OK, kind of forgettable

Rating: Null/10 (9 February 2004)

(Some spoilers ahead) Tim Burton goes about as mainstream as he possibly can for Big Fish, but the results did not wow me as much as it has others. Ewan McGregor & Albert Finney share duties as Ed Bloom, who (allegedly) lived a life of tall tales that bring a smile to everyone who hears them, with the exception of Ed's son, Will (Billy Crudup), who is so fed up with them that he ices the old man out for 3 years. While I found Will's reaction a bit extreme, I could empathize with his plight. Finney plays the type of long winded blowhard that only gathers a crowd in the movies. In real life, people see this cat coming, they go in the other direction. Jessica Lange is utterly wasted & given nothing at all to do, period, except smile at Finney & take a fully clothed bath with him. McGregor, as usual, is charming to the nth degree & carries every scene he's in. But the tall tales themselves are just no big deal, and I didn't find myself getting involved in any of them. When death finally comes to Finney's Ed, I saw 4 grown men sitting around me crying like babies. I didn't feel anything for this guy, so I just had some more popcorn.