A son of a dying father tries to differentiate between the facts and fictions of his dad's rather unbelievable life.

Rating: 10/10 (17 September 2005)

There is no movie quite like this one. On so many levels it is different, unique and utterly mind-boggling. It is not just the visual pleasures, like so many movies out there, but it is mostly the story and how it literally ends where it begins. It is Tim Burton's best work, in my opinion. This movie is a charming, simple, child-like film that is easily misunderstood.
The whole point of this movie is not that it's one great lie, it's point is that a great story is not just facts, facts are boring. It is telling us that a great story is always somewhat over exaggerated. In the beginning, the adult Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) tells the guests of his son's wedding about the day his son was born, the day that he caught the biggest fish in the Ashton river (which was rumored to be left over from the Cretaceous period) using is golden wedding ring. Later in the film, Dr. Bennett tells Will (Edward's son, played by Billy Crudip) the factual story of how he, Will, was born. Which version is do we remember? Edward's, of course, because it was over-exaggerated. This movie tells the story of the beginnings of a tall-tale.
Before watching it, I must warn viewers, this film is not for everyone. This movie is strange and only those who can think like Tim Burton will understand it. However, there is so much depth to the story that it requires some thinking to it. It is not a movie for parties and sleep-overs. It is not a movie for action-lovers. However, it is for those deep-thinkers and those who loved to hear their parents tell them a great story while they lied in bed and lingered on every word.