Tim Burton, the man behind such films as Edward Scissorhands and Mars Attacks, takes us on another imaginative journey in Big Fish, a tale about a storytelling traveling salesman nearing the end of his life and the son who seeks to know the truth behind the stories before he is lost to him forever.

       At its core, Big Fish is the touching story of a father and son trying to connect with and understand one another. Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) is the flamboyant father, larger-than-life with a cache of extraordinary life stories that may or may not be grounded in actual events. William (Billy Crudup) is his literal thinking son, a man who has grown tired of the tall tales, to the point that communication between the two of them has been non-existent at worst and strained at best. With the death of his father looming large, William feels an almost desperate need to separate fact from fiction. As the film progresses, he begins to see that the man is not as distant from the myth as one might believe, a realization that brings him to a point of reconciliation by the end of the film.

       Finney and Crudup are wonderful, capturing the uneasy relationship between father and son, the quiet tension palpable underneath the layers of grudging respect and sadness each feels. Crudup has the more difficult role here as the only voice of dissent towards a man that everyone else adores. Crudup handles the challenge well, adeptly balancing his role as antagonist with an obviously deep and abiding love for this man he feels he hardly knows. Ewan McGregor is equally impressive as the young Edward, perfectly conveying the attitude of a man blissfully aware that he is destined to be more than a big fish in a small pond. Jessica Lange, Danny Devito, Steve Buscemi, and Helena Bonham Carter turn in fine supporting performances, as well.

       Cinematically, Big Fish is a beautiful film. Burton is certainly in his element with the fantasy sequences, creating a fantastical fairytale world of witches, giants, circus freaks, Siamese singers, and, of course, a really big fish. Edward's stories mix the real and unreal and Burton captures that feeling nicely, provoking a sense of uncertainty as to what is truth and what is embellishment.

       The story stumbles at times and drifts into outright strangeness at others but, for the most part, remains engaging throughout. There are a few scenes that take a bit too long to set up, and others feel completely unnecessary (such as the scene in which the woods come to life and inexplicably attempt to kill Edward).

       Released to DVD last week, Big Fish is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 Dolby digital sound. Bonus features are plentiful with 7 featurettes broken down into two categories: The Character's Journey and The Filmmaker's Path. The Character's Journey includes 'Edward Bloom At Large', a behind the scenes look at McGregor and Finney's portrayal of the central character; 'Amos At The Circus', a look at Danny Devito's characterization of the circus ringmaster; and 'Father's and Sons' which examines the relationship of Edward and William through the eyes of Finney and Crudup. The Filmmaker's Path includes 'Tim Burton: Storyteller' which examines Burton's directorial approach to the film; 'A Fairytale World', which presents a behind the scenes look at the set pieces; 'Creature Features', offering a behind the scenes look at the creature effects; and 'The Author's Journey' which profiles Daniel Wallace, author of the book the film is based upon. Other features include Burton's commentary track, loaded with insights into the film, an interactive trivia game, and a feature that can be turned on during the film that will pop up interesting bits of cast and film information..

Overall, Big Fish is a fantastic bit of whimsy, deep-fried in Southern grace and charm. This is perhaps the most accessible, and human, Tim Burton film and is a fine return to form for arguably the most cerebral director in Hollywood.