Only mildly entertaining/resonating

Rating: 6/10 (10 May 2004)

I guess expectations will get you more often than not. I'm a fan of much of Tim Burton's work, and the accolades declaring this to be a new "Wizard of Oz" were encouraging, but as it turns out, I was more entertained by that other recent film with the similar premise - Secondhand Lions.

Big Fish started with promise as it sets up the metaphor and mythos of its story, but about halfway through it all becomes rather ho-hum. I like where Burton was reaching with this, which was higher than Secondhand Lions was reaching, but it really failed to resonate or captivate in the way it seems to try so hard to. Secondhand Lions knew it was a light comedy, seen from the eyes of a child coming of age, and it was successful in that sense. Big Fish didn't seem to know what it was... it wasn't really all that funny... or dramatic... or romantic... though it had slight aspects of each. And with the protagonist a jaded adult (Billy Crudup), it just wasn't as captivating to experience as compared to Haley Joel Osment's youth in Lions.
Some good performances, especially Ewan McGregor as the younger Edward Bloom, but unfortunately the film is nowhere near as entertaining or resonating as other Burton fare such as Edward Scissorhands or Ed Wood. Hmm... Burton likes characters named "Ed", eh?
6 out of 10