Fine visual fantasy in allegory of men's emotions.

Rating: Null/10 (9 March 2004)

Sometimes in your life, you remember a person for their life and sometimes you remember them for the stories about their life. There may be a little gap between the facts of their life, and there may be a yawning chasm, so you have to look at the person and the situation, and figure out if there's a big difference, and if it matters.
That's what is going on in Big Fish, the latest from the creator of the first Batman movie, Edward Scissorshands, Sleepy Hollow and the Planet of the Apes (2001).

Ed Bloom (Albert Finney as the mature Ed) is a tall-tale yarn spinner who has a favorite story about the big one that he caught, and then threw back. He's gotten through life quite well with a wink and a tale and a lot of hard work, and he's loved every minute of it. I agree with him, life's too short to not enjoy, and if it needs a bit of embellishment to get the joy out, then go with it.
Will (Billy Crudup) is his son, who feels that his dad is forever hiding behind the tale of the fish, and wants to get behind the story and get to know the real man who is his father. Will's a wire service journalist in Paris, and luckily he's married to a French woman Josephine (Marion Cotillard), who loves a story and a sentimental person full of love. On his own, Will would be too pragmatic for his own good, and would stay angry with him as he lay dying. Josephine melts the ice of resentment between father and son, and Will gives his father the love that the man has always sought from him.
There is lots of sentiment played out in the story, and fantasies of allegory are all around, as the reality of the relationships is defined by the relationships in dad's world. Along with the allegory, we get sentiment. Altogether, it's a heady story, and seems to sweep me along in waves of loving emotion. Ed Bloom is a man who loved with all his heart, but didn't say `I love you' easily. Instead, he made up a story that included a person in allegory, that was his way of paying homage.
In the end, everyone pays homage to him back, as he returns to his story, now to become the central figure for the first time. Along the way, he reveals that his big fish story was allegory for people close to home, and that he let things happen in a very complex way, with his simple love of people.

©2004, David C.P. Leland, All rights reserved. The right of David C.P. Leland to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.