Burton, who has clung to the trappings of precocious genius well into his 40s, demonstrates a new emotional maturity.
Big Fish (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:203
Fresh:156
Rotten:47
Average Rating:7.2/10
Consensus: A charming father-and-son tale filled with typical Tim Burton flourishes.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for a fight scene, some images of nudity and a suggestive reference
Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Dec 10, 2003 Limited
Box Office: $66,257,002
Synopsis: In Tim Burton's family film BIG FISH, a gifted storyteller named Edward Bloom (Albert Finney), who lives in a small town in Alabama, recounts tall tales of his wild worldly adventures. These are... In Tim Burton's family film BIG FISH, a gifted storyteller named Edward Bloom (Albert Finney), who lives in a small town in Alabama, recounts tall tales of his wild worldly adventures. These are shown in flashback with Ewan McGregor playing the young Bloom. Wonderful special effects and vibrant colors that pop off the screen make this Burton film a much sunnier experience than his macabre gems EDWARD SCISSORHANDS and BEETLEJUICE. Yet his signature quirky artistry is unmistakable, and the movie benefits from crisp production values and a loveable, bizarre cast of characters. Told through a series of vignettes, Bloom's stories involve a witch, a giant, a haunted forest, and yes, a big fish. A self-described small-town hero, Bloom explains how he left home at 18 determined to experience anything and everything life could dish out. He worked for the circus, took on daring assignments as a WWII soldier, and rambled across the country as a zany traveling salesman. Utterly unbelievable yet magical and delightful, Bloom's stories just don't translate to his son Will (Billy Crudup) who wants to know his dad's "true" life story. But little by little--through increasingly outlandish tales at which Will cannot resist smirking--the two begin to understand each other, and Bloom weaves his stories into their genealogical fabric. [More]
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonham-Carter, Robert Guillaume, Steve Buscemi, Danny DeVito, Marion Cotillard, Matthew McGrory, Loudon Wainwright
Director: Tim Burton
Director: Tim Burton
Screenwriter: John August
Producer: Richard D. Zanuck, Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks
Composer: Danny Elfman
Studio: Columbia Pictures
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Reviews for Big Fish
An enchanting tale from Tim Burton that weaves together reality and myth so touchingly it hardly matters which is which.
Funny, touching, smart, whimsical, dazzling and, at times, downright magical.
It's gentle and pleasing and I appreciated the mixture of oddness, whimsy and emotion that informs Burton's search for the place where truth and fiction meet.
Offers its audience a long and winding road, with refreshing pauses. And it proves that mega-budgets have not spoiled Tim Burton's vision.
Tim Burton's Southern-fried tall tale about fathers and sons is a lot better -- and a lot warmer -- than his recent work.
There is no denying that Will has a point: The old man is a blowhard. There is a point at which his stories stop working as entertainment and segue into sadism.
It's got the mawkish soul of a male Beaches ... a claustrophobic and often irritating storytelling style, yet it's powered by the quirky genius of Tim Burton, which can't help but redeem it.
Mostly confined to bed throughout the film, Finney pulls us to him with a flawless combination of theatrical skill and movie-star radiance.
A whopper of a movie, told by the master of the modern-day fairy tale, Tim Burton.
Burton, who once used as much distancing irony in his movies as celluloid, seems no longer afraid of ordinary emotion or of dealing with people who might actually walk and breathe and die among us.
The gradual coalescence of Edward's actual and fantasy worlds is the real revelation for Burton-watchers, taking the filmmaker into territory that's surprisingly complex and mature.
Burton has not given his imagination such free rein since Edward Scissorhands, and this stands with that and the equally generous Ed Wood as one of his best movies.
We’re set-up for one of the grand emotional climaxes in this or any year. The double-duty of the finale is enough to bring any disbeliever around.
A romantic adventure & quirky character comedy, with a warm center, but takes more than 3 licks to get to the center of this treat...largely whimsy with no heart.
The ravishing images are marvels, but it is the stories that will capture you, especially when it (literally) all comes together in connection, understanding, and forgiveness.
Burton’s floundering has ended. With Big Fish he finds a movie that allows him a much-needed boost of maturity.
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
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