“”There is the guy who claims to have caught a fish so big that it took 2 fishing rods to reel it in. Then, another fisherman talks of a catch so large a person’s head could fit inside the animal’s mouth. Finally someone can claim to have nabbed an aquatic creature the size of a Buick—now that is truly a fish tale.
Regardless of the size of the animal, the above stories all have something in common: embellishment. They all have the idea of making an event seem much more than what it is, and to make it truly memorable, creating something to tell the proverbial kids and even grandkids. This is a topic covered in filmmaker Tim Burton’s latest movie, “”Big Fish””.This flick looks at the life of one individual, a native of the Southern U.S. named Edward Bloom, with particular glimpses at the relationship between him and his son William. The former views his life through a fantasy lens, while the latter prefers to look at what he considers ‘the truth’–the facts, the things rooted in logic. The elder Bloom believes, however, that truth is measured by more than physical properties—there are emotional reactions to a particular event, for instance—and that tall tales are something to take pride in, pride he might not otherwise have.The plot of “”Big Fish”” is well, hard to pin down, much like the titular animal. The basic premise has grown up William Bloom (Billy Crudup) living in France with his wife Josephine (Marion Cotillard) and being estranged from his salesman father Edward (Albert Finney), who lives back in America with wife, and William’s mother, Sandy (Jessica Lange). After not speaking to his dad for 3 years, William receives a note from home where he learns his old man is in bad shape healthwise. The younger Bloom decides to head home, with his expectant wife choosing to come along. Upon arriving at his parents’ home, William tries to reconcile the reality of his father’s life in contrast to the stories his old man told him growing up. There is little time left in which to do this—William knows the truth, or so he claims, thanks to mom’s descriptions of the past–but the son wants his father to fess up and explain what his real upbringing was like. This proves difficult, as Edward continues to regale everyone with his tall tales, including daughter-in-law Josephine; she particularly likes his description of how he met his wife.According to his many yarns, tales, stories, etc.–the life Edward Bloom is this: after an unusual birth, grows up in the small Southern town of Ashton. After a really sudden growth spurt, in the middle of church no less, Edward comes to the conclusion that his physical condition indicates his being destined for great things. As he gets older, he becomes star of the local school sports teams, wins first prize at the science fair, excells at supervising a landscaping job (in a scene reminiscent of Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands”, a team under Bloom’s leadership mow lawns on a street of identical, suburban-style house), and rescues a dog from a burning house. Edward is extremely popular in Ashton, but continues to plan for larger things in life, and when he confronts a livestock-eating giant named Karl (Matthew McGrory), he senses an opportunity. Thus, with this towering individual in tow, Bloom says farewell to his home town and explores the world beyond. Along the way, the still teenaged Edward ignores the warning signs and walks through a dangerous swamp, filled with strange flying bugs and jumping spiders. Upon leaving this desolate locale, he enters the village of Spectre, where life seems idyllic, the residents all walk around barefoot, and poet and fellow Ashton native Norther Winslow (Steve Buscemi) continues “working” on his craft. This is certainly a wonderful town, but despite all its positives Bloom doesn’t yet feel ready to remain in one place, and to the grave disappointment of Spectre’s residents, the young man leaves and re-joins his co-traveler Karl.The two encounter a traveling circus, led by Amos (Danny DeVito), and it’s there that Edward spies an attractive young woman (Alison Lohman) with whom he falls instantly in love. Since he immediately decides this is who he will marry, and noticing that Amos seems to know who she is, young Bloom makes a deal. He will work for the circus, and instead of getting paid in money (or anything material for that matter), for each month of his service the ringmaster will give him one piece of information about Edward’s mystery love.After 3 years, Edward has had enough of the grueling circus work, and finds out from Amos both the woman’s identity and that she attends Auburn University. He then heads to this college only to find that she is engaged—to his former Ashton rival Don (David Denham) no less. Despite this setback he woos this coed with ingenious methods (such as a field full of daffodils, her favorite flower) until she finally starts to come around.The tall tales of Edward Bloom’s life continue, including a stint in the army involving a top secret dangerous mission in East Asia. “Big Fish” involves not simply a recollection of Edward’s life, or at least his view of it, but also how William tries for one final opportunity to learn about his father–from the old man himself–before he passes away, and also before becoming a dad himself. The film then is also about what it means to be a parent, and setting an example as a father.There is much more than this, however, as the tall tales represent a way to boost self-esteem, and not just for the storyteller. These tales seem intended to make everyone around feel good—family included–and it certainly isn’t bad for Edward’s salesman career (something to tell clients). Instead of just a simple ‘I met my wife at Auburn’ story, a more elaborate version of events is presented. Are the stories lies then, or are they metaphors, such as the ‘too big for this town’ concept? That is the main theme of this film: not so much about what is true and what isn’t–not in hard scientific terms anyway–but what purpose do stories/legends/myths serve, and what they can reveal about a person or place. Other themes in the film involve fate and destiny, especially in a certain place at a certain moment in one’s life. So, how to sum up “Big Fish” then–well it has a lot of entertaining bits, but also provides much for the mind to digest, making it different from Burton’s earlier works. There is plenty of so-called eye candy, from good visual effects (such as the scene where Edward is attacked by trees, or another where his car actually gets stuck in a tree) to the general look of the movie, especially in the early bits featuring the village of Spectre–presented as an idyllic place (though maybe not for shoemakers). The movie’s biggest strength is its exploration of the aforementioned themes, from the relationship between a grown son and his father, to, again, the role that legends and myths play.The movie is generally well done, although the ending becomes‘Hollywood-ish’ with the sudden turnaround in attitude of a particular character. Provided, this turnaround comes at a very serious moment, but it seems so abrupt and opposite of said character’s earlier nature that it seemed awkward. Without giving too much away, the final minutes of the film do seem more formulaic (on another note, there’s also an earlier moment where something is seen moving in the Bloom’s pool, but exactly what is never explained).Despite the ending the film is both enjoyable and insightful, even though the ideas involved may be nothing new. It brings to mind an episode of “”The Simpsons”” where, right before a major town celebration, Lisa Simpson learns that Springfield’s founder Jebediah Springfield was less than, well, heroic (to put it mildly). She tries to reveal this information to the town, but soon realizes the importance of the Jebediah legend to the townspeople in providing an interest in history and a source of local pride.This is not to say that this attitude—or the film’s premise–is one for all to agree upon, but “”Big Fish”” provides both something to talk about and many colorful visuals. Maybe with this film Burton can finally receive some serious recognition on the Awards front to complement his many (box-office) successful popcorn flicksFinal Grade: B+EM Review by Andrew Haas12/25/03