Rating: 
Summary: Reconciliation
Review: Most children start out their lives idealizing their parents in one way or another, and the pedestals are slowly hacked away, but sometimes a new one is erected. Growing up, Will (Billy Crudup) idealized his father, believing all of his incredible, tall tales of adventure - even including his own dramatic birth.Now in his thirties, married and with a baby of his own on the way, Will must now tie up loose ends with his father who is dying of cancer. Edward Bloom (as a young man, Ewan McGregor, present day portrayal by Albert Finney) seems to touch success everywhere he goes, not having much himself, but enriching the lives of those around him. His sweet smile and positive outlook make him not only an effective salesman of useless household objects, but a salesman of himself and his "big fish" stories. Disgusted wih his father's apparent allergic reaction to telling a simple fact instead of a tall tale, Will has let 3 years pass without a word between them, but now must face the reality that time is now his worst enemy. Will finally confronts his father, telling him, "I don't know who you are." Will leaves in a huff, and going through his father's papers, begins to investigate the truth of his father's past. As Will begins to unravel the tapestry his father has woven, he finds that "not everything (he) has said is a complete fabrication" as his mother (Jessica Lange) tells him... and some of the most unbelievable of his stories turn out to be very true, albeit sometimes a little exaggerated. Will finds himself turning back into that young, believing child - rebuilding even a bigger pedestal to place his father upon - the opposite of what he expected. It's easy to understand Will's resentment - his own mother, while not telling her own tall tales, never seems to be a voice of reason - expecting a young child to grow up not knowing what is real - her sole focus in life seems to be on her husband, and very little focus is on raising the little human they've created together. Those who have recently lost a loved one may find a poignant scene between the father and son a little too close to home, a truly bittersweet moment of heart-wrenching reconciliation. Lots of light hearted moments and tongue-in-cheek scenes break what little tension the viewer experiences. Some language a partial nudity make this unsuitable for young viewers, but compared to broadcast television, it is quite tame.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Movie
Review: Big Fish is a wonderful film. Tim Burton's visual style is as amzing as usual. The colors he uses to set the scenes put right there beside the character. And what a wonderful story concept, a story about stories. The characters have personality and realism. A beautiful, well-acted film. Keep it up, Tim, because I'm aiming for you to increase the size of my favorites list!
Rating:
Summary: Big Fish, Oscar Wish
Review: I usually reserve my trips to the Big Screen for movies of Sci-fi, fantasy, animation or gratuitous violence. The Matrix, Lord of the Ring, Nemo, or Terminators is the type of eye candy that I normally would want to feed upon. However, The Big Fish DVD will have a home upon my shelf, and many spins within my player. I'm glad that I am a fan of Tim Burton and was drawn out of my circle of comfort. Absolutely NOTHING that Tim Burton directs could be considered ordinary. Big Fish is no exception. Well, I guess it is ordinary in the sense that it seems to be quite ordinary for Tim Burton to always reach a new level of excellence. Big Fish is an extraordinary look at an ordinary event that all of us have to deal with in some way, shape or manner in our probably hum drum pathetic lives. Big Fish is an exquisite meal of voluminous substance that will give you much to chew on for some time. All that is served to you, the characters, settings, visualizations, music, the stories within the story have been prepared as if from the finest chefs and set down in front of you with the beauty of a fine tapestry. I'm not an Oscar aficionado, but I believe that LoTR and Peter Jackson have not received the notoriety that is deserved from the weenie's that hand out the little gold man. I've had hopes that he would do well with this last installment of LoTR. Jackson's accomplishments were truly spectacular. However... should Big Fish swim away with some ring making material that might have gone to LoTR, I won't be disappointed. Neither will you!
Rating:
Summary: The One That Didn¿t Get Away.
