Big Fish

2003

5/5 Stars

Tim Burton’s adaptation of Daniel Wallace’s novel tells the life story of Edward Bloom, a charismatic southerner with a penchant for storytelling. Set mostly in Alabama, the American South plays a major role in the film. There is some irony here as the two stars that portray Bloom- Ewan McGregor as a young man and Albert Finney as an older one- are not even American (Scottish and English, respectively).

This does not matter much, however, as both performances are excellent. Fortunately for the audience, most all of the performances in the film are done very well. The women in the movie are memorable. Jessica Lange and the ever impressive Marion Cotillard play the loving wives to Edward and his son Will. They portray their characters as strong, graceful women, but their different approaches reflect their completely different backgrounds (Lange’s Sandra is born and raised in the American South while Cotillard’s Josephine is a world travelling Frenchwoman). Other notable performances come from Helena Bonham Carter (a Burton favorite), Steve Buscemi (as a failed poet), and Loudon Wainwright (as a creepy but benevolent mayor of a small town).

The main plot deals with a son on a quest to find who is father is. This is accomplished through fantasy vignettes and stories that flesh out “Edward Bloom”. Tim Burton’s distinctive style is well suited to tell these larger-than-life tall tales. These pieces can often be funny, but what makes them memorable are the morals and life-lessons to take away from them. Like all good stories and fairytales, these are the themes that resonate and matter. While the stories themselves are often fantastical, Burton never gets overly preachy or ham-handed in his presentation of the morals behind them. In simultaneously telling the (less fantastical) story of Edward’s present “reality” through the eyes of straight-laced Will, Burton gives the audience a fuller picture of who this character is.

By the film’s finale, the audience comes to realize how much they have come to care about these people. The results are emotionally powerful - particularly for anyone who has loved or been close to a gifted storyteller. There is a great deal of wisdom in the stories told here, but most central is the idea that the love you give and the relationships you have are what matter most in the end.