Not just another big fish story ... or is it

Rating: Null/10 (5 September 2004)

Some people are big fish in a small pond, their own world of family and friends. Some people tell 'big fish' stories, the 'one that got away' and all that. Both kinds of people are Edward Bloom, the central character in the movie I saw last night, named, you guessed it, Big Fish. Previously, I was hesitant to see it. I knew the basic premise of the story and I thought it might be a bit overly sentimental even if the director was Tim Burton.
I'd heard it was good. Then I read a review by a good friend of mine, someone who's opinion I value even if I don't always agree with it. He gave the movie top marks and though didn't give much of the plot away, reminded me that Tim Burton has never made a conventionally sentimental movie in his life, to my knowledge. I had an email from a woman I have known since school and we made plans to see it since she hadn't seen it yet either. When we left the theatre last night, we were both very moved by the words spoken by the narrator at the ending but she did comment that she wasn't sure if she loved the movie, or hated it. I said, wait awhile, I think it needs to sink in.
I was right.
The movie is about Edward Bloom, now dying of cancer, and the efforts of his son who is trying to reconcile the man he doesn't seem to know very well with the man he wants his father to be. Edward Bloom tells stories. He tells exaggerated stories and spins fantastical, hardly believable tales about things that happened to him in his life. His son, William, is about to become a father himself and has been estranged from his dad for several years, embarrassed and frustrated by his father's stories, or, 'lies' as he sees them. His father was away a lot while his son was growing up which further aggravated the resentment William has always felt.
The stories are told in flashback, with Ewan MacGregor playing the younger Edward Bloom, played in the present by the wonderful Albert Finney. Jessica Lange plays the love of Edward's life, Sandra and Marion Cotillard plays Josephine, William's wife who provides a buffer between them, guiding William to his discoveries of his father's life and personality. All the actors they cast to play various younger versions of the adult characters look eerily like their grownup parts, I found, which made for great continuity.
It ended much as I expected but I won't spoil it, a fine mix of fantasy and truth. The flashbacks, the tall tales and characters that inhabit them, are wonderfully quirky. The scene that had me dangerously close to being unable to stop giggling involved two Chinese soldiers and a pair of night goggles. The love between Edward and Sandra was touching, evident even as Edward's life was ending. I imagine that William's childhood was further affected by the devotion between his parents that might have shut him out a bit.
The ending had us both in tears and if you have a father or relative that loves to tell stories, stories which become family legend, you will understand. The movie is classic Tim Burton who saves it from being overly sentimental with his off center sense of humour and classic Tim touches of the macabre at times. Is it weird? Sometimes, but you will enjoy it. Just sit back and let it carry you away and enjoy the ride.