After a string of mediocre movies, director Tim Burton regains his footing as he shifts from macabre fairy tales to southern tall tales. Big Fish twines in and out of the oversized stories of Edward Bloom, played as a young man by Ewan McGregor and as a dying father by Albert Finney. Edward's son Will (Billy Crudup) sits by his father's bedside but has little patience with the old man's fables, because he feels these stories have kept him from knowing who his father really is. Burton dives into Bloom's imagination with zest, sending the determined young man into haunted woods, an idealised southern town, a travelling circus and much more. The result is sweet but--thanks to the director's dark and clever sensibility--never saccharine. The film also features Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito and Steve Buscemi. --Bret Fetzer
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Embarassing nonsense This was the most embarrassing mess from Tim Burton. It should be deleted from his CV very quickly. It was so bad I thought that Ron Howard made it.
Synthetic rubbish. The story was like someone from Deliverance pitched a fairy tale to Walt Disney. I'm ashamed to have rented it, I felt like vomiting after it ended.
Burton does it again! Once again Tim Burton pulls off a totaly original film unlike any you have ever seen before. The life of Edward Bloom is amazing and I love the stories which he tells his son, they are simply magical to hear. I wont ruin the ending for you but you will love it! 'The story...of my life'! Strongly recommended.
really unmissable one of the most original, beautiful and heart warming movies of the last few years.. the blend between reality and fantasy is truly unique. if u like the surreal worlds tim burton creates, then u have to see it..it really is his best - not being as dark as other offerings from him- with ed scissorhands and ed wood coming second to my book... amazing storytelling, at times visually stunning and a great extended cast make this a gem of a film .. a celebration of life while exploring the disfunctional... more info
Sometimes Fiction is Better than the Truth Tim Burton's return to genuine film making is a welcome endeavor indeed. Here he creates a film that reminds me of what great film making is all about: fantasy, love and reflecting on the human spirit. I scoffed at a review that compared Big Fish to The Wizard of Oz when Big Fish first came out, but upon viewing it the comparison is really not hyperbolic at all and is actually quite justified. There is a unique carelessness and an innocence that resides perfectly and constantly in both films. To me, both... more info
![Big Fish [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BHMMY1RSL._SL160_.jpg)
