Finally - A 'Must-See' Movie

Rating: 10/10 (10 July 2005)

Let me start by saying that I'm not a fan of Tim Burton movies. I skipped the chance to view this movie many times before I finally forced myself to watch it. I now agree that this is possibly one of the best movies ever made, combining excellent acting, direction, writing, and production.
The direction of this movie is nothing short of astounding. This is a wonderfully-crafted film that returns to the roots of film-making by using an actual story. Fancy effects are at a minimum, because this film doesn't need to hide the lack of a decent script. 'Big Fish' is a timeless tale that could have been created by old-time Hollywood, back when the story mattered.
Burton does a wonderful job of matching the movie's style to each specific tale, while never losing the feel of the story that binds it all together. No movie has ever captured the feel of 'Love-At-First-Sight' better than Burton stopping Time itself.
There are some parts that seem too corny or unbelievable, until you understand that this entire movie is about the perception of 'belief'. There are very few movies that can appeal to the adventurism of men, the romanticism of women, and the fantasies of children. 'Big Fish' is one of those rare movies.
One of the wonderful things about this movie is that the interaction and passion between the younger version of the Bloom couple is matched perfectly by the older version. The cast seems to leap flawlessly through time and you never fail to recognize the reckless playfulness of big-dreamer Edward or the shy maturity of Sandra.
The movie tells of a son (William) who visits his dying father (Edward). As the son has grown to become a reporter, a job based completely upon the importance of fact, he has lost all respect for any fantasy in life. This has led to a 3-year rift between the two men, as the father embellishes the memorous tales of his life. William has grown to distrust any portion of the tales, because he has become a man who requires absolute proof of everything.
Since Edward is now dying, William feels a sense of duty within himself as a reporter. He feels that he needs to write his father's obituary in his mind, to preserve a family history for his unborn child, yet he refuses to do so unless he can completely fact-check his father's memories.
This leads to a story of William attempting to dissect every tale his father provides, in an effort to uncover the truth. His father is uncooperative and insulted, insisting that the 'truth' has been there all along and William has simply lost the ability to recognize it.
The end-result is satisfying, as both men are proved correct in some manner, with William recognizing that he is more like his father than he would have ever... (Dare I say it?)... imagined.
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William Bloom (Billy Crudup) - People have commented that Crudup appears boring in this movie. I personally felt that he nailed his role perfectly. The essence is that of a wide-eyed boy who has become a factual writer with a cookie-cutter life, losing his sense of imagination as he grows. After rebelling against the one thing ruining his image of being a 'normal' person (The 'imperfect' father), he stumbles into regaining the ability to be just like the old man, embracing that he truly is a part of his father. Crudup's 'boring' character seems quite intentional and deserves much more credit.
Adult Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) - Finney is everyone's grandfather, the cantankerous coot that is proud of his life and just doesn't care if you believe it. He's going to have fun right to his last breath and nobody is ever going to take that away from him. His best acting is when he jumps from the playful Edward and bares his teeth to William, daring him to move from his world of literalism because the truth is always right before him... A 'reporter' might not see it, but a 'human being' should. Finney's expression screams "I am NOT a typewriter".
Young Edward Bloom (Ewan MacGregor) - Somewhere along the line, MacGregor has got to drop his horrible forced acting-school accent and taper his voice into the role. He is as believably Southern as an Eskimo. Other than that, his likability-factor makes him an excellent choice for the personable young Edward. His best part comes when he explains to Jenny how much he loves Sandra. The mood of the younger couple is a perfect match to the elder version, and Burton mimics life by allowing the younger version never to appear as crabby and lethargic as an older couple.
Adult Sandra Bloom (Jessica Lange) - If it is possible for someone to explode off the screen in a quiet manner, this is it. Lange is a wonderful combination of tortured, romantic, shy, smart, and sly. She seems to know every secret, but is content to force William to find it on his own and regain the same respect for his father that she has.
Young Sandra Bloom (Alison Lohman) - It took half the movie before I realized this wasn't a digital makeover of Jessica Lange, that is how uncanny the resemblance was. It completely adds to the enjoyment of the movie. Lohman did a fine job, but she lacked slightly in comparison to Lange (Which is certainly no insult to her skills).
Helena Carter (Jenny Hill) - Not a major role, but very interesting. Carter provides a solid performance as the biggest secret in the movie, although her make-up job is extremely mediocre. She looks too much like a young woman in a bad gray wig, but it's a minor flaw.