The Moose Hole - Review of Big Fish

Rating: 8/10 (9 January 2004)

`There are some fish that can't be caught. It's not that they're bigger or faster then the other fish, they're just touched by something extra.'
Does Columbia enjoy sitting on their butts while the other studios gather Oscar praise? They started 2003 off not so promisingly with Darkness Falls and Tears of the Sun while limping through the summer with sub par hits like Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Bad Boys II. Is it that they have no more ambition left in them to put forth the effort? Was it the tremendous embarrassment of Gigli that is the true cause for their lack of marketing strength? If so then that is too bad. No, not because of real Oscar hope for Mona Lisa Smile (Julia Roberts doesn't need another Oscar statue) or Something's Gotta Give is gone but the fact that the studio may have had a real chance with Tim Burton's big screen adaptation of a not so well known tale, Big Fish. It may seem ordinary on the surface, the usual father/son emotionally driven story, but it is the whimsy and the magic that sets this one apart from the rest. Burton, who has had a real success for quite some time, is drawing doubt if he can bring a heart-felt tale to the screen with his track-record of weird projects but the way Columbia is looking for Oscar night at this point, it could hurt to find out.
Big Fish is based on the novel of the same name by Daniel Wallace and it discusses a son's journey to discover who he father really was after years of hearing nothing but tall-tales. Edward Bloom was too big for the small town he grew up in. That was due to his high ambition, or so that is the way he tells it. William Bloom never really knew his father. Edward was either off on business trips or telling the same elaborate fantasies that his son had heard his entire life, more then once or twice. After a couple years of broken communication between them, William returns home after his mother informs him that his father is slowing dying and may pass away soon. The son returns home for one last chance to discover the man his father really was. Going through all the magical and extraordinary adventures once again, William discovers that the truth of his father was there all along, he just needed to know where to look. The story for Big Fish takes several different and elaborate stories, some that work and some that don't, and brings them together in an enjoyable heart warming feature. At times, Fish's plot seems too high for its own good and the huge elaboration of simple stories seem way over done for many to take seriously within the context of what the filmmakers are trying to get across. This leads for some scenes within the film to not come off as effectively as others. Luckily this doesn't happen too often with the course of the film.
The cast consists of only two main leads (three if you count two people for the same role in different time periods) but the supporting roles provided by various talented actors and actresses are nearly as entertaining. Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney share the role of Edward Bloom in various part of his life, the latter actor portraying the character as a dying old man. Finney's performance is nothing short of spectacular as Edward Bloom deteriorates as the feature moves on and as he struggles to get his son to understand the meaning behind his tall-tales. The last scene involving Finney will have anyone reaching for a tissue. That is a guarantee. McGregor provides that personal charm and spunk that makes the fantasies involving the younger Edward all the more memorable and captivating. Billy Crudup, who portrays William Bloom, seems okay but there is nothing in his performance that really stands out or equals that of Finney's performance along side him. Danny DeVito gives a delightful performance as Amos, the circus ring-leader who eventually hires Bloom to work on his show. Despite this charming performance, be warned! Unless you want horrible images of Mr. DeVito's rear end embedded in your mind, best to keep your eyes shut during a certain portion of the film. Nothing extraordinarily long but long enough. And Steve Buscemi's performance as a less then talented inspiring poet is one of the bigger highlights based on background characters.
Overall, Big Fish manages to swim above its own high-watered ambition despite a flop or two too close to shore. Going into this film, one has to understand this: almost everything in the individual tales is a metaphor for something else. The conjoined Japanese twins, for example, aren't actually conjoined in real life but they are so connected to each other, despite their own personal differences, that it seems that way. Many of exaggerations within the film are marvelously well played out but there are moments where you'll be questioning what the filmmakers are trying to do. The most prominent moment(s) involves the naked woman in the river that the young Edward Bloom sees outside his car that has been submerged by a great rainstorm. Of all the other fantasy sequences, this is the one that made the least amount of sense and probably wasn't necessary. Even with a pretty well balanced two hour time length, Big Fish fluxes between consistency and incoherence with some tales struggling to keep the pace more then others. Outside of those issues, Fish is a wonderful surprise from the man who has brought us dark classics such as Batman and Beetlejuice. It manages to be funny and heartwarming without losing its message in its own sea of ambition.
My Rating: **** out of 5 (Grade: B+)