Rating: 
Summary: A head scratcher
Review: Well some movies have it all and some movies have stuff you never thought you'd want to see, like a nude Danny DeVito. I grew up in the South and have never heard of stories such as conjoined twins from North Korea, or a witch who'll show you your own death through a glass eye. My wife kept elbowing me in the ribs throughout this film. She couldn't believe someone could spin as much bull as I do. Well there's your proof. I don't see how this movie can be called 'moving'. I mean the son might have learned a lesson in that maybe his father was more than a teller of tall tales, but then again who wants to hear the story of one's own birth a million times whether it's true or not?
Rating: 
Summary: A Real Flounder
Review: After seeing Big Fish on DVD, my first reaction was to wonder why so many people love the film. It's a story about Will, a grown man who has grown apart from his father, Ed. Will is constantly embarrassed in public by his father who insists on telling the most outrageous and unbelievable stories to everyone he meets. Will believes none of them, yet Ed insists they are completely true, and as a result Will feels like he doesn't know his father whatsoever. Ed is then diagnosed with a terminal illness, and the movie unfolds as Will tries to find out the truth about his dad. While I heard there "wasn't a dry eye in the house" from everyone who saw it, the film just didn't move me. It's filled with somewhat clichéd and thinly veiled symbolism, and is permeated with inconsistent metaphors. It's sort of like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for idiots - people can leave feeling like they just actually enjoyed an "art" film that wasn't actually an art film. Here is how the film fails. Early in the movie Ed sees how he is going to die, and realizes from that moment on he can survive anything. Everything except the audience's interest for the rest of the film - because he knows (and you know) throughout the movie that he isn't going to die until a certain point, he handles every situation with a completely drama-less attitude, knowing he'll live through it. He parachutes into the middle of a Japanese army, walks straight through the webs of poisonous spiders, robs a bank, faces a man-eating giant, etc. - all because he knows he won't die doing it. Therefore every scene is pretty much void of drama since you know he'll survive, and since he behaves recklessly knowing he'll survive as well. To me, that's a pretty boring hero. A hero is only heroic when there's real danger involved and Ed never faces real danger because he always knows he'll live through it. I just couldn't get behind him. Besides this, he constantly abandoned his family - including the woman that he paylessly worked at a circus for three years to find because he "loved" her so much - to go on his little adventures. I don't really see how I can respect that in a character. He supposedly has the woman of his dreams, and then leaves her home alone so he can go fix up some other woman's house for her. Continuing with the characters, Will is a completely humorless jerk who treated his father badly. Furthermore, when will has his "transformation" at the end of the movie, there was really nothing to trigger it. Sure he had found some papers in his father's shed to validate some of the stories and he had talked to the woman from Specter, but there was nothing to suggest that he had totally been changed and bought into his father's philosophy. As a result, the ending felt like completely contrived schlock to me. It was just "time for character transformation in 3...2...1...now," with no lead up to it at all. There really isn't a conceivable story line to follow either. It just felt completely random and absurd. Perhaps that's what people liked about - for me, I prefer at least a semblance of story in a film. Burton just used gimmick after gimmick instead of telling a real story. We're hearing Jenny tell about Ed driving to Specter when he hit a severe thunderstorm, and then, while I foolishly expect a story to develop out of it, he's suddenly in his car at the bottom of a sea with a naked woman swimming around, then he's staring at his car up in a tree, presumably after the water has subsided. Just when it starts to shape into a story, something completely random and absurd happens, sending the movie spiraling deeper into contrived glitter-scenes, and apparently tricking the audience into believing they just saw something meaningful. Based upon the gushing reviews of this film, even on amazon, it's hard to advise you not to see it. But if you do, try not to give in to the careful manipulation of Burton's devices and actually try to follow the film and what it's saying. In the end, it really isn't much. Basically, it's saying if you abandon your loved ones to pursue your own fantasies, everyone will love you in the end. I'm just not buying that.
Rating: 
Summary: brilliant
Review: Big fish. adapted from the novel by daniel wallace is a film that captures the imagination and the emotions. directed by Tim Burton, and a music score by danny Elfman combines to make a wonderful feelgood family movie.
