Simply a good, big tale

Rating: 8/10 (28 December 2005)

'Big Fish' is a magical, big tale about an ordinary guy who becomes unordinary and lives a big tale. It captures a southern US father and his relationship with his son, who fails to believe his big tales until a moving experience brings them closer together and closer to 'reality'. It is ultimately the tale of a father/son relationship as much as it is a tale about the unusual and adventurous life that his father leads and the unusual characters he befriends along the way to a successful and magical life.
The film is full of symobolism, but it is often a little too simplistic, and I felt that the plot could have developed more in some areas. This could have been a much longer film, and I think that it needed to be longer in order to tell some of the story, but it does fairly well as it stands. I felt that some of the scenes were rushed and that some of the detail and additional scenes could have made this a much better film.
I don't think this film is for everyone, but if you're after a good story about characters and want to watch something original, then I suggest spending an evening with this film.