Burton's most touching movie

Rating: 10/10 (14 February 2006)

After the quite disappointing Planet of the Apes remake, Tim Burton returned to form with Big Fish, a strongly underrated gem which is one of the best pictures of 2003, along with The Return of the King, Lost in Translation and Mystic River. It's the most heartbreaking, poetic and romantic movie he's made since Edward Scissorhands, and it's a shame it didn't get the recognition it deserved.
At the movie's center is the relationship between the dying Edward Bloom (Albert Finney, excellent) and his son Will (Billy Crudup) who wants to find out the truth about his dad: for several years, Edward has told some amazing stories concerning his life, and Will is the only one who has stopped believing them. Now, he wants to know what really happened.
That's when the film properly kicks off, as we're shown young Edward's (Ewan Mcgregor, absolutely comfortable in the role) life exactly as he has described it, alternating facts and, for most of the story, fiction. Expect giants, witches, werewolves, a hidden town (appropriately called Spectre), a Fellini-inspired circus, fish which look like naked women and lots more. This is Burton as we like him: bizarre, unpredictable, hard to summarize. You have to see the movie to truly understand why people love it.
Still, behind the adventurous and romantic facades lies great human tragedy. Big Fish will make you laugh, but by the time the end credits start rolling you will most probably have tears in your face. Life can be funny for a second, and very sad right after wards. Never has a Burton film been so dramatic.
As I said, this is a wonderful film, yet sadly it was heavily overlooked (it received only one Oscar nom, for Danny Elfman's gripping score). Watching it is a marvelous experience.
One scene is worth the entire viewing: Edward sees his future wife for the first time. According to some people, time stops in that moment. Burton makes it happen on screen. That one sequence is pure movie magic.