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MOVIE REVIEW
Big Fish
(2003)
Starring:
Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Danny
DeVito, Alison Lohman
Directors: Tim Burton
Rating: PG-13
Studio:
Columbia
Release Date: 12.10.03
Review
Posted: 12.10.03
Spoilers:
Minor
By
Sara M. Fetters
Nothing Fishy About It – "Big
Fish" is a Classic
No matter what
you think about each film in his body of work, director Tim
Burton is still an unquestionable visionary. From rather rote
studio work like 2001’s “Planet of the Apes” remake to personal
idiosyncratic classics like “Edward Scissorhands,” Burton is one
of the few directors working in the Hollywood system that puts
an indelible stamp on every project. Many times, the more
personal the stamp the better the movie turns out (“Mars
Attacks!” being a rare example when this isn’t the case),
this director having uncanny ability to make almost every frame
unquestionably his own.
This is
definitely the case with Burton’s latest, the whimsical family
adventure “Big Fish.” The story of Edward Bloom, played
winningly by both Ewan McGregor as a young man and then by
Albert Finney in his later years, this is a tale that lovingly
treads the fertile ground of parent/child relations. In this
case, it is the timeworn caveat of how parent’s – especially
father’s relating to their sons – can color their history in far
broader strokes than the actual reality, making themselves seem
far more important or inspirational in the child’s eyes.
As we grow
older, we understand that these little white lies, this
expansion of the truth, tells just as much about our parents as
the actual non fiction-aided history does. While watching “Big
Fish,” I recalled a story my mother loved – loves – to tell
about my mechanic father, and how he once lifted up an entire
block engine, catching it in mid-freefall before it smashed a
couple of co-workers. The reality wasn’t as colorful. While my
father did stop the engine from smooshing the mechanics, two
still-intact chains connected to the hoist holding the engine
assisted him. You see it was the third chain that snapped,
sending the bulky car component toppling down upon them. And
while he did in fact stop the engine from doing any damage t, it
wasn’t like he didn’t have any help supporting the several
hundred pound item.
But, as a
child, this story only made my father seem even more important
to me, even more the superman I already believed him to be.
Years later, knowing the truth, this story now tells me just as
much about my mother and how she saw – sees – my father. To her,
this is a man willing to put his own safety at risk to help
others, willing to use every last ounce of strength in his body
to make that come to pass. It was this feeling, this belief, she
wanted to pass on, and by subtly expanding the truth of the
story she did just that.
The unfortunate
side effect to all this, of course, is that in telling tall
tales there is the potential children are not quite going to
ever get a good feel for whom the person relating it really is.
That their essence, those unequivocal singularities that make us
who we are, will continue to remain unclear unless the honest
and truthful history is presented. That’s exactly how young
reporter Will Bloom (Billy Crudup) feels. All his father’s tales
have left him feeling an uneasy distance from Edward and, when
suddenly faced with dad on his deathbed and a first child of his
own on the way, Will cannot help but want a chance to finally
know who his father really was.
It is easy to
see why the journalist has so much trouble relating to his dad.
When it comes to telling fish tales, traveling salesman Edward
Bloom is the undisputed king. From stories of a gentle giant
named Karl (Matthew McGrory), to a witch (Helena Bonham Carter)
whose glass eye is a window to one’s future death, to a circus
ran by a rather lycanthropic ringmaster (Danny DeVito), the
senior Bloom has a story to tell about almost everything. In the
end, though, nearly every one of these narratives revolves
around Edward’s love for his luminous wife Sandra (played by
Alison Lohman and Jessica Lange), and the outlandish means it
took to win her hand. It is their story, their love, that is the
heart of “Big Fish,” and it is that tale Will longs to know
before his own child is born.
Based on the
acclaimed novel Big Fish, A Story of Mythic Proportions
by Daniel Wallace, Burton and “Go” screenwriter John August have
a crafted a timeless film about history and family that
transcends the mystical magic realism which so easily could have
dipped it into schmaltz. In Burton’s surrealistic world, the
time and tales of Edward Bloom are every bit as real as the
historical facts we dot social studies books with. It is this
matter-of-factness, this definitive intrepidity to all of
Edward’s stories, which carries the film from start to finish
and makes it so effecting.
