Big Fish is a Big Masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (14 July 2014)

In my opinion, this movie does not get NEARLY enough love. It deserves to be seen by everyone. Big Fish brought me to tears, much like Forrest Gump. In fact, this movie feels a lot like Forrest Gump, but it is quite different.
The movie follows Edward Bloom, an old man with a gift for storytelling. He tells many fantastic tales about his adventures he had in his youth; about how he wouldn't stop growing, his parachute landing in a circus in the war, and how he met the love of his life. His son, though, does not believe any of his tales, and sets out to prove them wrong. However, he does discover that his dad was telling great stories because that's what he is- a storyteller.
This film does a great job of creating its own identity and not being an exact copy of Forrest Gump, while keeping a similar tone. It paints a beautiful portrait of one man's life and tells us that amazing things can happen to anybody. Ewan McGregor plays young Edward, and aside from the fact that I find him smoking hot, he does an awesome job capturing the essence of this character and playing him believably. His unending love for his girl and his sheer honesty are played great. Alfred Finney, another favorite actor of mine, plays older Edward, and once again is just fabulous. The best scene comes near the end, when Edward Bloom is dying. His son drives him in a shiny car to a lakeside and carries him to the water's edge. Along the way, they are surrounded by all of the important people in Ed's life, ending with a vision of his wife in the water. I just cry like a little wussy every time. This movie is one of my favorites (I'm a sucker for those sentimental "slice of life" movies) On a final note, Big Fish contains one of my favorite quotes from any film ever: "The man tells his stories so many times, that he becomes the stories. They live on after him, and in that way, he becomes immortal." Something along those lines. :)