scenery, exceptional casting, and interesting storytelling.