Big Fish
Movie Review: Big Fish
Stars (Out of 10): 9.5
One Word Summary: Majestic Movie Details: Big Fish Drama MPAA RATING 110 minutes | Color WRITTEN BY DIRECTED BY THEATRICAL RELEASE Relevant Sites: Shopping: "Big Fish" Review: Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney star as Ed Bloom in Big Fish, the story of a dying father and his relationship with his son. Whether it痴 the story of the gigantic catfish his father caught the day he was born, or how he looked into the witch痴 glass eye to see how he would die, Will Bloom has heard all his father痴 tall tales and just wants to learn a little bit of the truth before his father passes on. Ed has charmed everyone he痴 ever met, but his son becomes estranged when he decides he壇 rather hear the true stories of his father痴 life than fabricated and exciting stories. Big Fish is the story of a son reliving his father痴 memories, while trying to discover his true life legacy. Somewhere between Forrest Gump and The Wizard of Oz, between the yellow brick road and that bus stop in Alabama, between all the great movies you致e seen and all the crazy dreams you致e had is Big Fish; the best movie of the year and probably the most original movie you値l ever see. Big Fish is a wonderful, magical, imaginative and enchanting film wrapped into two hours of perfect entertainment. This film痴 plot comes off as corny and cheesy in summaries and trailers, but its nothing of the sort. The story is charming, well written and very well edited so that the stories don稚 make the movie choppy or confusing. One of the interesting things about the story is that there are so many ways to think about it; there痴 the superficial understanding where everything fits together and is enjoyable, but then you can think about it more deeply and realize that this story is very sophisticated as well. Big Fish brings together an amazing cast of actors who each give great performances. Ewan McGregor isn稚 getting much award buzz, but I think this is probably his best performance yet and is another gem to add to his already stunning filmography. Alison Lohman is one of my favorite young actresses and her two performances this year (Matchstick Men, Big Fish) show her talent and are proof that she値l be around for a long time. The rest of the all-star cast (Finney, Lange, DeVito, Crudup, Carter) all add to this movie痴 greatness. Big Fish may not seem like it would be so oriented around special effects, but whenever a movie has a twenty-foot giant, a rainstorm that turns a road into a river, (and my personal favorite) time stopping while Bloom walks through the circus to see the love of his life, you need a good director and great special effects. Originally Steven Spielberg was supposed to direct this movie, and when he dropped out many saw Tim Burton as a step down. If this movie is a step down, I壇 love to see the good version because I can稚 imagine anything being any better than this. As for the special effects, I don稚 know what kind of budget they were made on, but they looked pretty good to me! This movie is so creative and original that I知 still awed by it. For all of you that believe Hollywood has run out of good ideas, this movie should take you off your perch. Big Fish is the kind of movie that you don稚 want to ever end because you know there値l never be another movie like it, but on the other hand you want it to end so you can start talking about it. It痴 so enjoyable and magical that it sent tingles down my spine and a smile to my face. The Bottom Line is that you have to see Big Fish! You will never see a movie this original, creative and enchanting; it痴 the rare jewel that we always look for at the theatre. The brilliant cast, inspired director, and one-of-a-kind script make this one of the most memorable and entertaining films of the year.
PG-13 for a fight scene, some images of nudity and a suggestive reference
John August
Daniel Wallace (novel)
Tim Burton
Dec 10, 2003
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