These tales are
told with such veracity it is much more difficult than it should
be to sort fact from fiction. Sure, I can discount a Mustang
traveling through a flooded road and landing atop a bedraggled
tree, but what about some of the rest? Did Edward really land
behind enemy Korean lines, liberating not only some secret
documents but also a scandalously sexy pair of singing conjoined
twins? Or how about creating a sea of bright yellow daffodils in
a sorority common area for love of his life Sandra? And then
there is the town of Spectre, a seemingly mystical place of
serendipitous tranquility that can only exist dreams. But when
Edward seemingly saves it from ruination, there must be more
fact to that dream than first imagined.
In a movie like
this, no amount of technical wonderment can survive actors not
up to the task. Always one to cast exceedingly well – “Planet of
the Apes” and blank slate Mark Whalberg aside – Burton has
populated his film with faces more than up to the cast. Both
Lange and Lohman are perfect as Edward’s one true love Sandra,
especially considering the woman is written more as a symbol
than an actual person. It’s tough position to be in for an
actress, yet both nail it, each having a scene of utmost
sincerity and genuine human emotion that’s deeply affecting.
But their
plight is nothing compared to the one faced by Crudup. For the
first half of the movie, his character is nothing more than a
sieve for the rest of “Big Fish” to slip through. Whereas
everyone else has a trait of one sort or another that makes them
jump out, Will is really nothing more than a blank slate, a
cipher for Finney to bounce his joviality off of. But then
something magical happens; Will becomes a bit more proactive and
actively starts searching out the places his father’s stories
come from, and Crudup comes to life. Not that I want to make it
sound like he wasn’t giving a good performance beforehand, it is
just that his reasoning for keeping the character a bit more
closed off and closeted suddenly becomes clear, the “Almost
Famous” actor suddenly taking charge to be the surprise dynamic
center to the picture.
The rest of the
supporting cast is uniformly excellent in their bit parts. Most
notably, Carter is quite touching in her own dual role, quietly
bringing about both tears and smiles as she sheds light on more
of what makes Edward tick. I also adored French actress Marion
Cotillard as Will’s pregnant wife Josephine. She brings just the
right touch of warmth and open compassion to the proceedings,
finding the perfect balance between empathy and antagonism
towards her husband’s quest. Then there are sisters Ada and
Arlene Tai as conjoined chanteuses Ping and Jing. They can’t
help but make an indelible impression, Burton’s slow reveal of
the duo on stage one for the ages.
Of course,
there would be no movie without McGregor and Finney. Not only
are both outstanding, they somehow find an amazing symmetry
between their two performances that’s truly something. I
believed that one grew up to be the other, so easy to see
McGregor’s wide-eyed innocence morph effortlessly into Finney’s
happy meditation at living a life so well. It’s a tag-team
effort between the duo, and I am not entirely sure I’ve ever
seen anything like it on film before. In the end, it is
impossible to think of one without the other, both so integral
to the other that it would be blasphemous to imagine them
anywhere else.
It goes without
saying Burton achieves technical brilliance throughout “Big
Fish” second to none. From Danny Elfman’s score to Philippe
Rousselot’s cinematography to Coleen Atwood’s pristine costumes,
the director knows how to get the best out of his craftsmen. But
it is Academy Award-winning production designer Dennis Gassner’s
work that really stands out. Not only did he create the
effulgently conceived worlds that populate Edward’s stories, but
he also brings to life the almost humdrum suburban every-land
much of the movie takes place in. Even better, he masterfully
reconceives everything as the picture goes along, letting the
fiction of Edward’s stories slowly ebb away into their actual
modern-day reality.
But this is
Burton’s film all the way, and it is his majestic imagination
that really makes everything soar. This is a director working at
the top of his game, making “Big Fish” come to life in soaringly
impressionistic fashion. In the end, Burton manages to do what
so few dramas can – earn their tears honestly and with
intelligence. No blatant pulling of the heartstrings, no brass
band spelling things out with a rendition of Taps; this a
three-hankie movie that remembers to treat its audience with
discerning understanding. And as the final images resplendently
swim away, I couldn’t help but think of my own life, my own
parents. “Big Fish” taps into the bonds of family like no other
film this year. It is a surrealistic masterpiece, Burton
crafting an Oscar-worthy classic to stand the test of time.
Rating:
ęęęę (out of 4)
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