A warmhearted ode to versatility and individuality

Rating: 8/10 (23 December 2012)

Another Tim Burton's masterpiece - and less fiction and imagination as usual, but skilled and nuanced emphases on important general topics like cross-generation attitudes, family ties, true love/friendship/commitment - included, but not limited to. The story runs smoothly and obvious extravagance provides additional value to the movie, not cutting and not impairing it. Although the background is father's lethal illness, there are lot of nice and funny moments, and the mood of the ending becomes different than the circumstances otherwise expect.
And the cast, quite a dream-team: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Jessica Lange, Marion Cotillard, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito, Steve Buscemi... Only Billy Crudup as William Bloom seemed too ordinary among the others.
Anyway, the movie is recommended to admirers of Burton and/or those fond of warm tutorial movies.