Fish vs Lions

Rating: Null/10 (22 March 2004)

Spoilers
I was a little surprised that among the half dozen of my favorite IMDB contributors, no one mentioned the similarity between Big Fish and Secondhand Lions. Maybe everybody was focusing on Tim Burton's own work. Fish and Lions however are strikingly similar in their main theme, BELIEVING. Furthermore, in both cases, underneath the allegory of the tall tales are human relationships which are re-affirmed by them.

The plot for Fish, if it can even be called one, is exceedingly simple. Estranged to his father Ed Bloom (Albert Finney/Ewart McGregor) for three years out of a resentful embarrassment at his tall tales, Will (Billy Crudup) is summoned to the bedside of his dying father by his mother Sandra (Jessica Lange/Alison Lohman). With him is his seven-month pregnant wife Josephine (Marion Cotillard). Disturbed at the prospect of becoming a father himself, he makes a last ditch effort to understanding his own. Ed, however, living form day to day to the extent the state of his health permits, continues to recount his tall tales involving a parade of bizarre characters: a giant called Karl (Matthew Mcgrory), a circus ringmaster cum werewolf (Danny DeVito), Siamese twins joint from waist below Ping and Jing (Ada and Arlene Tai), a girl who became a Witch, but backwards through time (Hailey Anna Nelson/Helena Bonham Carter), a poet turned bank robber (Steve Buscemi)...
We see the signature of Burton quite early in the movie, in his otherwordly visuals during Ed's brief sojourn away from the giant. The foggy forest and the quaint town remind us, respectively, of Sleepy Hollow and Edward Scissorhands. On the other hand, there is less Burton flavor in Fish than in these two earlier movies. What he seems to be doing though is to make more references, intentional or subconsciously, to other movies. The first time Ed enters Specter Town, there is a very brief shot, maybe not even two seconds, of someone playing a banjo. Although we only hear no more than one bar, I could have sworn that it is the famous Banjo Duet from Deliverance (1972). The ringmaster's nocturnal transformation brings back images from Cat People (1982). The bank robbery scene may have been inspired by many movies, maybe Bandits (2001)?
Burton seems to be rather fond of the travelling salesperson character. In Edward Scissorhands, Peg Boggs is an Avon Lady. Here in Fish, Ed is a travelling salesman, although one that is distinctly different from Arthur Miller's tragic Willy Loman. Still, his constantly being away does lead to the ever widening gulf between him and his son.
The two pairs of Ed and Sandra Bloom are finely cast. However, the balance (or absence of which, rather) is not what I expected. Talented Alison Lohman basically serves as the sweet, pretty, young thing and has far less scope than in White Orleander, where she is the entire show (with due respect to Michelle Pfeiffer) or even Matchstick Man (where she convincingly played a grown-up plying a 14-year-old). Ditto Jessica Lange, whose mesmerizing charm still radiates, right from the very first shot when we see her approaching Ed lovingly with a kiss, after his usual speech. From that point on, every scene with Lange resonates with warmth.
This, then, is really the guys' show. The last time I saw Albert Finney was a totally delightful surprise and I had no idea that he was in Erin Brockovich, and playing a substantial role too. This time, it's with full expectation that I went, and those expectations he fully met. Finney clearly has not lost his touch since the days of Tom Jones (1963) and Two for the Road (1967). The true star of Fish, however, is Ewart McGregor, who in last year demonstrated his versatility and acting ability in roles ranging from Catcher Block in Down with Love to Joe Taylor in Young Adam. Then, in Fish, he tackled a somewhat Carrey-ish role in young Ed Bloom. However, Jim Currey would have probably overacted it.
Of the rest of the cast, Billy Crudup provides solid support to anchor the whole plot. His merely saying `Dad' draws a lot of empathy, underpinning a real world, to balance the exaggerated world of his father. I particularly like French actress Marion Cotillard who played Josephine. The father-daughter-in-law relationship, while delicate, can be really sweet, and Cotillard brought it out very nicely.
Needless to say, the characters in the unreal-and-yet-real world enrich the movie considerably. DeVito is always a joy to watch. Buscemi and Bonham Carter bring to live Specter Town. The giant is a real giant and the twins real twins (although not really linked). And we need not demand an explanation why nobody seems to have grown old in the funeral scene. The final reconciliation is quite symbolic in any case. If I have one beef, that is why does it have to be a car chase (not literally, just the speed), as in every Hollywood picture. In this particularly case, it has the strange effect of making the big gathering look like the ending of Cannonball Run (1981).