Movie Review

Big Fish

When I walked into Big Fish I was looking forward to the traditional and surreal visual motif of director Tim Burton, but was unsure about whether or not the somewhat sentimental glare from the trailer would turn me off. Watching Big Fish unfold, I was pleased that Burton had taken what could?ve essentially just been a chick flick and turned it into a universally attractive fable.

There were moments when the film went too cute on me, but like a lot of Burton?s films the visual authenticity can make you want to live in these dream worlds. Big Fish wasn?t exactly destined for Tim Burton?s talent as deeply as Sleepy Hollow was, but what he did with this concept is impressive. With neat visuals, fairly good performances, and an ending that actually involved me emotionally when Burton could have gone sentimental, I applauded Burton for making me like a movie that I may not have appreciated in another director?s hands.

Big Fish surrounds a dying father, Edward Bloom (Albert Finney), who has lived a mysterious life in the opinion of his son, William (Billy Crudup). In an attempt to figure out who his father is and what experiences he went through growing up into an adult, William is convinced that his father is telling him lies. The stories told are folktale-like and sound like works of the imagination that one might tell to a five-year old in bed. In the stories of Edward?s life as a young adult, Ewan McGregor plays the young Edward Bloom, and it is our job as the audience, as well as William, to figure out what might be real and what might be a figment of the imagination.

Judging from the trailer to Big Fish, I had suspected that this might be a movie about individuals who are different from the norm and their difficulty of fitting in with society (which didn?t get me too excited). However, with a bright and talented cast in its credits (including the always-promising sign of Steve Buscemi), I was willing to invest faith in this picture and was going to rely on Burton?s visuals to enthrall me if the story went too cheeseball.

I was pleasantly surprised that Big Fish isn?t as sentimental and cute as it appeared; the movie did have fitting-in themes that I wasn?t too keen on having to witness (I?ve seen enough of this genre), but they are not blown out of context or shoved down the audience?s throat. The film, in some ways, is about those who are different or unique, but through Burton?s direction we get a film that is fascinating to witness due to the visual intrigue and his classy presentation of events.

Through a delightful old-school soundtrack (along with Danny Elfman?s emotional touch), solid acting all around, attractive cinematography, and a story that mixes the idea of acceptance and one?s first-love effectively, Burton has taken a fairly average concept and given it life through the unusual vision he?s had all his career. What?s also fun to observe in Big Fish (like in some of his previous movies) is the wink-wink/homage to Burton?s other productions; the filmmaker allows Big Fish to feel more personal to the viewer, with various details that are very much like his past work.

I admired the cast as a whole, but I must say that I was let down by the presence of Steve Buscemi (who plays a struggling poet in a possibly imaginative small town). The actor is generally a convincing sign toward the quality of a film if he has an appearance, but I felt he was utterly useless in the movie. His role is brief and is intertwined in two segments of the film, with one section (toward the beginning) being too light and cute for my taste, despite that his first appearance did manage a partial grin.

Big Fish had a dangerous opportunity to give up in the long run and resort to a sappy ending, and when the story had reached that climactic point I was very relieved to see what Burton did. I had been debating throughout the movie about what grade I?d be giving this film, as it had diverted me but there were moments when the tone just didn?t fit my taste. But with its effective ending I was given no choice but to brand Big Fish as a solid work; the final moments of the picture managed to bring me in on an emotional level and connect with me.

With any other director, Big Fish might have been a very cute and light film without the visual authenticity. Cute doesn?t always work on me, and so I thank Tim Burton for not only investing his passion into this project, but also making a good emotional film out of a potentially sentimental and cheesy story. This isn?t the best work from the mind of Burton, but Big Fish proves what is possible with the simple decision of attaching specific talent to a questionable project.

Lee's Grade: B
Ranked #67 of 132 between Winged Migration (#66) and Cabin Fever (#68) for 2003 movies.

A	0.4%
B	30.0%
C	61.7%
D	8.0%
F	0.0%