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IMDbPro

Big Fish

  • 20032003
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 5m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
439K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,275
206
Big Fish (2003)
A son tries to learn more about his dying father by reliving stories and myths he told about his life.
Play trailer2:29
2 Videos
99+ Photos
AdventureDramaFantasy
A frustrated son tries to determine the fact from fiction in his dying father's life.A frustrated son tries to determine the fact from fiction in his dying father's life.A frustrated son tries to determine the fact from fiction in his dying father's life.
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
439K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,275
206
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Tim Burton
    • Writers
      • Daniel Wallace(novel "Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions")
      • John August(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Ewan McGregor
      • Albert Finney
      • Billy Crudup
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Tim Burton
    • Writers
      • Daniel Wallace(novel "Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions")
      • John August(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Ewan McGregor
      • Albert Finney
      • Billy Crudup
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 940User reviews
    • 246Critic reviews
    • 58Metascore
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 69 nominations total

    Videos2

    Theatrical Version
    Trailer 2:29
    Theatrical Version
    A Guide to the Films of Tim Burton
    Clip 2:11
    A Guide to the Films of Tim Burton

    Photos239

    Ewan McGregor in Big Fish (2003)
    Ewan McGregor in Big Fish (2003)
    Ewan McGregor in Big Fish (2003)
    Albert Finney and Jessica Lange in Big Fish (2003)
    Albert Finney in Big Fish (2003)
    Billy Crudup in Big Fish (2003)
    Alison Lohman in Big Fish (2003)
    Matthew McGrory in Big Fish (2003)
    Ewan McGregor and Alison Lohman in Big Fish (2003)
    Ewan McGregor and Alison Lohman in Big Fish (2003)
    Ewan McGregor and Matthew McGrory in Big Fish (2003)
    Ewan McGregor and Matthew McGrory in Big Fish (2003)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ewan McGregor
    Ewan McGregor
    • Ed Bloom (young)
    Albert Finney
    Albert Finney
    • Ed Bloom (senior)
    Billy Crudup
    Billy Crudup
    • Will Bloom
    Jessica Lange
    Jessica Lange
    • Sandra Bloom (senior)
    Helena Bonham Carter
    Helena Bonham Carter
    • Jenny - Young…
    Alison Lohman
    Alison Lohman
    • Sandra Bloom (young)
    Robert Guillaume
    Robert Guillaume
    • Dr. Bennett (senior)
    Marion Cotillard
    Marion Cotillard
    • Josephine
    Matthew McGrory
    Matthew McGrory
    • Karl the Giant
    David Denman
    David Denman
    • Don Price - Age 18-22
    Missi Pyle
    Missi Pyle
    • Mildred
    Loudon Wainwright III
    Loudon Wainwright III
    • Beamen
    • (as Loudon Wainwright)
    Ada Tai
    Ada Tai
    • Ping
    Arlene Tai
    Arlene Tai
    • Jing
    Steve Buscemi
    Steve Buscemi
    • Norther Winslow
    Danny DeVito
    Danny DeVito
    • Amos Calloway
    Deep Roy
    Deep Roy
    • Mr. Soggybottom
    Perry Walston
    • Ed Bloom - Age 10
    • Director
      • Tim Burton
    • Writers
      • Daniel Wallace(novel "Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions")
      • John August(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The joke with the elephant defecating while Edward daydreams was unscripted. The filming crew found it hilarious, and quickly zoomed out to get the whole thing.
    • Goofs
      Edward Bloom's "story" is set in a nostalgic, idealized amalgamation of the 1940s-1970s, so strict chronological and factual accuracy is not required.
    • Quotes

      Will Bloom: A man tells his stories so many times that he becomes the stories. They live on after him, and in that way he becomes immortal.

    • Crazy credits
      The Columbia logo runs in reverse.
    • Alternate versions
      A scene was trimmed to reduce shots of a woman in a river showing her backside in Singapore and in India. The uncut version is rated 'NC-16'.
    • Connections
      Edited into Funny or Die Presents...: Fifty Shades of DeVito (2018)
    • Soundtracks
      Man of the Hour
      Written by Eddie Vedder

      Produced by Adam Kasper

      Performed by Pearl Jam

    User reviews940

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    Tim Burton's career equivalent of "Forrest Gump" is an ultimately rewarding adult fable with some beautiful cinematography and memorable ideas...
    It was either "Cheaper by the Dozen," "The Haunted Mansion" or this. I didn't exactly feel like watching my favorite comedian run around with a horde of little kids cracking bad poopy jokes behind them, and I didn't want to see Eddie Murphy do this either (it was bad enough in last year's "Daddy Day Care"), so I chose to see the more adult-oriented of these three films, and I'm glad I did, because Tim Burton's "Big Fish" is a marvelous film--full of wit and imagination and eerie vibes that sometimes don't fit into Burton's films the way he wants them to--but actually have a purpose here.

