Big Fish (2003)

Overview:
The overarching story in Big Fish is about a son and his father, Edward Bloom. Enjoying the stories as a child, Will Bloom has grown tired of his father's stories and thinks of them as elaborate lies. At Will's wedding, Edward tells the story of how he was busy catching a big fish and missed Will's birth. This angers Will, who views the story as a selfish act on his father's part. Consequently, the two don't speak with each other until one day Will gets a call informing him that his father has fallen ill. He and his wife Josephine go and stay with Will's parents. During that time, Will tries to determine what truth there is in his father's stories. The movie transitions back and forth between the stories and the present time.

Edward Bloom (Ewan McGregor) among Daffodils

[20130315]

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20101012:
Short Comments:
Great movie. Lovely ending.
Tim Burton!
I watched this movie while studying.
Great actors.
I also watched "Edward Bloom at Large" "Amos at the Circus" and "Fathers and Sons".
I certainly have some stories to tell about my parents regarding who they are, but this movie encourages me to ask them about more. I like the different messages the story has to offer. Props to Daniel Wallace, the author of the 1998 novel of the same name.

Edward (Albert Finney) and Sandra Bloom (Jessica Lange).

[20101013]

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20110727:
Recently my friends and I were discussing which Tim Burton movie is their favorite. Mine was The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Among Burton's live action movies, I first thought about Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007). I must have thought about it first, because I enjoy musicals and Sweeney Todd is a musical. I haven't seen Ed Wood, but I think the only other live action movies directed by Tim Burton that could possibly be better than Sweeney Todd are Edward Scissorhands (1990), Beetle Juice (1988), and Ed Wood (1994).

Sandra Bloom (Alison Lohman)

I recall holding the opinion that Ewan McGregor's role in Big Fish trumped all the roles in Sweeney Todd, but that many roles in Sweeney Todd simply trumped the other roles in Big Fish. However, after watching Big Fish for a second time, I was able to process a lot of details, and the other roles grew on me. By the end of the movie, I was coming around to the idea that I liked Big Fish more than Sweeney Todd.

Instant Comments:
2: Lol: Your momma's a gypsy. Your momma's a bitch.
2: It's Miley Cyrus!
2: You see my mother was banging the milkman.
2: You were big shit back in hickville. Big fish in a small pond.
2: LOLOL: he gets hit by the ride
2=20110727

Edward loses his shoes.

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20130315:
Watching this film for the third time, I was able to make many connections between different parts in the movie. For example, I'm not sure if on previous viewings, I noticed that he eventually picks up the key to the city which he dropped many years earlier. Small details like this made the story more powerful and I thought the ending was just beautiful.

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Instant Comments:
3: Big fish get that way by not being caught.
3: I love the moment when Jenny starts the story and says that he came to Spectre, once too early and once too late.
3: The ending, when Will tells the final story, was emotionally stirring. I don't remember feeling that way on the previous two viewings. I think the movie as a whole just gets more and more powerful.
3=20130315

Will Bloom (Billy Crudup)

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Watched 20101012 DVD
Watched 20110727 Blu-ray
Watched 20130315 (Netflix, Instant)
Big Fish (2003) Tim Burton. 125 min [botnotsn (1998) by Daniel Wallace]

Edward walking away from his car.

Relevant Links:
Big Fish (IMDb.com)
Big Fish (Wikipedia.org)