There's no fool like an old fool with pure imagination.

Rating: 8/10 (25 April 2016)

Oh to have a father like Albert Finney, the tall tale teller who has been annoying son Billy Crudup with all of these bigger than life stories ever since he was a kid. But as it nears the end of his final story, his son must come to terms with his reluctance to embrace these alleged myths, and sets out to view his father's life. It is an adventurous life seen through both the older Finney and his younger self, Ewan MacGregor. Tall tales, yes, but by the time this is over, you may be feeling as gullible as I did, embracing it whole-heartedly and sobbing as if it were the ending of "Steel Magnolias".
Finney, already a tall tale legend whether playing Tom Jones, Ebenezer Scrooge or Daddy Warbucks, has a wonderful heart-felt role here, much like Gloria Stuart in "Titanic" or Dabbs Greer in "The Green Mile", and he is the perfect grandfather you'd love to adopt. Jessica Lange adds class as his not so long suffering wife who has accepted his foolishness and loves him all the more for it. Tim Burton regular Helena Bonham Carter adds chills as a woman of mystery.
I first discovered this approximately two and a half years ago when I saw the short-lived musical on Broadway. It is a shame that it only lasted a couple of months, but at the time while moderately enchanted, I didn't catch the magic that I would later discover when listening to the original Broadway cast album. Seeing the movie finally has only touched me all the more on this story, and while the film isn't perfect, it is one I feel that could not have been totally captured with all the color and light of the movie when it was transferred to the stage. However, if it was a great usage of daffodils, the favorite flower of the leading characters major love interests, and all the magical characters of the film meticulously presented. This included a witch, a big-hearted giant and a mermaid.
Broadway has taken these types of stories into its hard, and while they are not the huge success of "Wicked", shows like this, "Finding Neverland" and "Tuck Everlasting" will most likely have cult following in years to come. the movie itself is gorgeous to look at, featuring the type of magical story that only Tim Burton can do perfectly, and with a Danny Elfman score that with "Edward Scissorhands" is among his best. Cinematically, it is breathtaking and is one I will definitely revisit over and over.