Burton's one of the best

Rating: 10/10 (28 February 2008)

If this is Tim Burton's apology for the pretty awful "Apes" then any fan will surely forgive him completely. This daring, highly stylized fantasy is everything I ever loved about his movies.
The driving force of Big Fish is its characters and the casting is simply superb. Finney's scenes were apparently filmed first, allowing McGregor to watch and assimilate some of his mannerisms into his younger portrayal. Crudup is able to amply portray the Will's frustration as he finds himself unable to connect with his father. And the resemblance between the wonderful Lange and Lohman as the younger and older versions of Edward's wife is uncanny. McGregor is particularly successful in walking the same fine line as the story itself, balancing between the real and unreal without ever seeming absurd or silly. Will's wife is an especially beautiful character, being both the perfect wife and a charming fresh audience for Edward's anecdotal stories, he brow knotting prettily in concern as he tells the delightfully twisted tale of the prophetic crow. The performances are all heartfelt, but McGregor manages to blend this with Burton's quirkiness perfectly.
I follow Burton since Vincent(1982) and I honestly think that Big Fish represents Burton's most mature and personal work to date. Perhaps it marks a new and more honest direction for the director, but it certainly ranks among his best with it's delicately balanced poignancy and humor.