Synopsis: A son tries to learn more about his dying father by reliving the larger-than-life stories and myths his father has told about himself.

Now for the Zone's Eye View:

By Michelle Snow

Director: Tim Burton

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito, Robert Guillaume, Loudon Wainwright III and Steve Buscemi

Edward Bloom has lived an extraordinary and fanciful life. Or so he would have everyone believe with the stories he tells. Almost everyone falls for the magic of the tall tales…everyone except Bloom's son William (Crudup). Finally sick of the elder Bloom's stories, he leaves for a job in France to be away from his father's "lies". 

Three years later, William receives word that Edward (Finney) is near death and returns home, pregnant wife in tow. To make peace, William tries to sort out fact from fantasy in his dad's stories. The stories are told in flashback, through the eyes of a much younger Edward (McGregor). 

It was these flashbacks that really defined the movie to me. Set in 1960's Alabama, Edward travels from his small town after he stares in to the town witch's glass eye and sees the manner of his death. Knowing his death, he feels invincible, so he believes he's destined for greatness. Along his travels, he meets a plethora of interesting characters including a giant named Karl, singing Japanese Siamese twins, a conniving old-time carny with a hairy secret (DeVito, who bares more than his soul) and the bare-footed residents of the idyllic hidden town of Spectre. He also meets the love of his life Sandra (Lohman), and in a split-second, knows he wants to spend the rest of his life with her.

In between the flashbacks, William starts piecing together what he thinks are the facts from each story he's been told. His mother (the elder Sandra, played by Lange) tries to get him to just let go and embrace his father's life stories, but William, a reporter, can't let himself. 

As you can see, this is really two movies juxtaposed into one. And that's where many of the film's problems lie. As a director, Burton is a master of taking odd characters and scenes and imbuing them with heart and soul. But when he tries to tackle the "real-life" relationship between Edward and William, the film loses its edge and its steam. If only the movie would have been comprised of the flashback scenes, I would have enjoyed the movie immensely. McGregor's enthusiasm and innocence bring to life even the most implausible of Bloom's encounters. Lohman is also delightful as the young Sandra who falls head over heels for Bloom, despite his eccentricities. 

But when the movie switches to the dramatic overtones of Edward and William trying to make peace with each other, the movie drags, like the pull of a much opposite yang to the flashback's yin. After having so much fun within Edward's fantasy worlds, it's hard to want to shed a tear with a dying old man and his unimaginative son.

I also felt part of the connection between the two segments was missing. At the end, you find out Edward really did know these people, just not in the manner he has spun in his stories. But you never really find out how he came to know these people, and I think that would have helped bridge the gap between past and present.

The acting is top notch in both segments, though, with the exception of Burton's real-life companion Helena Bonham Carter who drops not one, but two roles in this film. I was also impressed with how convincingly McGregor and Lohman picked up the subtle mannerisms of Finney and Lange. So much so, that you really believe they could be one and the same persons.
Big Fish is a film that's big on imagination but not so big on resolutions. As a result, this is one film where the journey is definitely better than the final destination.

7 out of 10