Review: Excellent movie! ( I can't praise it enough!!) This is what great movies are for and about. Filmmaking at its finest; where the intersection of great direction, acting, writing and wonderful story telling through powerful images all meet. I can't think of anyone but Tim Burton could have made such a wonderful film. I have never laughed and cried so hard in the same movie before in all my life. I do like Burton's other work, but often find hat it needs to grow on me over time for me to appreciate it. "Beattlejuice" is a prime example of this. However I fell in love with "Batman" and "A Nightmare Before Christmas" at first sight. Son "William" (Billy Crudup) is distant to his father, "Edward Bloom" (Albert Finney) a man he claims now he never knew. William struggles to figure out Edward whom is now dying of cancer. Who is (was) he really? William figures that all the great stories that his father has told him as he was growing up, are nothing more than lies and fabrications and slowly he makes the journey and researches these "tall tales"; finding the truth among the fiction. (The similarity in terms of appearance between the "young" Edward Bloom (played by Ewan McGregor) and the "old" Edward (Albert Finney) is astounding! Kudos to both for their brilliant acting. Finally finding the love in his father's stories among the harsh reality of the world. For Edward Bloom is (was) the big fish swimming in the even bigger ocean of the world. There are some amazing romantic moments in the film for all of us hopeless romantics. The love between Edward and his wife (played by Jessica Lange/Alison Lohman) seem so honest, real and true. The "drying out" bath tub sequence, the field of daffodils and finally the Big Fish being released in the river of life, sealed with a kiss brought many of tear to my eye. As son tells a final story for his father, a gift is passed from one generation to the other. I want so bad for this movie to walk away with Oscar gold for there hasn't been a movie which has touched me so touched and moved me so deeply in years. ("American Beauty" being the last.) Still I'm afraid the epic "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" will walk way with all this years Oscar gold and justifiably so there hasn't been epic storytelling this good since the "Star Wars" Trilogy. Still why I realize that "The Return of the King" (and the other two "Lord of the Rings" films) are great I can't really say I was moved by them in. Touched yes, moved no. Which is just the opposite with "Big Fish," I hope that good word of mouth will catch this tall (fantastic) tale some awards, hook line and sinker or shall I say line and wedding ring.
Rating: 
Summary: Heart-Warming Tale
Review: I have to say I really enjoyed Big Fish. And I don't normally enjoy movies that make me cry! There were some parts I didn't quite like, but overall I thought it was a great movie - one of Tim Burton's better movies (way better than Planet of the Apes, by far!). The basic story is that Edward Bloom (young version played by Ewan Mcgregor, old version played by Albert Finney) is a story-teller. He's always got a tall tale to tell. He's loved his adventurous life and tells everyone about it whenever he can. This has driven his son, William (Billy Crudup) crazy over the years. He feels like he doesn't know who his father is. The movie takes place during the time when Edward is dying and William has to come to terms with it. William wants to know who his father really is, but can't seem to get Edward to tell him the "truth." William is frustrated by Edward's tall tales, thinking they're just a bunch of lies. William's young pregnant wife comes with him to visit while Edward is dying, so he starts spinning tales for her about his life story. This is the other half of the movie, where you get to see Edward's life as he is growing up and going on all sorts of crazy adventures. The flashbacks and stories of Edward's life are so intruging and beautifully filmed. Edward runs in to all sorts of crazy people including a witch with a glass eye that shows you how you will die, a town where everyone is barefoot and happy, a giant named Karl, siamese twin sisters who sing and all sorts of other interesting characters. Again, the fantasy scenes of this movie are incredibly moving and visually stunning. The acting was phenominal as well in this movie - I especially enjoyed Ewan McGregor as the adventurous young Edward. He was completely believeable and created such a fun and interesting character to watch on screen. Albert Finney was also wonderful as the older Edward, spinning tall tales to anyone who would listen. Several supporting actors/actresses did a great job as well, especially Jessica Lange as older Edward's wife, Danny DeVito as the eccentric carnival owner, Helena Bonham-Carter as the witch/Jenny from Spectre and so many others. While I did enjoy the film, I didn't quite understand the son, William. I have relatives who spin tall tales all the time and I find it charming and fun. William was stuffy and completely unlikeable, even at the end of the movie. While I thought the acting by Billy Crudup was good, I just plain didn't like the character and didn't really believe that a son would have that much animosity towards his dad just because his dad was a storyteller. Other than that, I thought the movie was wonderful. I still highly recommend seeing it, it's just a beautiful fun story, despite being a bit of a tear-jerker at some points. The acting is superb, the music is great, the sets and cinematography are wonderful. It's a great film, one of the best I've seen this year.
Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece Filmmaking...
Review: I saw the trailer for this film a few months back, and although I didn't know much about it, I was genuinely impressed. As Big Fish finally came out in theaters, I knew that I'd have to see it. I am so happy that I did.
This beautiful film tells the story of a dying man (Albert Finney) whose son (Billy Crudup) feels as if everything the old man had told him about his life was phoney. As his son tries to piece together all the stories that he was told when he was younger, he begins to figure out that is maybe not all a myth.
When the stories are told, Ewan McGregor plays a younger version of this man, during the 1950s and 1960s. In his fantasy-like adventures, he tells how he encountered a gentle giant, saved the town that he lived in, and met his true love (Alison Lohman) through months of work in a circus to get the ringmaster (Danny DeVito) to tell him more about the girl that he'd seen but did not know. The whole thing ties together in a beautiful way, and this movie you will be sure to love! It is a modern day Wizard of Oz! My Rating-9.2/10!
Rating:
Summary: Big Story in a World Full of Big Fish
Review: My one fear with this movie is that it will be overlooked... Beautifully shot and acted, if you let it, this story will take you into a world filled with kindness, family, and fantasy. I highly suggest this film.. Wonderful. Can not give it a higher rating.
Rating:
Summary: Oversized Outstanding Yarn on Life
Review: Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor as the older and younger Edward Bloom are outstanding. This is a wounderful and hauntingly beautiful movie on the meaning of truth as we sum up our lives and try to put meaning to it all. This may be one of director Tim Burton's more important works.
Rating:
Summary: Attention all dreamers, here's what you've been looking for!
Review: Did you ever get in trouble as a little kid for failing to pay attention in school, drifting off into your own little world as you probed the dreamy landscapes of your mind with thoughts of fields you'd explore after school or adventures you'd take when the chance came? That was me, and I'm glad to know I'm not alone. Tim Burton and Daniel Wallace have given us a treat with this film, both visually and story-wise. In it, we have a man who finds out his father dying. But all his life, his father has told him personal tall tales as if they were true. The son isn't so sure and it is here, in his investigation, that most of us (if you're in the dreamer camp) become enthralled. I will write no more. If you're like me, you've already begun dreaming what it might be like! ;-)
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing Spectaculer, But A Good Movie.
Review: I think we were all looking forward to BIG FISH, hoping it would be Tim Burton's comeback after the Godawful PLANET OF THE APES. The good news is, it's WAY better than that hunk-a-junk. The bad news is, BIG FISH ain't exactly Best Picture material. I guess this isn't such horrible news, but I was expecting a whole lot more out of it, that's for sure. BIG FISH is essentially two movies: one telling the story of Edward Bloom's life, and the other telling of his son coming to terms with his father as Edward's dying. This part of the movie I felt failed slightly; I could just never get all that emotionally involved with any of the characters. It spent too much time on this part, as well. Or maybe they should've made the movie a good 15-20 minutes longer, and thrown in a little more character development. A lot more, actually; especially for Jessica Lange/Alison Lohman's character. I felt no emotion whatsoever when she and Edward Bloom finally got together. Edward's life story feels very episodic. I know, I know, they're flashbacks after all. But none of it felt fluid, and I felt myself longing for more of it. Perhaps the thing that most surprised me was that it was lacking explanation. I feel very strange saying this, given that it's a Tim Burton movie, and some of the biggest joys in his movies are those which are never explained. But nevertheless, the random fantasy didn't mix very well with the other, realistic half of the story. OK, now on to the good. Ewan McGregor is superb as the young Edward Bloom, as is Albert Finney as the aged Edward. The rest of the cast does very well, too. As always in a Tim Burton movie, the production design is fantastic, and Danny Elfman's music was pretty good. But now for the best part of the movie, by far: the last five minutes or so. Then, I got quite emotional. It's these last minutes that make the rest of the movie worth watching. Although not a great movie, I wouldn't go as far as calling BIG FISH a disappointment. Just don't go in there expecting a Best Picture nominee, and you'll have a great time.
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