Amazingly creative and carefully portrayed

Rating: 10/10 (6 November 2010)

Big Fish is a timeless film. The story of a struggling father/son relationship can be had in any family, past, present, or future. Director Tim Burton does an amazing job combining humor, wit, and emotion in this film to create characters that almost anyone can relate to. Will Bloom, played by Billy Crudup, and his father Edward Bloom, played by Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor, have a chemistry throughout the film that is enthralling. The relationship they build and portray is believable, realistic, and genuine.
As the story begins, we learn that Edward Bloom is quite the story teller. His embellishments are the reason that his son feels he never really had the opportunity to learn who his father is. Edward's extraordinary stories are portrayed as flashbacks as he recounts the remarkable events of his life to his pregnant daughter in law, Josephine (Marion Cotillard), as he lies sick in bed. He tells tales of how he met his beloved wife, Sandra Bloom (Jessica Lange), and of his adventures as a traveling salesman, that which include giants, two headed women, werewolves, and a bank-robbing poet. These tall tales build Edward Bloom into a lovable character and make us want his failing relationship with his son to work out, but for this to happen, Will must first learn to not take life so seriously and accept that sometimes, the big-fish tales can be healthier for the soul than reality and facts. A second theme in Big Fish is that of unconditional, nonjudgmental love. Will must learn that he does not need to change his father and instead, should accept him, because the stories may not be as embellished as Will believes. Comparable to the main theme in Little Miss Sunshine, this theme resonates with the idea that pure, honest love is unrestricted, unreserved, and tolerant.
Beyond the basic elements of film, this movie illustrates unique techniques to depict the storyline and themes. The texture of the film is distinctive to Tim Burton. The flashbacks of Edward Bloom's life have a surreal, fairy-tale dream feel to them. While most films subtly walk the line between fiction and reality, this film visually embraces it. In the scene where young Edward first sees his future wife, a modified freeze frame allows us to focus on Edward's thoughts and emotions as he approaches the girl of his dreams, only to be snapped out of it as time races to catch back up. This scene begins Edward's reckless journey to find his true love. Another cinematic device used in this movie is voice over. The use of voice over in this film is vital to the storyline. Since a number of the scenes are stories that are being told, the voice over narration helps transition between scenes and gives essential background information. The film begins as being told by Will as the story of his father, but after the intro scene, the remainder of the narration is by Edward, until the final scene, where Will again narrates the final story. This final scene is when Will realizes that the tall tales truly are an amazing, powerful part of his life.
Overall, this is a heartwarming film. The combination of real life conflict and dramatic fairy-tale stories is touching and uplifting. It also is a wonderful reminder that acceptance, approval, and abandon can enrich all of our lives.