Big Fish Movie Review

Big Fish (2003)

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Written by: Daniel Wallace (based on the novel by), John August (screenplay by)
Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter, Marion Cotillard, Steve Buscemi, Danny DeVito
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
To get to know the real man behind the myth, a son begins piecing together a true picture of his father from snippets of amazing stories and magical tales of his youth.

Verdict
It's a movie of tall tales, but this is also more than that. William grew up with outlandish stories but feels like he doesn't know the real person that's his father. Are the stories a way to seem important, cover for his lack of accomplishments, or a way to impress his son? William just wants to connect with his dad on a basic level. These stories seem like a wall. This explores fathers and sons and the barriers that exist between them due to the generation gap, tension, and the inherent stress between parent and child.
Watch It.

Review
William's (Billy Crudup) father has a literal big fish tale. It's a story he tells all the time, and what's amazing as a child slowly becomes more annoying and embarrassing for William as he ages. What irritates William is that it isn't even true, and his dad tells it at William's wedding. It's a story that doesn't even involve William at an event that's specifically about William.. It's emblematic of their relationship. They just don't have much in common. There's no overlap between them.

They drift apart, but William returns home with his wife Joséphine (Marion Cotillard) to spend time with his father Edward (Albert Finney) who's sick. The nearing end helps bridge the gap. His father is full of these strange stories that always get stranger, and that begins with his birth. It could be that his dad just wanted to entertain his son. It could also be that he wants to seem important to and impress his son. Maybe William's dad just wants to feel important since he's just a small town guy. With the nearing end, William just wants to know what's true, separating the fact and fiction of his father's stories. Did his dad really encounter a witch where he saw how he would die?

Ewan McGregor plays Edward

William recalls the time he had chicken pox and his father relates how he was bedridden for three years. That leads into how Edward (Ewan McGregor) left town, volunteering to confront a giant terrorizing everyone. The town is too small for the giant's size and Edward's ambition, so the two of them leave. Edward finds a town hidden in the swamp. It's perfect, but he wants to see the world, and there's a lot to see beyond this town's boundaries.

Joséphine prompts a story about how Edward met his wife Sandra (Alison Lohman) while working at a carnival. The problem is that she was engaged. Edward professes his devotion, showering her with gifts. That causes his future wife's fiance to show who he truly is, and it isn't pleasant. From there Edward fights in the Korean War, becoming a hero. Joséphine mentions how romantic Edward is. William counters with how Edward was never around. William wondered if he had a second life or if he just didn't want a wife and kid. William is upset that his father never told him anything true. Was he ashamed of his small town background?

Ewan McGregor, Alison Lohman play Edward, Sandra

We get it. We're hearing these stories for the first time. They're fun and fantastical. Imagine hearing them countless of times. As a kid, they reach a point where it's just embarrassing. They're no longer fun or funny, just an example of how embarrassing parents can be.

William finds these stories redundant. He's heard them all and just wants a real moment with his father instead of bluster. William sees the stories as lies; stories you tell a child. William digs into his father's stories; the things he did and didn't, the things he accomplished and never told. William discovers the stories have a basis in  truth. Part of the answer is perspective, how Edward sees the world. He sees wonder and adventure where William is realistic. The elaborate story of Williams birth was a cover. Edward was so sorry he missed it. He hated to admit that he didn't see it. The event was special even if he wasn't there, so he invented a story to mark it as such.

Billy Crudup, Albert Finney play William, Edward

Towards the end Edward asks William to tell him the story of his death. William isn't a story teller, but this is their chance to bond. William can finally see the world as his father always has.

This is a collection of tall tales, but it's also about fathers and son. How can you know your father when you're so different, your interests so disparate? William finds there is truth to his father's stories, and his dad will live on in the stories he tells his son. It was only at the end that they managed to find common ground. Because of that William realizes his father's stories generate wonderful memories.