Tim Burton creates another masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (29 July 2005)

'Big Fish' is a lush and beautiful fantasy from director Tim Burton, and it's one of his best films. Granted, I'm predisposed to like a Tim Burton movie (heck, I even liked 'Planet of the Apes'), but you can't deny that this is a great film.
Edward Bloom (Albert Finney as an old man, Ewan McGregor as a young man) is at the end of his life. His son, Will, is tired of hearing the tall tales his father has told so many times over the years, and now Will wants "the truth". But, as Will learns, sometimes fantasy is more interesting than reality.
The acting is really wonderful in this movie. Albert Finney is, of course, a blowhard, but he's so full of life you just can't help but like him. Ewan McGregor slips into a Southern accent and gives a better performance than in any of the 'Star Wars' prequels. Alison Lohman and Jessica Lange both play Sandra, Edward's loving wife who understands that, yes, he is a storyteller, but she still loves him. And how about the supporting actors? You've got Danny DeVito as a circus ringleader with a secret, Steve Buscemi as a poet who robs a bankrupt bank, and Matthew McGrory as the gentle giant Karl.
The movie delights in it's odd characters and situations, and Tim Burton clearly loves the fantastic. The story is unexpectedly heartwarming, and I didn't think Burton could make something this benign (not a bad quality, you understand). All of this adds up to the genuinely moving conclusion, which nearly had me in tears. 'Big Fish' is a terrific film.