Big Fish (2003)

A son tries to learn more about his dying father by reliving stories and myths he told about his life.

Director:

Tim Burton

Writers:

Daniel Wallace (novel), John August (screenplay)

Stars:

Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 33 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ewan McGregor	...	Ed Bloom - Young
Albert Finney	...	Ed Bloom - Senior
Billy Crudup	...	Will Bloom
Jessica Lange	...	Sandra Bloom - Senior
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Jenny - Young / Jenny - Senior / The Witch
Alison Lohman	...	Sandra Bloom - Young
Robert Guillaume	...	Dr. Bennett - Senior
Marion Cotillard	...	Josephine Bloom
Matthew McGrory	...	Karl the Giant
David Denman	...	Don Price - Age 18-22
Missi Pyle	...	Mildred
Loudon Wainwright III	...	Beamen (as Loudon Wainwright)
Ada Tai	...	Ping
Arlene Tai	...	Jing
Steve Buscemi	...	Norther Winslow

Storyline

The story revolves around a dying father and his son, who is trying to learn more about his dad by piecing together the stories he has gathered over the years. The son winds up re-creating his father's elusive life in a series of legends and myths inspired by the few facts he knows. Through these tales, the son begins to understand his father's great feats and his great failings.

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Plot Keywords:

dying | flashback | legend | liar | swimming pool | 

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Taglines:

An adventure as big as life itself.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for a fight scene, some images of nudity and a suggestive reference

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 January 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

El gran pez

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$592,635 (Japan) (14 May 2004)

Gross:

$3,559,255 (Japan) (18 June 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Jinks/Cohen Company, Zanuck Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS (8 channels)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Even though Young Edward lands in Korea, the ventriloquist and his puppet speak in Tagalog (language of the Philippines) while the Siamese twins and Edward speak in Cantonese (a Chinese dialect). The soldiers who pull the ventriloquist off the stage speak Mandarin Chinese (language of mainland China and Taiwan) while the other soldiers speak in Korean.

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Goofs

Mr. Calloway tells young Edward that Sandra is in her last semester at Auburn. Auburn's system used quarters, not semesters.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Young Ed Bloom: There are some fish that cannot be caught. It's not that they are faster or stronger than other fish, they're just touched by something extra.

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Crazy Credits

The Columbia logo runs in reverse.

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Connections

References Batman Returns (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Dinah"
Written by Harry Akst, Sam Lewis and Joe Young
Performed by Bing Crosby
Courtesy of Jasmine Records

User Reviews

Tim Burton's Surprise Heartwarmer

I approach Tim Burton films with a certain trepidation. Will it be "Edward Scissorhands" or "Batman II?" With Burton you could get a quirky comedy, a dark thriller, or sweet morality tale. And there's always the possibility of Danny DeVito chomping down on a raw fish.

"Big Fish" combines Burton's unusual humor with a heart-wrenching story of a father-son deathbed reconciliation. Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor share the role of Ed Bloom, one of the big fish from the movie's title while an SUV-sized catfish plays the other. Bloom is a metaphorical and literal big fish in the small pond of Ashton, Alabama in this tale told mostly through flashback. Jessica Lange plays his wife and Billy Crudup plays the son, Will, estranged from his father for the past three years. Father and son are reunited as Finney lies dying of cancer.

Ed Bloom has spent his life spinning his personal history into mythological proportions: an early encounter with a very tall man becomes a battle with a house-sized giant; a rural village is depicted as heaven on earth; military service during the Korean War morphs into a behind-the-lines mission that would make Duke Nukem proud. Originally a true believer, Will now knows everything his father has told him was not just an exageration or even a tall tale but an outright lie. In his effort to understand the truth behind his father's stories he learns to love the man as well as the mythology. And Burton delivers a terrific punchline at the end of the film that left me both tickled and weeping, a truly weird emotional state.

Burton deals with mythic themes in "Big Fish." Besides the surface story of the generational tension between father and son he explores the metaphor of the big-fish-in-a-small-pond by examining the impact Ed Bloom has had on the lives he's touched in his workaday contacts with colleagues, customers (he's a traveling salesman), and people in the small towns across the South. Not exactly "It's A Wonderful Life," he still manages to show how all of us -- even the little fish -- have profound effects on the people around us. And of course love -- unrequited and reciprocated -- control almost all of Ed's many adventures.

The acting is wonderful. You will actually believe two Brits and a Scot (Finney, Helena Bonham Carter, and McGregor) are natives of small town Alabama. Lange brings dignity and brio to the role of the long "suffering" wife -- and she still looks great(!)-- you believe she has had a long and loving life with Finney/McGregor. DeVito is a delight in the role of a circus ringmaster. But the scene-stealer is Bonham Carter in the dual role of Jenny and the crone witch.

I rated this movie ten stars and when you see it you'll do the same.