Big Fish Review
by Joe Lopez (Joemovie AT aol DOT com)January 21st, 2004
Big Fish
*** (out of 4)
Review written by Joseph Lopez
There's an old adage that a big fish in a small pond becomes a small fish when in a big pond. Truth is, regardless of the size of the pond, a big fish is a big fish. Big in spirit. Some fish are born to be big, and even when it may seem that they are but a spec in the sea, they are still immense by nature. One such "fish" is Ed Bloom, the would-be folk hero of Tim Burton's magical motion picture "Big Fish". Bloom spends most of his time telling enchanting stories, supposedly true tales from his own life. He is a big fish, as the legends show, but are these stories complete fabrications from Ed's imagination? Is he only a big fish in his mind?
Billy Crudup stars as Will Bloom, Ed's estranged son who returns home when learning that Ed is dying. In true "Cats In The Cradle" fashion, Will hopes not only to repair his relationship with Ed, but to also finally understand his father. The real Ed Bloom, not the fantasy one from the many whimsical tales Will has listened to his entire life. The problem is Ed stands by his stories, making Will's task nearly impossible.
Ed is at his best when recounting his incredible anecdotes, telling them with more ease than a memorized knock-knock joke. The movie itself is also at its finest when acting out these great stories. Ewan McGregor shines as the young Ed Bloom, having all the style and substance of a 1950's Hollywood leading man. We watch as Ed's fable is weaved with glass-eyed witches, giants with gentle hearts, and a love at first sight moment that literally freezes time. Between McGregor's captivating performance and Tim Burton's usual excellence in creating a fantasy world that feels fully acceptable, you can't help but fall full force for the folklore of Ed Bloom's life.
While the fantasy sequences are great, the moments we spend in the reality of the situation really hurt the film. Seeing Ed as an old man at the end of his life, played with an unfitting crispy coating by Albert Finney, provides an all too sobering truth. Those scenes rudely yank us away from the extravagant world of Ed's past. They all but smack us upside the head and scold us for being so enthralled in Ed's tall tales. Not helping matters, Finney and Crudup have nearly no chemistry together, causing the father/son relationship to feel forced and awkward.
Are Ed's stories true? Are they embellishments of fact? Or are they complete fabrications? The film answers this, but it also provides us with a final query...does it matter? Looking at Ed's saga, does it really matter whether those events he claims to have lived through actually happened? They're stories. If people accept them as real, then they're real. "Big Fish" asks us to let go of our common sense and simply believe that anything can happen. It sends us back to our childhood, a time when we knew slimy green monsters lived under the bed, not because we saw them, but rather because they had to live somewhere. Do you ever think back to some of the things you believed in as a child? Think about it. About how gullible you were. And now think about how fun life would be if you could still be that gullible. Just remember, anything can be real. All you have to do is believe.
So is Ed Bloom a big fish? Hey, what do you believe?
Joe Lopez...
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
