Big Fish

 

Tim Burton has always had a penchant for the odd and the peculiar, people on the fringe, looked upon as weirdos by most 'regular' people. In a way, this is the same with this film, only this time, Burton looks at it from a very different angle and this results in what just might be his most heartwarming and beautiful film ever. 

Yes, big words. But this is a big film, even if it's centre is fairly small.

Think that doesn't make any real sense? Well, it does. So there.

'Big Fish' is in essence the story of a son who grew up with a father that always had tall tales to tell. Over the years, this has made the son resent his father, because he got the feeling his dad always needed to upstage him. But when the father is terminally ill, the son flies home with his pregnant wife, hoping to reconcile once again and maybe discover who his dad really is. 

Thing is, he actually always knew, he just didn't want to see it for many years. 

Edward Bloom (either Ewan McGregor or Albert Finney) is a man who has spun so many fantastical stories of his life, it's hard to tell where the stories end and the truth begins. But as someone says: there's always a truth in there somewhere. A young Ed Bloom feels he is too big for the small town he grew up in, so het sets off on adventures. He meets a giant, discovers a strange town where everyone is ridiculously happy, joins a circus in the hopes of meeting the girl he instantly fell in love with and it keeps going on, but always coming back to the framework of a giant catfish in the nearby river that isn't really a catfish. 

It is all highly magical and wondrous and things are never what they seem, which makes it all the more engaging and appealing. The joy and open mind with which Edward looks at the world - no: gazes at the world - is a sight for sore eyes and should bring a spark of hope and light to everyone's soul. See, that is somewhere the crux of the story: the father has always been this person more likely to see the fantastical in the ordinary, whereas his son became rather jaded and too grounded in realism. But in the end, they will find one another. The key to this is probably the speech the doctor gives the son when his father is rushed to hospital: the wondrous tale of the boy's birth is a lot more fun than the real one. 

This is a wonderful fairytale/morality play and all the people involved make you believe in this parallel universe. McGregor as the always uplifting Edward is great, as is his older version Albert Finney. Billy Crudup as the son is equally great to watch and so is pretty much everyone else. Truly, it is hard to fault this film. 

Yes, it's that darn good. 

Bonuspoints for Steve Buscemi's hilarious appearance, by the way, both in the town of Spectre and then later on. 

This one sucks you in, grabs you and doesn't let go and at the end, you will feel tears welling up, as the story comes to a close. This is a wonderfully fanciful fairytale, and it should be enjoyed by as many as possible. 

Masterful.