Big Fish

Rating: 4/10 (24 June 2005)

I re-watched Planet of the Apes (2001), and it turned out to be better than the first time I watched it, I did exactly the same with this film, directed by Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street). Basically Edward 'Ed' Bloom (Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Albert Finney) is a storyteller who is dying, and his son who he fell out with years ago, Will (Billy Crudup) has no idea who the real man is. In a series of flashbacks, the story of young Ed (Ewan McGregor) is told. In the stories: he saw how he would die in an old creepy woman's (witch's) eye, met and befriended Karl the Giant (7'6 tall Matthew McGrory), saw a fish that looks like a naked chick, found an unknown and hidden town called Spectre, found the Giant somewhere to work as an act at the circus run by Amos Calloway (Danny DeVito), fell in love with Sandra Bloom (Alison Lohman), met Siamese twins Ping (Ada Tai) and Jing (Arlene Tai), helped Spectre's Norther Winslow (Steve Buscemi) rob a bank (helping him, somehow, to get rich), and much more. As Ed gets closer to death though, and Will goes to one or two of the places and people in these stories, including a near-affair with Spectre's Jenny (Burton's partner, Helena Bonham Carter, playing younger and older, oh, and that creepy witch). In the end, after Ed had a stroke and is close to death, Will is the one that has to tell the final story of how he dies, everyone is there, and he is placed in the water, and swims away as the big fish he is. Of course, that is when he dies in bed, and at the funeral is where you see everybody, older. Also starring Jessica Lange as Older Sandra Bloom, Robert Guillaume as (older) Dr. Bennett, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's Missi Pyle as Mildred and Deep Roy as Mr. Soggybottom. In some ways the story is similar to Forrest Gump, obviously ignore the fantasy, but Ed Bloom is from Alabama, he is in many places throughout his life, he met a Jenny, and he's just a naive and slow witted. This film has enough clever effects and charm to keep you interested, it may be pretty cheesy and overloaded with sentimentality, but it's a good once in a while film. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Music for Danny Elfman, it was nominated the BAFTAs for Best Special Visual Effects, Best Make Up/Hair, Best Production Design, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film, and the David Lean Award for Direction for Tim Burton (mainly a tribute to his past work also), and it was nominated the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Best Original Score and Best Original Song for "Man of the Hour". Okay!