Exaggerated, But How Could It Not Be?

Rating: 7/10 (14 January 2004)

In the movie "Big Fish" we are asked to follow the life of a weaver of tall tales as described by same. What might we expect? Raised by a man larger than life (Albert Finney as the father), Billy Cruddup (as the son)has tired of his father's larger-than-life image, an image cultivated through a lifetime of storytelling. So many lies and half-truths and distortions that the son cannot perceive where the truth begins and the disinformation ends. And so the two are at odds even though the father is probably on his death bed. Director Tim Burton's fantastically exaggerated view of the father's early life is probably about right. To put it another way, how would a liar describe his own life? Well, certainly not any matter-of-fact recounting would be expected. There are enough diversions strewn in the film's path it elevate it to higher than average level. There are delightful moments punctuated by highjinks that almost elicit a groan of disbelief. Some effects look very good, the actual visual sensations illustrate very high production values - and we would expect that from Burton - yet there enough mild surprises to entertain. And enough about the relationship(s) explored to stir the cerebral in us. But what of the father? What is he really all about, what really happened and why should we care? And do we resolve this father/son dispute? Imagine a lens that magnifies a person-sized object about 1.2 times. That is what a character like that portrayed by Albert Finney appears like to a boy. And does even as an adult.