Forrest Gump with an extra dose of whimsy

Rating: Null/10 (19 February 2014)

Tim Burton directs a remake of Forrest Gump. Just... let that sink in for a little while. Done? Okay, now that you're suitably afraid, let me assure you, it's not as bad as it could have been. It's actually rather good, truth be told.
And yes, it's perhaps not fair to say that this is a remake of Forrest Gump as the stories are different, the characters are different and it's based on a different book. Still, it feels like a remake of Forrest Gump. Emphasis on feels. The whole 'a young man from a small town travels the world, meets important people and later in life profits from those contacts' is straight out of Forrest Gump. Heck, they're even both set in Alabama.
This isn't a flaw, however. There's room for more stories like these and even though Forrest Gump is an obvious inspiration, either for the movie or the novel, it doesn't lessen the value of this film as it is different enough to be called its own creation. The most important differences are the shifted focus from international politics to family values and the vastly different main characters. Forrest Gump, at its heart, was a comedic drama with heavy leaning towards political satire. The whole Vietnam War and Gump's career as a soldier. Big Fish is smaller in scale in that its protagonist doesn't change the world, not even accidentally. The story focuses more on the idea of what it would be like to be related to a person like that. To someone who knows so many important people that sometimes it feels like he doesn't have enough time for his own family. Not for lack of trying, but because he lives in a bigger world. It's an intriguing idea and the film handles it with grace.
The actors are also delightfully talented and the various characters are more colourful than in Forrest Gump. Burton's tastes shine through and the whole film has a nice feel of dark Gothic and urban mythology mixed with fairy tales. Colourful film all around. I also really like the central family. They all feel unique personalities and you can see the bonds between them. The relationship between the father (Albert Finney) and the mother (Jessica Lange) is especially heartwarming in a way I haven't seen in a while.
If you're a fan of Tim Burton, Forrest Gump, urban fairy tales or good storytelling in general, this one is definitely worth checking out.