A Big Tall Movie....

Rating: Null/10 (1 May 2004)

`They say when you meet the love of your life. Time stops. And that's true.'  Ed Bloom.

What a great screenplay adaptation by John August! I don't know who he is, but this is the beautification of a simple, yet endearing story between a dying father, Albert Finney, and his son, Billy Crudup, who is dying for the truth. It deals with the age old question of what reality is and makes you believe that if you tell a tall tale often enough, it will still be a tall tale, but you will be always immortalized for it.
This is an excellent movie for parents, especially dads, to see with their kids. Given our society, it is especially warm and unusually rare to see the portrayal of a father in a such a loving and even innocent way.
I loved the role of Ed Bloom. There is an Ed Bloom in all of us. We all dream like Ed, and sometimes we'll even tell a tall tale or two like him, to make life more entertaining. More important than the obvious is what the movie gracefully whispers in your ear: Judge a person by his character more than by what he is saying. In this case Ed Bloom's character was that of a fine man. He may have embellished, or just plain lied on some of his `stories', but he was a father who loved and cherished his wife and saw to it that his son was always entertained.

In the beginning of the film, you the audience will scoff at the stories which Tim Burton injects to us ala Forrest Gump. Like his son, we were all cynics. Yet, I guarantee that you wont be able to wait to see what happens next. His fascinating stories drew me in, and made his character all the more loveable. After awhile, one could care less about the stories, as you do about the man who is telling them. His positive strength, the key factor here. Even if he did not always choose the right path, his heart and conviction were always in the right place, as he always professed this to those he loved.

To me, the most heartwarming subplot of all, was Ed's recounting of his quest for Sandra. Sandra was his love-at-first-site, one that he would never give up on (hooray). A love that would have him do whatever it took, regardless of the insurmountable odds . Regardless of whether you believed all of the details regarding his quest for Sandra or not, there are some of us who really have a `Sandra' in their lives, and would do the same or more if the opportunity presented itself.

`I just saw the woman I'm going to marry. I know it. But I lost her. I'm going to spend every day of the rest of my life looking for her. That, or die alone.'  Ed Bloom

After everything that Ed goes through, including coming face to face with the `all-american' jerk that was engaged to Sandra, what a great sub-ending we witness when he finally wins her heart and hand in marriage. Score a big win for the underdog! That is what life should be about, and the powerful message of this alone I think overshadows the son's struggle to learn the truth about his Dad. Sandra, by the way, is played by Jessica Lange. She does a wonderful job portraying the loving, stable force in Ed's life. We should all be so lucky to have someone like a Sandra in our lives. In fact, it makes you think that all of the crazy things that he did to win her over, were very well justified. Therefore, another positive and subtle message: If you want someone or something bad enough, you will do whatever it takes.

The young Ed Bloom is played Ewan McGregor. He does a fine job, even though I kept expecting him to pull a light saber at any given momentlol
The movie's end is predictable, but still powerful. The audience will mature as his son does at the emotionally charged ending. Get some hankies ready, once we finally see the passing of the torch. This happens when his son relents, and make a big tall tale of his own to satisfy his father's final request.

In the end, the movie brilliantly establishes the fact that in life, character has nothing to do about what kind of truth in stories that a person is telling, but what kind of truth in a person does his or her stories tell.

Grade: A