Rating: 
Summary: a very entertaining movie.
Review: I really enjoyed this movie, although being from Alabama the accents were definitely over done. The movie is entertaining from start to finish and was easy to watch. Tim Burton did a great job with this movie and made it a fun film to watch.
Rating:
Summary: Tim Burton's 2nd best film
Review: This movie makes me all warm inside after I watch it. The scene where time stops and he meets Sandra is great. There are other nice scenes and it's a heart warming story of the relationship between a fahter and son. It is great for the entire family.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating movie!
Review: I unfortunately never got a chance to see this movie while it was playing at the movie theatres and it's a real bummer because "Big Fish" is a really amazingly well done movie and one of the greatest movies of 2003. I was lured into seeing this film after reading and hearing all of the great reviews that this film got and let me tell you, this movie deserves all of the great reviews that it gets. Another thing that also made me want to see this was that it was directed by Tim Burton, one of my all time favorite directors. In fact, even as high of expectations that I had, this movie surpassed even those. "Big Fish" is the tale of an elderly father named Edward Bloom. Edward and his son William have never really gotten along very well. Edward has told his son William about his eccentric and highly adventurous life during his younger years to his son when he was a child but William however found it to be too 'fantasy-oriented' and wants to hear Edward's 'real' story without resorting to talking like it's a 'fantasy' world. After it turned into an argument the two became estranged for over three years but Edward has fallen ill to a terminal illness and Will returns to see him and learn about his past. Flashing back into Edwards younger days, the movie showcases all of the fun not to mention outrageously adventurous things Edward did during his younger days. This movie is just absolutely amazing but it's also a mix of tears and laughter as it's one of the most bittersweet movies that I've ever watched. Tim Burton who usually showcased his trademark with his generally macabre natured movies completely takes a U-Turn and replaces the Halloween styles with a more southern classic atmosphere and he as a result breaks new ground in his career and it works almost perfectly. Burton on a directing note, hits another home run right out of the park on this movie as well. The story is just stellar and brings out incredible depth to the father/son dynamic. The acting by the entire cast was absolutely stellar especially by Ewan McGregor as the young Edward Bloom and also by Albert Finney as the much older Edward. The movie plot is just fun and not to mention heartbreaking yet funny all at the same time. It will leave you happy yet wanting to cry at the same time. This movie is so much fun and so emotional that I literally did not want it to end. It's that Good! Quite frankly, this is one of the best movies of 2003 and I strongly recommend that you buy this DVD as soon as possible because it is worth the money and I plan on watching it at least 500 more times!
Rating:
Summary: what a wonderful movie
Review: i am a HUGE movie buff, and this is the best movie i have seen in a long time. it is so imaginative and really brings you into the story. tim burton really is a genius. i would absolutely reccommend this movie to anyone who has good taste.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Film That Is A Times Larger Than Life
Review: The most common review of BIG FISH from friends who viewed the film was something along the lines of "I am surprised I liked it as much as I did." Since I had a more positive reaction to the film than I did to its theatrical trailer, I can understand this point of view. The trailer struck me as a bit bizarre, and the dialogue used in the trailer made it seem cliché. For this reason I did not plan to see the movie, but when I was given the DVD as a gift, I figured I had no choice, so I watched the film and can honestly say I enjoyed it. The plot is rather simple. Father and son love each other but are conflicted, father and son have falling out, and father and son reunite when dear old dad gets ill. The story itself could either be hackneyed or used creatively. In BIG FISH, the latter is the case and creativity is the key that makes the movie interesting. In resolving the conflict, the son begins to gradually understand and appreciate the father, and this happens in a natural manner. Ewan McGreggor, and Albert Finney are masterful as the young and older Ed Bloom. Billy Crudup is a compelling and believable Will Bloom. Jessica Lange, Robert Guillaume, Danny De Vito, Helena Bonham Carter, and Alison Lohman also star in the film as supporting cast and do admirably. The fanciful tales of the movie are glitzy and create a magical atmosphere. The mini stories within the larger story are also in keeping with the character of Ed Bloom. Director Tim Burton has reason to be pleased with much of the film. While there is much to praise about the film, there are a few drawbacks. While it was only a little over two hours in length, it did seem to drag at certain points. The sub-stories were larger than life, which would be in keeping with a larger than life character like Ed Bloom. As interesting as the sub-stories were, they did seem at times to be a bit to many and in some cases, the stories were a bit prolonged. In other films this could mean death, but in BIG FISH, there are so many other redeeming qualities, these are merely items that make it less than perfect. Enjoy!!!
