We see Edward Bloom’s life, through the stories he has always told.  We see him as a bouncing baby on the day he was born, on the search for the love of his life, his involvement in Vietnam, and his job as a traveling salesman and bank robber.  There’s a witch, a giant, and of course, a big fish through Edward’s tall tales.  And like his son Will, we are never sure how much of these tales is myth and how much truth, and it doesn’t really matter.

Big Fish is about discovery, ambition, faithfulness and love.  When it opens, we know Edward is dying of cancer, but Burton doesn’t make it too sappy.  And in the end, it’s not so much just a life coming to an end, not just a father, but Edward’s lust for life, and his son coming to terms with his father and appreciating him for what he is.  Burton doesn’t over-sentimentalize it, as in a film like Steel Magnolias, where a main character dies and everyone ends up at the funeral at the end.  Here we know Edward’s going to die, and the important thing is how he lived his life, his zest for life, and his accomplishments.    

Aside from the moving and life affirming story, both Albert Finney as the old Edward and Ewan McGregor as the younger Edward give great performances—Finney as a man nearing the end of his life, but not giving up on the tales he’s always told, and McGregor as a young man wide-eyed with a southern voice. 

And it’s nice to see Jessica Lange in a major film again.  Unfortunately she’s not in it that much, as most of the film takes place in Edward’s past, or his stories, and Alison Lohman, from Matchstick Men, plays the young Sandra of Edward’s lust and affection. Lange is a really great actress with an amazing screen presence who unfortunately hasn’t been in much in the last few years.  In the last ten years, she’s been in Titus and Rob Roy, but not really a major role since Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear.

The only real flaw in Big Fish is that it’s a bit choppy in the beginning, and some scenes seem to be rushed through, like when Edward first meets the giant.  But the structure of the film quickly catches on as we learn about Edward’s ambitions and grow to like and admire him, and I found my self falling for this film very quickly, just as Edward instantly falls in love with Sandra.

While Kill Bill: Volume 1 is still my favorite film of the year, I do realize it is a genre film and not for everyone. Big Fish is the best film of the year for everyone, and restores Tim Burton’s reputation after his atrociously awful remake of Planet of the Apes.  If I was to compare this to a previous Burton film, I would say it most closely resembles Edward Scissorhands in that it’s a storybook fable.  But Big Fish is a much more matured fable—while the events have a fable-like quality, the characters are more realistic.  In one respect, this is a nice follow up to Ed Wood, which I still think is Burton’s best film to date. 

Big Fish is definitely the must see of the holiday season, and I really hope it gets the attention it deserves.  It’s already been nominated for four Golden Globes including Best Comedy Picture, and is bound to get a bunch of Fidelio Film Award nominations when they are announced in February. 

Burton is now working on a remake of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka.  It seems as though he’s doing these big budget remakes to finance his smaller films, and as long as he keeps on his creative ventures like Big Fish, I guess that’s ok.  But I do have to question whether a remake of such a classic is necessary, and will those who love it let Johnny Depp replace the comic genius of a Gene Wilder?  That remains to be seen, but let’s just hope it doesn’t turn out to be the trash that Planet of the Apes was.

Alternative Recommendations:  Edward Scissorhands, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Bettlejuice, Ed Wood, Batman, Miller’s Crossing, Trainspotting, Fight Club