A Unique and Inriguing Picture with Way Too Many Voice Overs

Rating: 7/10 (26 December 2013)

Big Fish. Wow. Above and beyond my expectations. I expected a cute little film about a man still living in his childhood fantasy. What I got was a film full of symbolism and metaphors that, when you dig a bit deeper, is much better than your average quirky Tim Burton movie.
The best thing about Big Fish is how unique it is. Visually, conceptually, and script-wise, this picture is like no other you've seen before. Lovers of clever films such as Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom will surely enjoy this film. Big Fish makes the audience have to distinguish what they think is imagination vs. reality, keeping viewers attention for the entire duration of the picture.
The main flaw that I saw in this movie is the overuse of voice overs. Generally, I do not appreciate when films use voice overs as simply a scapegoat for writing a scene with effective dialogue. A few times, this film fell into that trap. Because different people contribute to the unveiling of the life of Edward Bloom, there is not one consistent narrator. So, when the stories are being told, it often starts with a character's voice over, which is fine, but then they would often narrate during the middle of the anecdote when a dialogue could have gotten the message across more efficiently. Though I didn't like that, I was able to forgive it and give it a 7.
Lastly, I do not think this needs a PG-13 rating- younger kids could watch it and be fine. Some may get bored or not fully appreciate it, but nine or ten-year-olds may enjoy some of the fantastic stories told in this picture. I highly recommend Big Fish as a good family movie night piece (it's on Netflix).