Rating:
Summary: Sweet, Sad and Charmingly Quirky; Totally Original
Review: BIG FISH is definitely one of my all time favorite films. It's quirky; it's eccentric; it's sad; it's sweet; it's innovative. And, it's a sheer delight. Blending "fact," and fantasy, BIG FISH tells the story of Edward Bloom, a man whose life seems to be made up of nothing but "big fish" stories, outrageous lies, and, the bigger the better. While Ed's stories delight almost everyone around him, they eventually cause a rift to develop between Ed and his son, Will. Will wants to hear about the man his father really is/was, not the tall tales he's been spinning all his life. Will gets the chance he's been waiting for when Ed becomes terminally ill and Will is called home by his mother, Sandra. Will takes the opportunity, the last he'll ever have, to really get to know his father and to attempt to separate Ed's lies from his reality. To his surprise, he finds that Ed Bloom's reality is not that far removed from his fantasy. In dreamlike sequences, as Ed talks to Will and Sandra, we meet Ed as a young man and experience his adventures with him. We see Ed in his hometown of Ashton, Alabama, the proverbial "big fish in a little pond"; we experience his wonderfully sweet romance with Sandra (I wish Burton would have given this a bit more depth); we get to know Ed as he encounters a one-eyed witch and learns to love her; we're with Ed as he goes along for the ride with his poet-turned-robber buddy; we see Ed meet Ping and Jing, Siamese twins he encounters while in the Army in Asia. The past and the present are woven together seamlessly and beautifully in this story and Ed's adventures are highly entertaining, although, at its heart, of course, BIG FISH is really about the mysterious bond between fathers and sons. Much of the success of BIG FISH has to go to the actors, all of whom play their parts to perfection. Albert Finney almost steals the show as the older Ed and Ewan McGregor as the younger Ed is perfectly cast. Lange is beautiful and believable as Finney's sweet, southern wife, just as is Alison Lohman as the younger Sandra. (And Lange and Lohman look amazingly alike.) Danny DeVito has a small, but wonderful, part as a circus owner and Steve Buscemi shines as Ed's poet/robber friend. Philippe Rousselet's cinematography is truly gorgeous and goes a long way toward making BIG FISH a true masterpiece. BIG FISH is a sweetly charming, very quirky tale that can really tug at the heartstrings and bring more than one tear to the eyes. But, to Burton's credit, he never lets BIG FISH slip into sentimentality. The best films, just like the best books, have a bit of magic in them, and BIG FISH certainly has more than its share. It is, however, quite offbeat and very unconventional. Film fans who like their stories "straight up" might not care for BIG FISH or even find it annoying. If, however, you like a little of the fantastic with the realistic, then you might love BIG FISH just as much as I do.
Rating:
Summary: The Tallest Tale Ever Told (Too Many Times!)
Review: "Big Fish" is an exquisite film; it is safe to say that Tim Burton, despite his excellent reputation as a film-maker, has outdone himself.
The acting was superb, the story heartwrenching, and the execution wonderful.
This movie is, in my opinion, one of the best films of its year.
True, the messages this film attempts (and, in my case, suceeds) to portray are cliche- follow your heart, make the most of your life, committment allows one to go far, etc.- but aren't all cliches cliches for a reason? "Big Fish" even managed to refrain from making these messages appear trite; on the contrary, they were expressed humorously, with love, and through some of the greatest, most unbelievable stories ever told.
My only complain is that I truly wish Alison Lohman's character had a bigger part; the love story would have made the film even more meaningful had it been developed further. However, I do like that the emphasis of the film was placed on family, love, and self-exploration.
This is an excellent, thought-provoking film which was a joy to watch.
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