Big
Fish (2003)
cast: Helena Bonham-Carter, Billy
Crudup, Albert Finney, Jessica Lange, Danny DeVito, Ewan McGregor
Our rating:
3 out of 5
Rated: PG13
reviewed by Shannon H.
Tim Burton's films have either been
wonderfully successful or just really pathetic. Either
way, Burton's latest creation, Big Fish (based on
the novel of the same name) is a wonderful fantasy ride
that adults and older teen-agers will enjoy. Humor,
stories, and the human condition make up a wonderful
film. Will Bloom (Crudup) has grown up with a rather
peculiar and eccentric father, Edward Bloom (McGregor).
Ed Bloom is known to be a fantastic storyteller and
filled his son Will and others with his tall tales of
his life's adventures. Will was fascinated by these
stories until he grew up and realized that they sounded
too good to be true.
After his wedding, Will Bloom cut off
ties from the now elderly Edward Bloom (Finney) for three years because he
felt that all his father's stories were blatant lies and thus, didn't know
who his father really was. In three years' time, old Ed Bloom is now dying
of cancer and Will and his expectant wife Josephine fly out to visit him for
one last time. Will takes advantage of this opportunity and tries to find
out who his dad really is instead of having to listen to endless stories
about his supposed adventures. Still, he is unsatisfied because his father
still keeps telling tall tales of his youth while his mother Sandra (Lange)
and Josephine are engrossed in these "big fish stories," such as Ed catching
the largest fish in the pond the day his son was born, visiting a town where
all the inhabitants wore no shoes, working at a carnival just to find out
about the love of his life, etc. In fact, everyone but Will enjoys hearing
these fantastic bits about Ed Bloom's life.
Still not satisfied, Will Bloom sets out
to his father's attic, looking up old papers and documents to prove the
"authenticity" of these so-called facts. He ends up meeting with the doctor
who delivered him at birth and realizes the story his dad told him about
catching the biggest fish was false. Will also meets with Jenny (Helena
Bonham Carter), a friend of Ed to find out if his dad ever carried an affair
with another woman because he was known to flirt with other women
occasionally (he is relieved to find that it wasn't true). Now Will isn't
sure if his father is who he says he is. Although Big Fish might come
off as a whimsical, modern day Wizard of Oz, it's rated PG13 for a
reason and is not be appropriate for kids 12 and under. There's no actual
sex scenes but two shots of brief female backside nudity (non-sexual) and
one shot of brief male backside nudity of carnival manager Amos, played by
Danny DeVito (also non-sexual). There are a couple of sexual references.
Ed Bloom makes a joke that implies that
his mother slept with the milkman and therefore his dad was the guy who
delivered the milk every day. he old Ed Bloom (Albert Finney) is seen
sensually cuddling his wife in a bathtub full of water (both are fully
clothed). While fixing Jenny's home, young Ed Bloom is tempted but wards off
Jenny's advances, saying that he is in love with his wife, Sandra (nothing
explicit is seen ). Violence is limited to a couple of fistfights. While the
younger Ed Bloom is talking to Sandra, her then-fiancé beats him up (his
face is slightly bloodied). While serving in the Korean war, young Ed Bloom
fistfights with Northern Korean soldiers while they were watching a showgirl
dance. There are some scattered cuss words: two or three d***s, a couple of
h***s, and one use of the word b****. There's also a pinch of
witchcraft, but it's quite minor.
The film does have a moderate amount of
Christian content' one can see Biblical allusions. According to one review
of the film at Christian Spotlight, the story of young Ed Bloom working
three years to meet his wife, Sandra, can be compared to the Biblical story
where Jacob spends 7-14 years working to marry the love of his life,
Rebekah. Ed Bloom mentions a lesson he learned in Sunday School; that the
bigger the challenge, the better the reward. God never gives us something He
feels we can't accomplish, even if it seems too big. Big or small, each
challenge God gives us will reward us greatly. In the film, Ed Bloom faced
several amazing feats but he took them all because he felt that he would be
greatly rewarded. We should also remember Robert Frost's poem The Road
Less Taken where the character took "the road less traveled by" and it
made a great deal of difference. Ed definitely took the "road less traveled"
and it took him on great adventures.
Even though some of Ed's stories are a little on the
fictional side, they are useful in illustrating Biblical themes that are
applicable to our lives. That's the main reason I loved this film. It was
fun, cute, and at times, heart-wrenching. It was definitely worth the price
of the rental and the DVD features are endless. If the brief nudity and
profanity were scrapped, it would easily make a PG. Speaking of brief
nudity, getting a glimpse of Danny DeVito's bare backside was a little
unsettling to me. I don't know if I can ever watch any of his movies again.
Still, this film is a real treat to watch and is better than Tim Burton's
earlier productions. Do yourself a favor and rent this on DVD with the cool
bonus features. You will not be disappointed.
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