    "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" is simply one of the best films of all time, and you can quote me on that. That was Burton's breakthrough--then came "Batman," which was very good but slightly lacking in substance, and then came "Edward Scissorhands"--one of my sister's favorite films, a beautiful love story and an eerie fable...but just missing a very small ingredient that kept it from becoming a great movie (perhaps the same with his film "Ed Wood"--a very good film, but not exactly one of my all-time favorites).

    I have my doubts as to whether anyone other than Tim Burton could have pulled off "Big Fish." Here's a movie I expected I would dislike and come away feeling a little bit empty--but that's only partially true. The movie doesn't quite exceed on the level it tries to, but as a film, it's one of the best motion pictures of the year.

    It stars Albert Finney as Edward Bloom, an old man who loves to exaggerate tales of his past and pass these on to his friends and family. One night his son, William (Billy Crudup), tires of hearing the story about how he caught the town's largest fish in a lake using a gold ring--so he ignores his father for three whole years, until his mother (Jessica Lange) informs Will that his father is dying of cancer, and that he wishes to speak with his son one last time.

    Drawn back to his old Alabama hometown with his new wife, Will finally learns the truth about these so-called "exaggerated" stories--and we, as the audience, get to see them in flashback mode. It begins with a young Edward (Ewan McGregor), a "big fish" who was just too small for his own town and had to move away to search for brighter prospects. On his journey he comes across an assortment of odd fellows, including a "Gentle Giant," a failed poet living in a heavenly town named Spectre, and a strange circus ringleader who also happens to be a werewolf.

    All of these stories that Edward Senior tells his family relate to their current positions, and to call the film simply beautiful would be what John Candy once said is "the understatement of the year." My particular favorite character was the poet living in Spectre, played by Steve Buscemi (a wonderful supporting actor), who I had no idea played any role in this film prior to viewing the opening credits and seeing "with Steve Buscemi" appear on screen.

    Buscemi's poet has been working on a particular poem for twelve years whilst living in Spectre. "Can I see it?" asks Edward. It says, "Roses are red, violets are blue, I love Spectre." "But it's only three lines long!" says Edward. "That's the reason you don't show your work to people," Buscemi says.

    Danny DeVito also appears as the circus ringleader, and the most regretful scene in the film is that in which we see him naked from behind. I shudder at the thought. But, for what it's worth, DeVito's second re-teaming with Burton is magnificent--he's a supporting character, but the film certainly benefits from his performance.

    Like all of Burton's films, "Big Fish" teeters on the edge of greatness, but it never quite crosses the line. This is a marvelous film, full of warmth, kind-hearted fables and beautiful cinematography, and it's one of the best films of the year. It's certainly a unique film experience unlike any you've ever had before. Unless, of course, you've seen "Edward Scissorhands" or "Ed Wood." Then some of it may look a bit familiar.

    Still, I enjoyed it more than "The Lord of the Rings." And I could actually relate to this film.

    Trivia note: "Edward Scissorhands" was a Tim Burton film. The main character of this film is named Edward. Sometimes when people pronounce his name with their thick Alabama accents it comes across as "Ed Wood." Mere coincidence or something more? We may never find out.

    4.5/5 stars.

    • John Ulmer
    helpful•122
    52
    • MovieAddict2016
    • Feb 18, 2004

    FAQ3

    • Is 'Big Fish' based on a book?
    • What war was Ed supposed to have been in?
    • How does the movie end?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 9, 2004 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Sony Pictures Entertainment
    • Languages
      • English
      • Cantonese
    • Also known as
      • Cá Lớn
    • Filming locations
      • Wetumpka, Alabama, USA
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • Jinks/Cohen Company
      • The Zanuck Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $70,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $66,809,693
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $207,377
      • Dec 14, 2003
    • Gross worldwide
      • $123,218,424
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 5 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • Dolby Atmos

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