Narrative Threads

Rating: 6/10 (19 August 2004)

Tim Burton weaves a present story with a narrated past story, which interweaves truth and fiction. The past thread is involving and entertaining. At least four narrators will have told it by the end. Burton usually succeeds with fantastical stories. His presentation often aggrandized by salient photography; so, here, the high-key lighting is nostalgia of old movies. Ewan McGregor masters the lead--threading the nostalgia, offbeat humor and aging, as he must relate somewhat to the Ed Bloom in the present thread. Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buscemi, Danny DeVito and Alison Lohman help. Alberty Finney and Billy Crudup don't, though. Yet, Burton is who completely fails to make the present story interesting in any way. Even the low-key lighting is boring. It's like a TV-movie sort of reality. The inevitable reconciliation wasn't worth my time, only the past narrative was.